Bacterial degradation of diesel fuel using pure and mixed cultures

Date

1988-08

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

Eight bacteria capable of using diesel fuel as the sole carbon source were isolated from both a bunker oil-saturated soil sample and from a gasoline-contaminated water sample. The three isolates from the soil were identified as Pseudomonas vesicularis. And two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The five water isolates were identified as Achromobacter xvloxidans. Achromobacter sp., Aeromonas sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Pseudomonas vesicularis. The components of diesel fuel degraded by the isolates over a three week period were determined by capillary gas chromatography. The growth curves of the isolates in 1.5% yeast extract and in basal salts medium with diesel as carbon source were obtained. The generation times of each isolate in 1.5% yeast extract and in basal salts medium with diesel as carbon source were calculated and the significant differences in generations times were determined. Two sets of mixed cultures were used, one consisting of the three soil isolates and the other of the five water isolates, to determine the effect of mixed cultures on diesel over a three week period. The mixed cultures were found to be more efficient than the pure cultures at reducing the total number of fractions of diesel.

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