Journal Article

Biodegradation of diesel oil by a novel microbial consortium: comparison between co-inoculation with biosurfactant-producing strain and exogenously added biosurfactants

Ghribi, Dhouha, Mnif, Inès, Maktouf, Sameh, Sahnoun, Rihab, Ayedi, Younes, Mnif, Sami, Ellouze-Chaabouni, Semia

2015

Overview

Bioremediation, involving the use of microorganisms to detoxify or remove pollutants, is the most interesting strategy for hydrocarbon remediation. In this aim, four hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Tunisia. They were identified by the 16S rDNA sequence analysis, as Lysinibacillus bronitolerans RI18 (KF964487), Bacillus thuringiensis RI16 (KM111604), Bacillus weihenstephanensis RI12 (KM094930), and Acinetobacter radioresistens RI7 (KJ829530). Moreover, a lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis SPB1, confirmed to increase diesel solubility, was tested to increase diesel biodegradation along with co-inoculation with two biosurfactant-producing strains. Culture studies revealed the enhancement of diesel biodegradation by the selected consortium with the addition of SPB1 lipopeptide and in the cases of co-inoculation by biosurfactant-producing strain. In fact, an improvement of about 38.42 and 49.65 % of diesel degradation was registered in the presence of 0.1 % lipopeptide biosurfactant and when culturing B. subtilis SPB1 strain with the isolated consortium, respectively. Furthermore, the best improvement, evaluated to about 55.4 %, was recorded when using the consortium cultured with B. subtilis SPB1 and A. radioresistens RI7 strains. Gas chromatography analyses were correlated with the gravimetric evaluation of the residual hydrocarbons. Results suggested the potential applicability of the selected consortium along with the ex situ- and in situ-added biosurfactant for the effective bioremediation of diesel-contaminated water and soil.

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Acinetobacter - metabolism / Acinetobacter radioresistens / Aquatic Pollution / Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution / Bacillus subtilis / Bacillus subtilis - metabolism / Bacillus thuringiensis / Bacillus weihenstephanensis / Bacteria / Bioavailability / Biodegradation / Biodegradation, Environmental / Bioremediation / Biosurfactants / Deoxyribonucleic acid / Diesel / diesel fuel / DNA / Earth and Environmental Science / Ecotoxicology / Enhanced oil recovery / Environment / Environmental Chemistry / Environmental Health / Environmental impact / Gas chromatography / Gasoline - analysis / Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria / Hydrocarbons / Inoculation / lipopeptides / Lysinibacillus / Microbial Consortia / Microorganisms / nucleotide sequences / Oil pollution / Petroleum Pollution / Phylogenetics / Pollutants / polluted soils / Research Article / ribosomal DNA / rRNA 16S / Sequence analysis / Soil - chemistry / Soil contamination / Soil Microbiology / Soil microorganisms / Soil Pollutants - analysis / Soil Pollutants - chemistry / Soil pollution / Soil remediation / soil water / solubility / Strains (organisms) / Surface-Active Agents - chemistry / Surfactants / Toxicity / Tunisia / Waste Water Technology / Water Management / Water pollution / Water Pollution Control