Molecular identification of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria isolated from alfisol-loam experimentally-contaminated with gasoline
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Date
2016-09
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nigerian Society for Experimental Biology (NISEB).
Abstract
Impacts of gasoline pollution on the soil environment, bacterial and weed population dynamics were investigated for several months. Known amounts of gasoline were added to 2kg of soil. In the first experiment the soil was immediately sampled for microbial load and presence of weeds. In the second experiment the soil was sampled after three months for microbial load and presence of weeds. In the third experiment the soil was sampled after 6 months for microbial load and presence of weeds. The soil was sampled weekly for twelve weeks in each of the three experiments. Weeds that grew on the soil were noted and identified. Bacteria isolated were identified using 16S rRNA sequencing. The identified bacteria include Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas sp, and Ochrobactrum sp. The bacteria were further tested for their ability to grow on gasoline as the only source of carbon and their growth measured by optical density, change in pH and total viable counts. Results showed ability to utilize gasoline as the only source of carbon and energy. The emulsification activities of the isolates were greater than 50% indicating higher potential to biodegrade gasoline. It is concluded that it is possible to isolate oil degrading bacteria capable of in situ biodegradation from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It is suggested that the identified weeds have some roles to play in the biodegradation of gasoline by bacteria
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Keywords
Biodegradation,, Bacteria,, Gasoline,, PCR,
Citation
1