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. 2023 Jun 13:39:e00804.
doi: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00804. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Isolation, identification, and screening of biosurfactant-producing and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from oil and gas industrial waste

S Al-Marri  1 , H I Eldos  1 , M Y Ashfaq  1 , S Saeed  1 , S Skariah  2 , L Varghese  1 , Y A Mohamoud  2 , A A Sultan  2 , M M Raja  3
Affiliations

Isolation, identification, and screening of biosurfactant-producing and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from oil and gas industrial waste

S Al-Marri et al. Biotechnol Rep (Amst). .

Abstract

Qatar is one of the biggest oil and gas producers in the world, coupled with it is challenging environmental conditions (high average temperature: >40 °C, low annual rainfall: 46.71 mm, and high annual evaporation rate: 2200 mm) harbors diverse microbial communities that are novel and robust, with the potential to biodegrade hydrocarbons. In this study, we collected hydrocarbon contaminated sludge, wastewater and soil samples from oil and gas industries in Qatar. Twenty-six bacterial strains were isolated in the laboratory from these samples using high saline conditions and crude oil as the sole carbon source. A total of 15 different bacterial genera were identified in our study that have not been widely reported in the literature or studied for their usage in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Interestingly, some of the bacteria that were identified belonged to the same genus however, demonstrated variable growth rates and biosurfactant production. This indicates the possibility of niche specialization and specific evolution to acquire competitive traits for better survival. The most potent strain EXS14, identified as Marinobacter sp., showed the highest growth rate in the oil-containing medium as well as the highest biosurfactant production. When this strain was further tested for biodegradation of hydrocarbons, the results showed that it was able to degrade 90 to 100% of low and medium molecular weight hydrocarbons and 60 to 80% of high molecular weight (C35 to C50) hydrocarbons. This study offers many promising leads for future studies of microbial species and their application for the treatment of hydrocarbon contaminated wastewater and soil in the region and in other areas with similar environmental conditions.

Keywords: 16s rRNA; Biodegradation; Crude oil; Hydrocarbons; Marinobacter sp, Biosurfactant.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare that they have no competing conflict of interest.

Figures

Image, graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Fig 1
Fig. 1
The growth rate of strains isolated from (a) sludge, (b) LTU soil, (c) CW, and (d) OW samples. Error bars represent SD of the mean.
Fig 1
Fig. 1
The growth rate of strains isolated from (a) sludge, (b) LTU soil, (c) CW, and (d) OW samples. Error bars represent SD of the mean.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Results of (a) Oil spreading test and (b) Emulsification index (E24%) test for strain EXW07 and EXS14.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Optical microscopic images (at 10x magnification) of oil emulsion formed after 24 hrs. during E24% measurements (a) Positive control (SDS); (b) Negative control (no oil emulsification); (c, d) Oil emulsions of crude oil formed by EXS14.
Fig 4
Fig. 4
FTIR spectrum of the biosurfactant produced by EXS14.
Fig 5
Fig. 5
Concentration of WAF in (MSM +300 ppm crude oil) control sample with no bacterial inoculation for T0, T4, T7, T10, and T14 days.
Fig 6
Fig. 6
Concentration of WAF in (MSM +300 ppm crude oil) with EXS14 strain for T0, T4, T7, T10, and T14 days.
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