Bacterial consortia for crude oil spill remediation

• Published in: Water Science & Technology Vol. 34; no. 10; pp. 187 - 193
• Main Authors: Chhatre, Suneel, Purohit, Hemant, Shanker, Rishi, Khanna, Purushottam
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: London IWA Publishing 1996
• Subjects: Acceptable noise levels; Aliphatic compounds; Alternative technology; Aromatic compounds; Bacteria; Biodegradation; Bioremediation; Biosurfactants; Consortia; Crude oil; Degradation; Marine; Mitigation; Oil spills
• ISBN: 9780080430898; 0080430899
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.1016/S0273-1223(96)00713-5

Oil spills generate enourmous public concern and highlight the need for cost effective and environmentally acceptable mitigation technologies. Physico-chemical methods are not completely effective after a spill. Hence, there is a need for improved and alternative technologies. Bioremediation is the most environmentally sound technology for clean up. This report intends to determine the potential of a bacterial consortium for degradation of Gulf and Bombay High crude oil. A number of bacteria were isolated from an acclimated semicontinuous reactor fed with crude oil. A four membered consortium was designed that could degrade 70% of the crude oil. A member of consortium produced a biosurfactant, rhamnolipid, that emulsified crude oil efficiently for effective degradation by the other members of consortium. The wide range of hydrocarbonoclastic capabilities of the selected members of bacterial consortium leads to the degradation of both aromatic and aliphatic fractions of crude oil in 72 hours.