Study of the efficiency of crude oil degradation and adsorption by selected microbial associations and cotton grass sorbent at low temperature

 

Pyrchenkova IA^1,2, Gafarov AB¹, Filonov AE^1,2, Suni S^3,, Romantschuk M³,  Boronin AM^1,2

 

¹Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms RAS. Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.

²Pushchino State University. Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.

³Department of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki. Lahti, Finland.

 

The aim of this research was the comparison of efficiency of crude oil degradation and adsorption by two microbial associations under batch cultivation conditions in liquid mineral medium at 4-6ºС during 10, 20 and 30 days in presence of a sorbent and without it. The selected association containing four strains was received as a result of cultivating 9 active microorganisms in liquid mineral medium, and the empirical one was composed, using four degrader strains due to their physiological, metabolic and destructive properties. It was shown that the processes of biodestruction at low temperature occured more efficiently by 30 days. Degree of crude oil destruction by selected association vs. empirical association during 10, 20 and 30 days was higher. At presence of the biodegradable sorbent degree of crude oil destruction increases as compared with data received in experiments with microbial associations; the selected association dominates over the empiric one (96,7% and 84,2% respectively). However, the effect of combined use of microorganisms and the sorbent for crude oil removal (96,7%) was observed only after 30 days cultivation. Comparison of crude oil removal efficiency by selected and empirical microbial associations and the sorbent showed the selected association to be more promising for oil-spills bioremediation. When removing oil pollution from water surface at low temperature the use of the sorbent is appropriate choice. Than the selected association of psychrotrophic microorganisms could be used to afterpurificate water after crude oil and oil products being absorbed by the sorbent. The selected association could be used to degrade oil-spills from soil and coastal areas where the use of a sorbent is ineffective.

 

This research was supported by the ISTC grant 2366, RFBR grants 04-04-57807-AF2004,  grant Ministry of science and Education of  RF RI-16/025, CRDF grant RUB2-010001-PU-05.

 

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