Physicochemical Properties of Sediment and Isolation of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria from Crude Oil-Contaminated Iko River Estuary

Stephen Bernard Akpan, Ome Kalu Achi, Nwachukwu Ejikeme

Abstract

Crude oil pollution poses a significant threat by contaminating drinking water supplies and soil, posing health hazards to current and future generations and disrupting the ecological balance of affected ecosystems. Thus, the current study evaluated the physicochemical properties of sediment of the Iko River estuary contaminated with crude oil and isolated hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria using appropriate methods. Physicochemical analyses of the sediment showed slight variations in pH, temperature and electrical conductivity along the different sections of the estuary. The pH values were 6.2 (upstream), 5.0 (midstream), and 5.8 (downstream). The temperatures were 29 °C (upstream and downstream) and 30 °C (midstream). Electrical conductivity increased downstream, reaching 173 µScm-1. The isolated organisms were one Gram-negative and four Gram-positive bacterial isolates. The researchers tentatively identified the bacterial isolates as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus spp., and found that all isolates except Micrococcus spp. were motile. The analysis revealed that of the five isolates, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis demonstrated strong potential to utilise all crude oil. Researchers could harness these microbial communities to mitigate the impacts of crude oil pollution and enhance the fertility and productivity of agricultural soils.

10.22178/pos.124-45


Keywords


Pollution; health hazards; microbial communities; Bacillus subtilis; farm lands

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References


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Copyright (c) 2025 Akpan Stephen Bernard, Ome Kalu Achi, Nwachukwu Ejikeme

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