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Isolation and characterization of Pseudomonas sp. NAF1 and its application in biodegradation of crude oil

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Abstract

Production water collected from the “Nafoora” oil water pit, located near the Gallo Oasis, Libya, was used for the screening of obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria that can degrade crude oil. Bacterial strain NAF1 was isolated and characterized after enrichment on crude oil at pH 7 and 30 °C. Solid Waste Dates (SWD) and Corn Steep Liquor (CSL) were usedas to enhance biodegradation of crude oil. Strain NAF1 was able to utilize a number of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. During growth on natural products, high emulsifying activity in the presence of cells was also observed, which indicated the production of biosurfactant by strain NAF1. The new isolated strain NAF1 produced a yellow-green pigment. The bacterial strain showed removal efficiency of 91 and 97 % of crude oil in 28 days when cultivated with >0.5 % (w/v) of pretreated CSL and SWD, respectively. Alignment of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of NAF1 with sequences obtained by Basic local Alignment search tool (BLAST) search revealed 98 % similarity to P. aeruginosa PAO1. Therefore, the crude oil-metabolizing bacterium could secrete surfactants using agro-industrial products as substrates, which further enhanced hydrocarbon degradation.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks are due to AGOCO committee, for always being around and support. This work was funded by AGOCO, Libya.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia

    Abdullah M. El Mahdi & Hamidi Abdul Aziz

  2. Technical Affaires Department, Arabian Gulf Oil Co. (AGOCO.), Benghazi, Libya

    Abdullah M. El Mahdi

  3. Solid Waste Management Cluster, Science and Engineering Research Centre, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia

    Hamidi Abdul Aziz

  4. Environmental Engineering Technology, Malaysian Institute of chemical & Bioengineering Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL - MICET), 78000, Melaka, Malaysia

    Salem S. Abu Amr

  5. Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

    Nour Sh El-Gendy & Hussein N. Nassar

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  1. Abdullah M. El Mahdi
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  2. Hamidi Abdul Aziz
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  3. Salem S. Abu Amr
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  4. Nour Sh El-Gendy
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  5. Hussein N. Nassar
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Correspondence to Hamidi Abdul Aziz.

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El Mahdi, A.M., Aziz, H.A., Abu Amr, S.S. et al. Isolation and characterization of Pseudomonas sp. NAF1 and its application in biodegradation of crude oil. Environ Earth Sci 75, 380 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5296-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5296-z

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