Bioprospecting of Hydrocarbonoclastic Representative Bacteria

Abstract

This study was designed and carried out to characterize hydrocarbonoclastic microbial communities in soil polluted with artisanal refined hydrocarbon at Trans Amadi, Phalga Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Heterotrophic bacteria count ranged from 8.0 × 105 cfu/gm for sample TSAS1, and 2.1 × 106 cfu/gm for sample TSAS2 while TSAS3 was too numerous to count (TNTC). Hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria count ranged from 1.1 × 105 cfu/gm for TSAS1, and 5.9 × 104 cfu/gm for TSAS2, while TSAS3 was 5.4 × 104 cfu/gm. Physiochemical parameters of the soil were determined. The ranges obtained were pH 6.6, conductivity 125 μs/cm, temperature 27.3°C, moisture 7.72, total nitrogen 0.056%, phosphate 1.554 ppm, potassium 145.87 ppm, lead 7.02 ppm, cadmium 0.41 ppm, nickel 1.96 ppm, copper 1.14 ppm, total petroleum hydrocarbon 1487.24181 ppm, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 12.85287 ppm. Isolates of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria characterized belonged to the genera Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Lactobacillus sp., Enterobacter sp., Serratia sp., and Proteus sp. The findings in this study have revealed the abilities of these groups of bacteria to be employed in bioremediation/biodegradation clean-up practices. Thus the polluted soil may harbour important genera of bacterial species that may have beneficial applications in environmental microbiology for future remediation processes.