OIL POLLUTION ON SOIL ECOSYSTEM AND THE USE OF INDIGENOUS SOIL BACTERIA FOR BIO-REMEDIATION SYNTHESIS
1Okpara O.N and 2Akpoturi Peters
1Department of Biochemistry, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State
2Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun
ABSTRACT
A bioremediation strategy based on Azotobacter- seeding of oil polluted medium containing indigenous bacterial degraders was used to enhance the removal of the contaminating crude oil. In this study, biological nitrogen fixation was co- optimized with crude oil degradation. Increase in cell number for both Azotobacter (from 0.5 – 4.3 x 106 cells/ml) and the oil degrading bacteria from 0.3- 0.6 x 106 cells/ml) in 10 days indicated significant nitrogen fixation and oil degradation in the two bacteria respectively. The low percentage, remaining crude oil (20 – 30%) in the polluted mixed cultures within 14 days confirmed the bioremediation efficiency of the bacterium-Azotobacter consortium. In the field demonstration of this bioremediation and Biological nitrogen fixation processes in an oil polluted soil microcosm, increase in growth parameters of the planted sorghum cultivar was significant in the Azotobacter – seeded plots, relative to non-seeded portion. Hence this bioremediation strategy hold strong potential for a large-scale clean-up of oil-polluted degraded soils and other ecosystems in the natural environment.
Keywords: Soil, Crude oil, Pollution, fixation, bacteria, degraders, clean-up, ecosystem, bioremediation contamination and environment.
