title: Hydrocarbon bioremediation potential of an unimpacted Kuwaiti oil-field environment.
abstract: Seasonal variations in the hydrocarbon-degrading potential of soil samples from an unimpacted site in the Kuwaiti Burgan oil field environment were studied under mesophilic conditions. Hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms occurred but varied all-year-round, and their numbers ranged from 1.3 x 10(7) to 9.3 x 10(7) CFU g(-1) dry soil, while hydrocarbon-degrading fungi ranged from 3.0 x 10(4) - 3.8 x 10(5) CFU g(-1) dry soil, depending on the sampling period. These hydrocarbon-degraders also comprised variable but generally high proportions of the total aerobic heterotrophic organisms (2 to > 98%) for bacteria and lower levels (7-9%) for fungi. The crude oil-degrading capacity of the oil-degrading populations (bacteria and fungi) ranged from 80-95% of the hexane-extractable fractions. Differential inhibition studies carried out on soil samples showed that bacteria were the greater contributors to hydrocarbon degradation (79-92%) than fungi. Pure hydrocarbon substrates, hexadecane and phenanthrene, were degraded to near completion after a 28-day incubation by both the bacterial and fungal portions of the soil flora.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences (Microbiology Division), Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait. okey@kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Obuekwe
authors.forename: Ghada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hourani
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radwan
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D007730:Kuwait; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000378:metabolism; D012621:Seasons; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010578:Petroleum; D010616:Phenanthrenes; C031181:phenanthrene; C007932:n-hexadecane