Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation

Abstrait

Alkane Degradative Potentials of Bacteria Isolated From the Deep Atlantic Ocean of the Gulf of Guinea

Sunday Babatunde Akinde, Catherine Chinenye Iwuozor and Omokaro Obire

The efficiency of bacterial strains isolated from Nigeria Deep Atlantic Ocean water and sediment (2450 m – 2774 m depths) to biodegrade total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH, n-alkanes) constituents of 1% crude oil was compared with that of similar isolate from oily wastewater reservoir in Imo State, Nigeria. Standardized bacterial strains (OD546 1.0) with similar morphological and biochemical characteristics from surface seawater (HBW12a), bottom seawater (HBW12b), superficial sediment (HBS12) and oily wastewater reservoir (HMWP) were selected and their TPH biodegradation efficiency in 30 days was quantified by gas chromatographic analysis (GC-FID). TPH fractions (n-C8–n-C40) of Bonny light crude oil was degraded significantly (P≤0.05) by all the four isolates. HMWP, HBW12b, HBS12 and HBW12a degraded 85.7%, 80.8%, 79.1% and 78.6% of TPH respectively. Although bacterial isolates from oily wastewater reservoir (HMWP) possessed highest degradative capabilities, isolates from seawater surface (HBW12a) and seawater bottom (HBW12b) as well as sediment (HBS12) also exhibited crude oil degradative potential. The four isolates have been tentatively identified as Pseudomonas. The gas chromatograms showed a distribution from n-C11 to n-C36 alkanes with the fractions of n-C15, n-C17 and n-C19 showing relatively high concentrations at the onset of experiment followed by a significant degradation in 30 days by all the isolates. The n-C17/pristane peak ratios of 0.43, 0.47, 0.47 and 0.48 for HMWP, HBW12a, HBW12b and HBS12 respectively in day 30 also affirmed TPH biodegradation by all the isolates. Indigenous bacteria from deep Atlantic Ocean water column and sediment thus possess capabilities for biotechnological applications in deep water bioremediation.