• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.141-148
• /
• 2015

The presence of phenols in treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) is an environmental concern due to their phytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity. In this study, phenol-degrading bacteria, Methylobacterium sp. NP3 and Acinetobacter sp. PK1 were immobilized on oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFBs) for removal of phenols in the treated POME. The bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) were responsible for cell adhesion to the EFBs during the immobilization process. These immobilized bacteria could effectively remove up to 5,000 mg/L phenol in a carbon free mineral medium (CFMM) with a greater degradation efficiency and rate than that with suspended bacteria. To increase the efficiency of the immobilized bacteria, three approaches, namely activation, acclimation, and combined activation and acclimation were applied. The most convenient and efficient strategy was found when the immobilized bacteria were activated in a CFMM containing phenol for 24 h before biotreatment of the treated POME. These activated immobilized bacteria were able to remove about 63.4% of 33 mg/L phenols in the treated POME, while non-activated and/or acclimated immobilized bacteria could degrade only 35.0%. The activated immobilized bacteria could be effectively reused for at least ten application cycles and stored for 4 weeks at $4^{\circ}C$ with the similar activities. In addition, the utilization of the abundant EFBs gives value-added to the palm oil mill wastes and is environmentally friendly thus making it is attractive for practical application.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.35-42
• /
• 1996

Seawater samples were collected from P'ohang coastal area during April 1995 - January 1996. The distribution of total heterotrophic bacteria and crude oil-degrading bacteria (CDB) were studied. In addition, biodegradation of crude oil was investigated through mono and mixed culture. The heterotrophic bacterial distribution was in the range of 4.1 $\times$ $10^4$- 1.2 $\times$ $10^5$ CFU/$m\ell$, respectively. The percent of crude oil-degrading bacteria against total heterotrophic bacteria was 0.05-0.54% which was lower than other marine samples reported. Therefore it could be suggested that the distribution of crude oil-degrading bacteria in the seawater of P'ohang coastal area was highly affected by presence of petroleum hydrocarbon. Taxonomical characteristics of 26 isolates were investigated. The results of identification were showed 7 genera which were Acinetobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Citrobacter spp., Micrococcus spp., Moraxella spp., Rhodococcus spp., and Serratia spp. Appearance of Enterobacteriaceae indicated that the seawater was polluted with wastewater. Also genus of Bacillus had predominant in CDB on P'ohang coastal area. In flask culture, biodegradation of crude oil was enhanced by addition of mixed culture of CDB.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.108-113
• /
• 2003

Diesel oil-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from diesel oil contaminated soil and called HS series (HS1, HS2 and HS3). These strains were identified as Acinetobacter sp. (HS1) and Pseudomonas sp. (HS2 and HS3) based on Biolog test, cellular fatty acid composition, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. These strains were coltivated in liquid minimal media containing 2% diesel oil, and diesel oil-degrading activity was measured. As result, all strains degraded over 70% of total diesel oil. But PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon)- and pris- tane-degrading rate of these strain was below 20％ of total PAH and pristane. The HS 1 strain showed highest hydrophobicity and low emulsifying activity among the experimental strains and high diesel oil-degrading activity. From the above-mentioned result, microcosm experiment was performed with the HS1 strain. The HS1 strain showed a degrading activity of over 80% of total diesel oil in microcosm test. And microbial activity was correlated to diesel oil-degrading activity. Therefore, it is suggested that the HS1 strains could be effectively used for the bioremediation for diesel oil.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.354-359
• /
• 2006

This study examined the capacity of immobilized bacteria to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. A mixture of hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains was immobilized in alginate and incubated in crude oil-contaminated artificial seawater (ASW). Analysis of hydrocarbon residues following a 30-day incubation period demonstrated that the biodegradation capacity of the microorganisms was not compromised by the immobilization. Removal of n-alkanes was similar in immobilized cells and control cells. To test reusability, the immobilized bacteria were incubated for sequential increments of 30 days. No decline in biodegradation capacity of the immobilized consortium of bacterial cells was noted over its repeated use. We conclude that immobilized hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria represent a promising application in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated areas.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2000

A marine bacterium having a high oil-degrading activity was isolated form the oil-polluted southern sea of Korea, and was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and was named Pseudomonas aeruginosa BYK-2. The optimal tmeperatur, culture time, pH and NaCl concentration for biosurfactant production and cell growth showed $25^{\circ}C$, 48h, 7.0 and 0%(w/v), respectively. After cultivation at $25^{\circ}C$, 180 rpm in 250 mL erlenmeyer flask for 7days, 1%(w/v) arabian light crude oil and bunker C oil which are considered to be hardly degradable compounds were degraded 92.1%(w/w) and 76%(w/w) respectively. And then, cell adherence was measured on various carbon sources. The cell adherence indicated over 80% on hydrocarbons(arabian light crude oil, kuwait curde oil, bunker C oil, n-paraffine, n-hexadecane, n-tetradecane) as carbon sources. Lecithin among fatty acids(oleic acid, olive oil, lecithin) showed highest cell adherence of 91.5%. The cell adherence of sugars(arabinose, trehalose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, fructose, maltose, sorbitol, sucrose) observed to be less than 70% except for arabinose, galactose, sorbitol and sucrose.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.363-369
• /
• 1996

