Biosurfactant production for enhancing the treatment of produced water and bioremediation of oily sludge under the conditions of Gachsaran oil field

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gachsaran oil field is one of the largest oil fields in southern Iran and vast amounts of hydrocarbon contaminants are generated every year. Work is urgently required to devise effective methods to treat the produced water and high TPH content oily sludge under conditions that mimic the oil field. Bioremediation as an environmentally friendly and relatively cost-effective technique was examined in the present research. A continuous membrane bioreactor (CMBR) and bio-slurry processes were utilized to treat the produced water and oily sludge, respectively. C, salinities up to 15.4%, and in the pH range 4-10. The results obtained from the CMBR tests demonstrated that although the COD of influent changed from 1800-2100 mg L −1 , the COD of permeate was maintained at less than 125 mg L −1 , which was equivalent to a removal efficiency of 94%. In the case of oily sludge, TPH content was reduced by 31.2% after bioremediation for 90 days. CONCLUSION: Based on this approach, the consortium GACH-1 will be useful in clean-up of petroleum contamination in the Gachsaran oil field. RESULTS: The ability of consortium (GACH-1) for degradation of crude oil under extreme conditions revealed that GACH-1 is able to grow at crude oil concentrations up to 11.3% (w/v), temperatures up to 73 ∘

Isolation and characterization of two crude oil-degrading fungi strains from Rumaila oil field, Iraq

“…Mnif et al [ 18 ] studied eight Tunisian hydrocarbonoclastic oil field bacteria and found that the surface tension decreased from 68 mN/m to 35.1 mN/m, and this change suggested biosurfactant production. The production of biosurfactants by microbes is directly proportional to the amount of hydrocarbon degradation [ 19 ]. Varadavenkatesan and Murty [ 20 ] found a reduction in surface tension to 36.1 mN/m at 96 h caused by a biosurfactant yield that reached 0.64 by using MSM in the crude oil.…”

Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by petroleum-degrading bacteria immobilized on biochar

“…2 Furthermore, weathering could enhance the sorption of contaminants into soil pores, leading to chronic soil aging problems and decreased bioavailability and biodegradability of biota to pollutants. 3,4 Soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons is a huge ecological problem, and there is an urgent need to nd effective approaches for the remediation of soil.…”

“…Spent mushroom substrate biochar is the product of a spent mushroom substrate produced through pyrolysis under low or zero oxygen conditions at 200-700 C. 4,13 The type of feedstock materials and production conditions (pyrolysis temperature, heating rate and residence time) can directly affect the physicochemical properties and overall suitability of a carrier; [14][15][16] biochar has been reported to have a positive impact on soil fertility, carbon sequestration and the activities of specic enzymes such as dehydrogenase, polyphenol oxidase and FDA hydrolase. 13,17 A number of lignin and cellulose biochars can also serve as substrates for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms.…”

The ability of Achromobacter sp. KW1 strain to biodegrade isomers of chlorotoluene

“…High levels of emission of these hydrocarbons leads to contamination of soil and water, in particular close to factories that use chlorotoluenes . With growing awareness of the need to protect the natural environment, much effort has been devoted to developing methods of removing hydrocarbons from the environment . Many techniques exist for the removal of organic pollutants from contaminated soil and water.…”