Application of extracellular polymers on soil communities exposed to oil and nickel contamination.

The petrochemical industry is responsible for many accidental releases of pollutants in soil such as hydrocarbons and toxic metals. This co-contamination is responsible for a delay in the degradation of the organic pollution. Many successful technologies to remove these metals apply extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Use of plant materials for the bioremediation of soil from an industrial site.

Bioremediation is one of the existing techniques applied for treating oil-contaminated soil, which can be improved by the incorporation of low-cost nutritional materials. This study aimed to assess the addition of two low-cost plant residues, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and leaf litter (LL) of the forest leguminous plant (sabiá), either separately or combined, to a contaminated soil from a petroleum refinery area, analyzed after 90 days of treatment. Individually, both amounts of SCB (20 and 40 g kg) favored the growth of total heterotrophic bacteria and total fungi, while LL at 20 g kg better stimulated the hydrocarbon-degrading microorganism's activity in the soil.

The influence of nickel on the bioremediation of multi-component contaminated tropical soil: microcosm and batch bioreactor studies.

Large petrochemical discharges are responsible for organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of nickel, one of the most abundant inorganic element in crude oil and the main component of hydrogen catalysts for oil refining, on the microbial community structure in artificially petroleum-contaminated microcosms and in solid phase bioreactor studies. In the presence of metals, the oil biodegradation in microcosms was significantly delayed during the first 7 days of operation.

Oil biodegradation by Bacillus strains isolated from the rock of an oil reservoir located in a deep-water production basin in Brazil.

Sixteen spore forming Gram-positive bacteria were isolated from the rock of an oil reservoir located in a deep-water production basin in Brazil. These strains were identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus using classical biochemical techniques and API 50CH kits, and their identity was confirmed by sequencing of part of the 16S rRNA gene. All strains were tested for oil degradation ability in microplates using Arabian Light and Marlin oils and only seven strains showed positive results in both kinds of oils.