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Recovery of Pseudomonas spp. from chronically fuel oil-polluted soils in Jordan and the study of their capability to degrade short chain alkanes

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Abstract

Enumeration of bacteria and recovery of the dominant species have been conducted for soils contaminated with fuel spills for more than 10 years at seven gas stations in Jordan. Bacterial counts of these polluted soils ranged between 0.68 × 108 and 32.8 × 108 c.f.u./g soil with two different bacterial colony types recovered on agar plates. Phenotypic examination of the recovered bacteria revealed that they belonged mainly to the genus Pseudomonas and was represented by the following species: P. acidovorans, P. putrefaciens, P. cepacia, P. vesicularis and P. fluorescens. The ability of these bacteria to grow on hexane or heptane was revealed by a colorimetric test. Action of five Pseudomonas spp.: Pseudomonas putrefaciens, P. cepacia, P. acidovorans, P. vesicularis and P. fluorescens and Rhodococcus erythropolis on 0.1% (v/v) hexane or heptane was followed at 1, 2, 6 and 12 h. Pseudomonas putrefaciens, P. cepacia and P. acidovorans were capable of degrading both hydrocarbons as indicated by the yellow colour formation (positive reaction); however, P. vesicularis and P. fluorescens showed no such capability.

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  1. Department of Applied Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    I. Saadoun

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  1. I. Saadoun
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Saadoun, I. Recovery of Pseudomonas spp. from chronically fuel oil-polluted soils in Jordan and the study of their capability to degrade short chain alkanes. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 20, 43–46 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WIBI.0000013290.18979.21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WIBI.0000013290.18979.21

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