Characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Bioaugmentation Potential of Locally Isolated Beneficial Microorganisms Consortium for Treatment of Tar-Balls

Abstract

Oil spills are one of the environmental pollutions that commonly occur along coastal areas. Tar-balls are one of the products that come from the oil spill pollution. In this study, tar-ball pollution was monitored at 10 points along the coastline of Marintaman Beach in Sipitang, Sabah, Malaysia. This research determined the physical characteristics, composition, and concentration of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tar-balls. The total number of tar-balls collected was 227 (n=227). The tar-balls were observed in various shapes and the sizes were recorded in the range of 0.1 cm to 6.9 cm. The composition and concentration of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the outer and inner layer of tar-balls were determined. The results showed that the main Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds were found in inner layers of the tar-balls with benzo (g,h,i) perylene (72.26 mg/kg), flourene (59.87 mg/kg), dibenzo (a,h) anthracene (44.48 mg/kg), indeno (1,2,3-c,d) pyrene (78.18 mg/kg), and benzo (e) fluoranthene (45.70 mg/kg), respectively. Further research was done with the bioaugmentation study of locally isolated beneficial microorganisms (LIBeM) consortium for treatment of tar-balls in an Aerated Static Pile (ASP) bioreactor system. The results showed that, after 84 days of treatment, this consortium, consisting of C. tropicalis-RETL-Cr1, C. violaceum-MAB-Cr1, and P. aeruginosa-BAS-Cr1, was able to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) by 84% as compared to natural attenuation (19%). The microbial population of this consortium during the biodegradation study is also discussed in this paper.

Enhanced Biodegradation of Crude Oil in Seawater by Using Microbial Consortia

“…Comparative findings shown that present study is mostly exhibits lower degradation efficiency than the single strains in consortia. For instance, P. aeruginosa degraded 1 -21% more than in consortia due to supplement of biosurfactants and fertilizer, lower initial crude oil concentration or longer degradation period [9]. However, with 69.74% of crude oil removal or degradation efficiency, it can be concluded that current consortia culture is efficient.…”

“…Biodegradation has emerged as one of the most promising technology in resolving the environmental problem due to increasingly research interests for biological degradation studies [8]. It can be defined as any degradation process that provoked by the action of microorganisms to return the contaminated environment to its original condition [9]. Compared with the conventional methods, biodegradation is a more sustainable option where it does not release toxic byproducts that can cause secondary pollution.…”

Microbial Growth Rate and Distribution of Doubling Time at Different Concentration of Oil Sludge Medium

“…A spectrophotometer was used to record the data on optical density at 600nm. At their respective exponential phase, the dense cultures (1x10 7 ) were harvested for biodegradation studies [10].…”

Distribution and Abundance of Marine Debris on Intertidal Zone at Three Selected Small Islands, Sabah

“…Tourism activities are examples of recreation activities that helps a lot in increasing economic growth in Malaysia, especially in Sabah since here in Sabah we have a huge number of beautiful islands. Due to the improper handling of rubbish that may be derived from land and blown by winds, intentionally dumped from shore and ocean-based activities, the coastal and marine ecosystem especially in Sabah [1] is continuously threatened by this waste. Marine debris could be defined as any form of anthropogenic manufactured or processed materials discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine environment either deliberately or unintentionally, and may be transported to the ocean by river, drainage, sewage system or by wind [2].…”