Isolation and Characterization of Crude Oil Degrading Bacteria in Association with Microalgae in Saver Pit from Egbaoma Flow Station, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Authors

  • Obhioze Augustine Akpoka Igbinedion University
  • G. O. Erifeta
  • O.S. Imade
  • E.J. Okafor-Elenwo
  • A.A. Enaigbe
  • D.S. Abolarin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36547/ae.2020.2.2.12-16

Keywords:

Crude, Degrading Bacteria, Microalgae, bio-remediation

Abstract

The capability of indigenous bacteria and microalgae in crude oil effluents to grow in and utilize crude oil as their sole source of carbon and energy provides an environmentally friendly and economical process for dealing with crude oil pollution and its inherent hazards. In view of the toxicity of crude oil spillages to indwellers of the affected ecosystems and the entire affected environment, the isolation of pure bacterial and microalgae cultures from crude effluents is a step in the right direction, particularly for bio-augmentation or bioremediation purposes. The total heterotrophic bacteria count and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria count, as well as the microalgae count, were determined with the pour plate technique. The physicochemical properties of the effluent samples were also analyzed. Identification of the hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria was performed with phenotypic techniques. The result shows a mean total heterotrophic bacterium count of 5.91 log CFU/ml and a mean microalga count of 4.77 log cells/ml. When crude oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were used as sole carbon sources, total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria counts were respectively estimated at 3.89 and 2.89 log CFU/ml. Phenotypic identification of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria in the crude oil effluents revealed the presence of two main bacterial genera: Streptococcus and Pseudomonas. Data obtained from this study confirmed the biodegradative abilities of indigenous bacterial species, thus, ultimately resulting in the amelioration of the toxicity associated with the crude oil effluents.

Downloads

Published

2020-06-03 — Updated on 2020-10-01

Versions

How to Cite

Akpoka, O. A., Erifeta, G. O., Imade, O., Okafor-Elenwo, E., Enaigbe, A., & Abolarin, D. (2020). Isolation and Characterization of Crude Oil Degrading Bacteria in Association with Microalgae in Saver Pit from Egbaoma Flow Station, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Archives of Ecotoxicology, 2(2), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.36547/ae.2020.2.2.12-16 (Original work published June 3, 2020)

Issue

Section

Research Paper