BIODEGRADATION OF CRUDE OIL AND BIOSURFACTANT PRODUCTION BY CRUDE OIL-DEGRADING BACTERIA STRAIN

Abstract

From soil samples collected from Al-Faw district in Basra governorate, oildegradable bacterial strains were isolated, identified and described. Using common and well-established bacteriological techniques, five bacterial isolates have been described at the biochemical level. The Vitek-2 system was used to further identify the isolates. Five separate bacteria (Staphylococcus lentus, Enterococcus casseliflavus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus vitulinus, and Bacillus pumilus). Crude oil biodegradation was successfully demonstrated when the five bacterial isolates were cultured on mineral salt medium (MSM) filled with 1% crude oil for ten days. The findings showed that the higher percentage of the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) degradation rate by Bacillus sp. was 69%. And testing its ability to produce a biosurfactant, It was very effective in the emulsification coefficient test, where the percentage was 65%, in the oil spread test of 13 mm, and in the formation of foam by 35%, and the hemolysis was of the type beta, and it gave a positive result in the drop collapse test. We conclude that this type of bacteria can be used in bioremediation treatment of soil contaminated with crude oil.