Bioremediation has been proposed as a means of dealing with oil spills on the continent. However, the introduction of non-native organisms, including microbes, even for this purpose would appear to breach the terms of the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. This study therefore aimed to optimize the growth conditions and diesel degradation activity of the Antarctic native bacteria Arthrobacter spp. strains AQ5-05 and AQ5-06 through the application of a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach. Both strains were psychrotolerant, with the optimum temperature supporting diesel degradation being 10–15°C. Both strains were also screened for biosurfactant production and biofilm formation. Their diesel degradation potential was assessed using Bushnell–Haas medium supplemented with 0.5% (v/v) diesel as the sole carbon source and determined using both gravimetric and gas chromatography and mass spectrophotometry analysis. Strain AQ5-06 achieved 37.5% diesel degradation, while strain AQ5-05 achieved 34.5% diesel degradation. Both strains produced biosurfactants and showed high biofilm adherence. Strains AQ5-05 and AQ5-06 showed high cellular hydrophobicity rates of 73.0% and 81.5%, respectively, in hexadecane, with somewhat lower values of 60.5% and 70.5%, respectively, in tetrahexadecane. Optimized conditions identified via OFAT increased diesel degradation to 41.0% and 47.5% for strains AQ5-05 and AQ5-06, respectively. Both strains also demonstrated the ability to degrade diesel in the presence of heavy metal co-pollutants. This study therefore confirms the potential use of these cold-tolerant bacterial strains in the biodegradation of diesel-polluted Antarctic soils at low environmental temperatures.

Petroleum hydrocarbons, notably diesel oil, are the main energy source for running amenities in the Antarctic region and are the major cause of pollution in this area. Diesel oil spills are one of the major challenges facing management of the Antarctic environment. Bioremediation using bacteria can be an effective and eco-friendly approach for their remediation. However, since the introduction of non-native organisms, including microorganisms, into the Antarctic or between the distinct biogeographical regions within the continent is not permitted under the Antarctic Treaty, it is crucial to discover native oil-degrading, psychrotolerant microorganisms that can be used in diesel bioremediation. The primary aim of the current study is to optimize the conditions for growth and diesel degradation activity of an Antarctic local bacterium, Arthrobacter sp. strain AQ5-05, using the Plackett-Burman approach and response surface method (RSM) via a central composite design (CCD) approach. Based on this approach, temperature, pH, and salinity were calculated to be optimum at 16.30 °C, pH 7.67 and 1.12% (w/v), respectively. A second order polynomial regression model very accurately represented the experimental figures’ interpretation. These optimized environmental conditions increased diesel degradation from 34.5% (at 10 °C, pH 7.00 and 1.00% (w/v) salinity) to 56.4%. Further investigation of the kinetics of diesel reduction by strain AQ5-05 revealed that the Teissier model had the lowest RMSE and AICC values. The calculated values for the Teissier constants of maximal growth rate, half-saturation rate constant for the maximal growth, and half inhibition constants (μmax, Ks, and Ki), were 0.999 h−1, 1.971% (v/v) and 1.764% (v/v), respectively. The data obtained therefore confirmed the potential application of this cold-tolerant strain in the bioremediation of diesel-contaminated Antarctic soils at low temperature.

Modelado de la biodegradación en biorreactores de lodos de hidrocarburos totales del petróleo intemperizados en suelos y sedimentos (Biodegradation modeling of sludge bioreactors of total petroleum hydrocarbons weathering in soil and sediments)