AZOMONAS IS A NFB CAPABLE TO USE KEROSENE AS A CARBON SOURCE

摘要

A nitrogen-fixing bacterium was isolated from kerosene-contaminated soil. A preliminary taxonomic evaluation suggested that this bacterium belongs to the Azomonas genus. This bacterium showed capability to use kerosene as a sole carbon source. When the bacterium was grown in Rennie modified medium added with 5000 mg/L of kerosene, in submerged culture, between 40 to 50% of the hydrocarbon mixture was removed in 13 days. Results from enzymatic analysis for nitrogenase activity strongly suggested that, for this bacterium, a biochemical relationship between the nitrogenase activity and kerosene removal capability may exist. The results from this work, show that this nitrogen fixing bacterium not only withstood high concentrations of kerosene but also could achieve important removal of this pollutant from contaminated soils. These results are promising for bioremediation studies of heavily polluted soils, without the addition of fertilizer.