DEGRADATION OF CRUDE OIL BY ACINETOBACTER CALCOACETICUS AND ALCALIGENES ODORANS

摘要

Two types of Indian crude oil (Bombay High and Gujarat) were tested for their biodegradability by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Alcaligenes odorans. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus S30 and Ale. odorans P20 degraded Bombay High crude oil by 50% and 45%, while only 29% and 37% of Gujarat crude oil (heavy crude oil) was degraded by these isolates, respectively. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Ale. odorans in combination degraded 58% and 40% of Bombay High and Gujarat crude oils, respectively, which were significantly higher than that of by individual cultures. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus S30 degraded more of the alkanes fraction than the aromatics fraction of both crude oils. GC fingerprinting of alkane fraction showed major degradation of heptadecane (C-17), octadecane (C-18), nonadecane (C-19), eicosane (C-20), docosane (C-22), tricosane (C-23) and tetracosane (C-24) of crude oil, while the Ale. odorans P20 degraded alkanes and aromatics equally. The asphaltenic component increased in both types of crude oil after biodegradation. The two strains grew very well on n-alkane up to C-33 as well as on pristane (branched-chain alkane) but could not grow on cycloalkanes. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus S30 could not grow on pure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds except naphthalene but Alc. odorans P20 could grow on anthracene, phenanthrene, dibenzothiophene, fluorene, fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene.