Efficiency of microbial consortium in bioremediation of diesel oil .

Efficiency of microbial consortium in bioremediation of diesel oil

EL-Sayed M. EL-Morsy*, Mohamed I. Abou-Dobara**, Marwa T. Mohesien

Botany Department, Damietta, Faculty of Science, New Damietta, Egypt

*e-mail: el_morsy@du.edu.eg

ABSRACT

     Bacillus sp. H6 and Aspergillus flavus were investigated in a laboratory scale for the efficiency for the bioremediation of a diesel-oil contaminated soil. Seven microcosms were set up namely; Bacillus sp. H6, Aspergillus flavus, Bacillus sp. H6 + Aspergillus flavus consortium, natural non-treated control, cycloheximide treated, benzyl Penicillin-Streptomycin treated and poison control. Initial diesel oil contamination of 1666 mg kg^-1 dry soil was reduced to 166.667 mg kg^-1 after 150 days of incubation in Bacillus sp. H6 and Aspergillus flavus microcosm. Abiotic process reduced the diesel oil contamination by about 616 mg kg^-1dry soil at the end of the experiment. The decontamination activity follow this order; Bacillus sp. H6 + Aspergillus flavus consortium > Bacillus sp. H6 > natural control > Aspergillus flavus > cycloheximide treated > benzyl Penicillin-Streptomycin treated > poisoned control. The microbial biomass and soil biological activities (lipase and dehydrogenase activities and basal respiration) were also measured and the correlation with the total hydrocarbon in the contaminated soil was also studied.  Bacterial-fungal consortium is able to remove 89.%, of the initial oil concentration. Thus, bacterial-fungal consortium treatment is effective in bioremediation of contaminated oils than separate treatment.