Study on Isolation and Characterization of Crude oil Degrading Bacteria from Oil Spill Sites of Ennore Port

The present study was aimed to isolate and identify the bacterial strains and access their crude oil biodegradation potential under in vitro conditions. Oil spillage is a major source of pollution and is a continuous threat to marine ecosystem. In order to address the issue, Crude oil degrading organisms were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A preliminary study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of native bacterial strains to utilize the crude oils as the sole carbon source under in vitro conditions. A total of seven isolated bacterial strains from the oil spill contaminated areas were assessed for their oil degradation efficiency. Biodegradation experiments were performed in 1% crude oil for 12 days using selected bacterial cultures. Of the seven isolated strains, only three strains P. aeruginosa (AMETOS02), P. stuartii (AMETOS01 & AMETOS03) demonstrated the maximum oil degradation potential. P. stuartii (AMETOS03) showed a promising biosurfactant activity and the type of hydrocarbon being degraded was further studied using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Our data indicate that P. stuartii (AMETOS03) is a potential strain that can be exploited for bioremediation of crude oil (hydrocarbon).