Isolation of synthetic oil degrading microorganism from hydrocarbon-impacted soil and its degrading capability

Abstract

Synthetic engine oil can be found widely in hydrocarbon-impacted soil like workshop and oil industry. The present research focus is on determining which microbial isolates are capable of biodegrading synthetic engine oil as sole carbon source. The aim of this research is to isolate microorganism capable of utilizing synthetic engine oil, identify their morphological characteristic and determine which isolate is best to degrade hydrocarbon through development of growth profile. Three isolates have been identified through isolation and screening using morphological observation with Gram staining and Lactophenol staining. Isolate 1 can be identified as Gram negative bacteria with rod-like shape whereas Isolate 2 and 3 can be identified as filamentous fungi with circular shape. Through growth profiling, Isolate 1 has been predicted to be best isolate as it has shorter lag phase and highest absorbance reading.