Influence of Oil Spill Eater II (OSE II) in bacterial degradation of hydrocarbon pollutants

Abstract

Fifty-seven bacterial isolates were obtained from a previous study; these were collected out of twenty-seven soil-contaminated samples in Iraq. Rumaila oil field, Bai-Hassan oil field, and East Baghdad oil field are located in Iraq. The results of bacterial degradation of hydrocarbons components showed that 44% of P. aeruginosa as well as 50% of S. marcescens possessed the ability to degrade anthracene, as well 60% of P. aeruginosa and 50% of each S. marcescens, B. cepacia, and A. radioersistens with 100% of K. pneumoniae possessed the degradation ability of phenathrene. Finally, the results illustrated that 55.56%, 83.3%, and 50% of P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, and B. cepacia, respectively, in addition to 100% of each A. radioersistens and K. pneumoniae had the degradation ability of naphthalene. Optimization results showed that pH 7 and temperature 35ºwith peptone as a nitrogen source were the best degradation parameters. Finally, the results showed significant activity of OSE II in the bacterial degradation of naphthalene without any effects on phenathrene and anthracene. Keywords: OSE II, hydrocarbons, bacterial degradation, anthracene, phenanthrene, and naphthalene