Author(s)

M. Nassiri Azar & G. Badalians Gholikandi

Abstract

The Persian Gulf is the most strategic waterways in the world due to its importance in the global oil transportation. Due to the war and high rate of water evaporation, extended drilling and oil extraction, land-based sources, dumping from ships and other human activities, water pollution has increased alarmingly. Many sea birds and other species of marine life have perished because of millions of tonnes of crude oil entering into the Gulf. The ecosystem is vulnerable and conservation of its marine environment is highly recommended. The potential biodegradation of crude oil was assessed based on the development of a fermentative process with a marine bacterium which has been isolated from the Persian Gulf. This gram negative, spherical shape bacterium could degrade 50% of crude oil content and the cell growth curve of it was drawn on the basis of biomass high amount and its maximum production rate was determined which was diminished from 60 (before optimization) to 27 hours. It can grow on different carbon sources including crude oil and n-alkanes and produce biosurfactant which was revealed to be rhamnolipid. The biosurfactant extracted by special method from M3 medium and pursued by Thin Layer Chromatography. The outcomes of biomass production by crude oil and nalkanes were so much different and showed that the hydrocarbon complexity and configuration plays a significant role in the biodegradation procedure. These bacteria can be used in environmental risk management by focusing on strategies to prevent this human made disaster. Keywords: environmental risk management, human made disaster, oil biodegradation, marine bacterium, Persian Gulf.

Keywords

environmental risk management, human made disaster, oilbiodegradation, marine bacterium, Persian Gulf