BACTERIAL CONSORTIA FOR CRUDE-OIL SPILL REMEDIATION

Oil spills generate enormous public concern and highlight the need for cost effective and environmentally acceptable mitigation technologies . Physico-chemical methods are not completely effective after a spill. Hence, there is a need for improved and alternative technologies. Bio remediation is the most environmentally sound technology for clean up. This report intends to determine the potential of a bacterial consort ium for degradation of Gulf and Bombay High crude oil. A number of bac teria were isolated from an acclimated semicontinuous reactor fed with crude oil. A four membered consortium was designed that could degrade 70% of the crude oil. A member of consortium produced a biosurfactant , rhamnolipid, that emulsified crude oil efficiently for effective deg radation by the other members of consortium. The wide range of hydroca rbonoclastic capabilities of the selected members of bacterial consort ium leads to the degradataion of both aromatic and aliphatic fractions of crude oil in 72 hours. Copyright (C) 1996 IAWQ.