Abstract

The accidental release of diesel and other hydrocarbon to the environment lead to the pollution of the environment. The search for an environmentally friendly technique for the remediation of such polluted environment is not to be overemphasis. Microorganisms are used in the bioremediation of polluted environments. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from the hydrocarbon exploration site soil of Kukawa North-eastern Nigeria, and was studied for its biodegradation potential of diesel. Culture base techniques using nutrient agar and mineral salt medium supplemented with 1% diesel was used. The bacterium isolate was identified as Enterobacter sp. strain IAA-01.  Identification was carried out using 16S rRNA sequencing and molecular phylogeny analysis using the Phylip software. Gravimetric analysis was conducted to measure the percentage biodegradation of the bacterium for 21 days, and confirmed using Gas chromatography (GC) analysis where the bacterium degraded diesel hydrocarbon 78% after 21 days and total degradation was revealed in GC analysis after 21 days. The results prevailed the ability of Enterobacter sp. strain IAA-01 effectively biodegrade diesel oil.

Key words: Enterobacter sp., biodegradation, gas chromatography, pollution.