Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Efficiency by Four Indigenous Bacterial Strains Isolated From Contaminated Soils

Nineteen hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms were isolated from Ten hydrocarbon contaminated sites and were identified on the basis of morphological, biochemical and molecular characteristics as Acenetobacter junii, pantoea dispersa, Bacillus spizizenii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The study illumined high density of bacteria acclimatized for biodegradation of hydrocarbon in soil. The isolates were examined for other hydrocarbon degradation in media supplemented with Diesel, Benzene, Petrol and Cyclohexane at three different concentrations viz 5%, 10% and 15% incubated for 3 different time intervals 5, 10 and 15 days. The results indicated that all the isolates possessed potential to degrade the wide variety of hydrocarbons. The most efficient among them was Acenetobacter junii which degraded all tested hydrocarbon showing maximum growth at 5% concentration and 10 days incubation. It could be concluded that native flora of hydrocarbon contaminated site adapt to the environmental condition and could be implicated to remove hydrocarbons.