Biodegradation of Certain Polycyclic Hydrocarbons with Paenbacillus alvei and Penicillum restricum

Abstract

The biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene and anthracene was investigated using pure and mixed culture of Paenbacillus alvei (bacteria) and Penicillum restricum (fungi) (isolated from crude oil contaminated sites in Rivers state of Nigeria). The abilities of these organisms to biodegrade the PAHs were studied by growing the isolates in a mineral salt medium (MSM) with the PAHs in shake flasks placed in a shaking water bath rotating at 150 rpm at room temperature for 21 days. The samples were withdrawn every three days for analysis of the residual PAHs using SRI 8610C Gas Chromatograph (GC), while the growth of the organisms was determined by using the dry biomass method. The results showed that the concentrations of PAHs decreased with an increase in the exposure time throughout a 21-day period, thus confirming the abilities of the organisms to feed on the PAHs. The results showed that the bacteria had more affinity for naphthalene, while the fungi had more affinity for anthracene. It was, however, observed that the samples from the flask which contained mixed PAHs and mixed culture of Paenbacillus alvei and Penicillum restricum had the highest and most significant biomass growth thus suggesting a synergy between the two organisms.

Studies on Pesticides Mixture Degradation by White Rot Fungi

“…It is apparent that the microbialbased methods of polluted environments provide a cost-effective opportunity to present remediation techniques [Singleton, 1994]. Bioremediation, which requires the use of organisms to neutralize or remove contaminants, is a popular technology and has received increasing global consideration as an efficient biotechnological method to purify the polluted regions [Singh et al, 2006;Ogunbayo et al, 2018].…”