Fast bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils by a consortium of biosurfactant/bioemulsifier producing bacteria

Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons as a decontamination mechanism is a relatively slow process. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a tailored consortium of bacteria with higher capacities in biosurfactant production and biodegradation on the acceleration of the biodecontamination process. To this end, 18 biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated from the crude oil-contaminated soil samples of Isfahan refinery, and the activity of the produced biosurfactants was measured in terms of surface tension reduction and emulsification E24 test. Then, the isolates screened for the biodegradation of kerosene hydrocarbons and chemical structure of the purified biosurfactants produced by the most efficient isolates were partially characterized. Next, the isolates were sorted based on their surfactant activity and biodegradation efficiency, and the higher ranked bacteria thus selected were utilized to form an efficient consortium removing hydrocarbons from the oil-contaminated soil samples in a slurry phase system. The consortium consisted of Bacillus subtilis tb1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa species having the highest biodegradation capabilities and surface activities. The results revealed that the hydrocarbon removal efficiency of the consortium was at least 25 % higher than single species, and the final removal efficiency for the consortium could be reached in a considerably shorter time.