Abstract

In order to establish an experimental basis for bioremediation of soil contaminated with crude oil, 33 strains of bacteria with hydrocarbon-degrading ability were isolated from the contaminated soil in Adana, Batman and Adiyaman, Turkey. The strainswere identified as Pseudomons spp., Paucimonas lemoignei, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Eschericha spp., Enterobacter spp. Citrobacter koseri, Acinetobacterspp., Aeromonas caviae, Sphingobacterium multivorum, Klebsiella pneumoniae.Pseudomons aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida biotype A, Citrobacter amalonaticusGC subgroup A and Acinetobacter genomospecies, respectively. The ability to utilize crude oil as carbon source for their growth was ascertained. These bacterial isolates obtained in this study have catabolic capabilities for the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Further study under soil conditions may be necessary to determine biodegradation potential of bacterial mixture tested in contaminated soil.

Key words: Soil, crude oil, soil pollution, bacteria, biodegradation