Exploring Oil Contaminated Environments for Bacteria with Bioremediation Potential

Abstract

Oil spills wreak havoc on both land and water, poisoning soil, rivers and oceans. Bioremediation is a promising option which uses nature's ability to break down pollutants. Oil-eating bacteria and other specialized microorganisms are used to break down oil molecules into harmless byproducts. This natural decomposition process reduces the long-term environmental damage caused by oil pollution. The main objective of this study was to isolate oil degrading bacteria from local environment to study their oil degradation potential under laboratory conditions. Bacterial isolates were obtained from two soil samples collected from mechanic shops from Lahore, Pakistan. These isolates were characterized morphologically, physiologically and biochemically and further studied to evaluate their ability to break down burnt engine oil. Bacteria were cultivated in minimal salt medium (MSM) supplemented with burnt engine oil as the main carbon source. Bacterial growth was monitored by measuring optical density at 600 nm, which increased over time and the corresponding oil degradation potential was calculated. For UMT LS1 the percentage degradation was found to be 77% after seven days of incubation whereas for UMT LS2 the percentage degradation was found to be 81% after seven days of incubation. Biochemical analysis showed that UMT LS1 belonged to genus Corynebacterium while UMT LS2 belonged to the genus Mycobacterium. These bacterial isolates can be used as potential candidates for degradation of oil contamination.