As basic study to evaluate the treatability of oil-contaminated environment with bacteria, isolation and characterization of crude oil-degrading bacterium were carried out. A bacterial strain SH-14 capable of degrading crude oil was isolated from contaminated soils by enrichment culture technique and identified as Acinetobacter sp. by morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics, and so named Acinetobacter sp. SH-14. The optimal medium composition and cultural conditions for the growth and emulsification of crude oil by Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 used were crude oil of 2.0%, $KNO_3$ of 0.2%, $K_2HPO_4$ of 0.05%, and $MgSO_4\;{\cdot}\;7H_2O$ of 1.0%, along with initial pH 7.0 at $30^{\circ}C$. Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 showed to be resistant to chloramphenicol and utilized various hydrocarbons such as dodecane, hexadecane, isooctane, cyclo-hexane etc., as a sole carbon source. Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 harbored a single plasmid. By agarose gel electrophoresis and curing experiment it was found that the genes for crude oil components degradation were encoded on the plasmid.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
• /
• 1995.10b
• /
• pp.159.2-159
• /
• 1995

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.148-156
• /
• 2006

Potential hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were screened from the site artificially polluted with 20,000 ppm of diesel. Among the isolates, two strains, SJD2 and SJD4, showed higher activities to degrade diesel on the Bushnell-Hass broth medium containing 2% of diesel. 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that SJD2 and SJD4 were Bacillus fusifomis and B. cereus, respectively. Both strains were found to grow in a wide range of temperature between $20^{\circ}C-55^{\circ}C$, with the best at $30^{\circ}C-37^{\circ}C$. This is the first report, as far as we know, that B. fusifomis is capable of degrading diesel. We hope that a new isolate, B. fusifomis, will efficiently conduct bioremediation at the contaminated sites with petroleum hydrocarbons.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.8-15
• /
• 2003

To evaluate the effects of slow release fertilizer and chemical dispersant on oil biodegradation, mesocosm studies were conducted on sand seashore. The rapid removal rates (85%) of aliphatic hydrocarbons and the simultaneous decreases of n-$C_{17}$/pristane (69%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (61%) ratios by the addition of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) within 37 days of experiment indicated that SRF could enhance the oil degrading activity of indigenous microorganisms in sand mesocosm. Although the growth of heterotrophic bacteria and petroleumdegrading bacteria in the mesocosm treated with $Corexit 9527^{R}$ was stimulated, the biological oil removal based on the ratios of $Corexit 9527^{R}$ and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ was inhibited. Removal rates of aliphatic hydrocarbons (56%), and n-$C_{17}$/pristane (27%) and $n-C_{18}/phytane$ (17%) ratios by the addition of chemical dispersant $Corexit 9527^{R}$ were similar or lower than those values of control (50, 60, 46%), respectively. The biodegradation activity, however, when simultaneously treated with SRF and $Corexit 9527^{R}$, was not highly inhibited and even recovered after the elimination of chemical dispersant. From these results it could be concluded that the addition of SRF enhanced the oil removal rate in oligotrophic sand seashore and chemical dispersant possibly inhibit the oil biodegradation. Hence, in order to prevent the unrestrained usage of chemical dispersant in natural environments contaminated with oil, the National Contingency Plan of Oil Spill Response should be carefully revised in consideration of the application for bioremedaition techniques.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.79-87
• /
• 2013

An unstable yet efficient phenanthrene-degrading bacterium strain Ph-3 was isolated from a petroleum-contaminated site at the Mathura Oil Refinery, India. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. using a polyphasic approach. An analysis of the intermediates and assays of the degradative enzymes from a crude extract of phenanthrene-grown cells showed a novel and previously unreported pattern of 1, 2-dihydroxy naphthalene and salicylic acid production. While strain Ph-3 lost its phenanthrene- degrading potential during successive transfers on a rich medium, it maintained this trait in oligotrophic soil conditions under the stress of the pollutant and degraded phenanthrene efficiently in soil microcosms. Although the maintenance and in vitro study of unstable phenotypes are difficult and such strains are often missed during isolation, purification, and screening, these bacteria constitute a substantial fraction of the microbial community at contaminated sites and play an important role in pollutant degradation during biostimulation or monitored natural attenuation.