Enhanced degradation of crude oil with Alcaligenes faecalis ADY25 and iron oxide nanoparticle

Abstract

Crude oil is composed of hydrocarbons, which forms a large group of chemicals that have caused a major concern to various forms of life. The advent of nanotechnology in conjunction with microbial cells produced nano-scale products with more efficient reactivity and larger surface area than its bulk phase facilitating the degradation of petroleum products. This study was conducted to determine the synergistic effect of Alcaligenes faecalis ADY25 and iron oxide nanoparticle on biodegradation of crude oil. The iron oxide nanoparticle was synthesized using corn silk extract. Pure isolate of A. faecalis ADY25 was collected from microbiology laboratory, Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. The culture was grown on mineral salt medium containing crude oil as carbon source. This was supplemented with different amounts (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 mg) of iron oxide nanoparticles. The rate of biodegradation was determined by spectrophotometry and bacterial count was determined during biodegradation. The highest absorbance (1.418) and bacterial count (9.4 x 106 cfu/g) were obtained on day 9 and 12 by A. faecalis ADY25 supplemented with 200 mg of iron oxide nanoparticle. The results of this study showed that different amounts of iron oxide nanoparticle influenced the biodegradation of crude oil by A. faecalis ADY25.