Biodegradation of Crude Oil in Contaminated Soils by Free and Immobilized Microorganisms

doi:10.1016/S1002-0160(12)60057-5

Pedosphere

Volume 22, Issue 5, October 2012, Pages 717-725

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(12)60057-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

The efficiencies of free and immobilized bacterial cultures of petroleum hydrocarbon degraders were evaluated and compared in this study. Hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities with high tolerance to and high degrading ability of crude oil were obtained from the soil contaminated with crude oil in the Yellow River Delta. Then, the microbial cells were immobilized in sodium alginate (SA) beads and sodium alginate-diatomite (SAD) beads. The biodegradation of crude oil in soil by immobilized cells was compared with that by free cells at three inoculation concentrations, 1 × 10⁴ colony forming units (cfu) kg⁻¹ (low concentration, L), 5 × 10⁴ cfu kg⁻¹ (medium concentration, M), and 1 × 10⁵ cfu kg⁻¹ (high concentration, H). At 20 d after inoculation, the maximum degradation rate in the immobilized systems reached 29.8% (SAD-M), significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the free cells (21.1%), and the SAD beads showed greater degradation than the SA beads. Moreover, both microbial populations and total microbial activity reached significantly higher level (P < 0.05) in the immobilized systems than free cell systems at a same initial inoculation amount. The scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images also confirmed the advantages of the immobilized microstructure of SAD beads. The enhanced degradation and bacterial growth in the SAD beads indicated the high potential of SAD beads as an effective option for bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated soils in the Yellow River Delta.

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: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41073067), the Key Program of the Ministry of Education, China (No. 308016), and the National Major Special Technological Programme Concerning Water Pollution Control and Management of China (No. 2009ZX07010-008).

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Biodegradation of Crude Oil in Contaminated Soils by Free and Immobilized Microorganisms

Abstract

J. Ferment. Bioeng

Bioresour. Technol

Bioresour. Technol

J. Microbiol. Methods

Soil Biol. Biochem

Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad

Soil Biol. Biochem

Bioresour. Technol

Environ. Pollut

Enzyme Microb. Technol

Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad

Process Biochem

J. Arid Environ

J. Hazard. Mater

J. Environ. Sci

Soil Biol. Biochem

Pedosphere

Pedosphere

J. Hazard. Mater