The environmental pollution in the Niger Delta has been a course of concern. Microorganisms such as bacteria have proved to be of great benefit in the degradation of petroleum derived hydrocarbons. This study evaluated the bacteriological and heavy metal concentration of abandoned crude oil–contaminated sites in Gio community, Ogoniland, Nigeria. Soil, water, and sediment samples were collected from the sites. pH and selected heavy metals in the samples were monitored. Isolation and biochemical characterization were done to determine the heterotrophic and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria present in the samples. Soil and sediment samples had pH values of 4.80±0.04 and 4.8±0.07 respectively while the surface and ground water samples had pH values of 6.40±0.216 and 6.50±0.01. Iron had the highest heavy metal concentration in all the samples, especially the sediment (1000.80±0.01 mg/kg) while copper and lead had the lowest concentration of < 0.001mg/kg in all the samples except sediment sample. The total petroleum hydrocarbon in the soil (9114.86±0.036 mg/kg), exceeded DPR intervention limit while sediment (1034.46±0.022 mg/kg), surface water (2.515±0.003 µg/L) and ground water sample (32.38±0.99 µg/L) were below DPR’s limit. The soil sample had the highest total culturable heterotrophic bacterial counts and total culturable hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts of 5.20 ± 0.21 X 108 CFU/g and 4.00 ± 0.11 X 107 CFU/g, respectively. The following heterotrophic bacteria were isolated and identified from the samples; Pseudomonas spp, Bacillus spp, Acidiphilium spp, Acidibrevibacterium spp and Leptospirillum spp. This study has shown the presence of indigenous resident bacteria which possess the ability to degrade hydrocarbons. These bacteria can be improved through bioaugmentation and bio stimulation for the bioremediation of these sites.
Crude oil-polluted environment serves as a reservoir of microbial species, especially bacteria. Determining these bacterial genera is of great benefit to environmental assessment and recovery. This study evaluated the bacteria and selected heavy metals present in crude oil-polluted sites in K-dere community, Ogoniland. The study was carried out at the Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Crude oil-polluted soil, water, and sediment samples were collected from K-dere community, Ogoniland. The pH and heavy metals composition of each sample was determined using pH meter and spectrophotometer, respectively, while isolation and biochemical characterization were done to evaluate the heterotrophic and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria present in each sample. Results revealed that iron (Fe) had the highest concentration in the soil (898.77±0.022 mg/kg) and sediment (1556.7±0.163 mg/kg) samples, while lead (Pb) had the lowest overall concentration. The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) (10410.5 mg/kg) in soil sample exceeded the DPR standard limit of 5000 mg/kg for soil. The results of total culturable heterotrophic bacterial counts (TCHBC) and total culturable hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts (TCHUBC) showed that soil and sediment samples had the highest TCHBC and TCHUBC values of 2.66 ± 0.03 x 108 CFU/mL and 4.7 ± 0.14 x 107 CFU/mL respectively. Morphological and biochemical characterization of the isolates revealed the presence of Pseudomonas spp, Bacillus spp, Acidiphilium spp, Mycobacterium spp and Leptospirillum spp in the samples with Pseudomonas spp having the highest percentage occurrence. This study has revealed the presence of useful bacterial species in the sampled sites which can be harnessed for an in situ cleaning of crude oil- contaminated site, especially in the tropical region.
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