| Title | Biodegradation of Hydrocarbon Contamination by Immobilized Bacterial Cells |
|---|---|
| Author | Raja Noor Zaliha Abd. Rahman*1, Farinazleen Mohamad Ghazali1, Abu Bakar Salleh1, and Mahiran Basri2 |
| Address | 1Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research, 1Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research, 2Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 44(3),354-359, 2006, |
| DOI | |
| Key Words | bacterial consortium, hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, petroleum contamination, immobilized cell |
| Abstract | This study examined the capacity of immobilized bacteria to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. A mixture of hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains was immobilized in alginate and incubated in crude oil-contaminated artificial seawater (ASW). Analysis of hydrocarbon esidues following a 30-day incubation period demonstrated that the biodegradation capacity of the microorganisms was not compromised by the immobilization. Removal of n-alkanes was similar in immobilized cells and control cells. To test reusability, the immobilized bacteria were incubated for sequential increments of 30 days. No decline in biodegradation capacity of the immobilized consortium of bacterial cells was noted over its repeated use. We conclude that immobilized hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria represent a promising application in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated areas. |
| Download PDF | JM2005-123.pdf |