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Solid inoculants as a practice for bioaugmentation to enhance bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated areas
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  • Haoshuai Li,
  • Mutai Bao,
  • Yang Li,
  • Shudong Li
Haoshuai Li
Ocean University of China

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Mutai Bao
Ocean University of China
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Yang Li
Ocean University of China
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Shudong Li
Ocean University of China
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Abstract

Vacuum freeze-drying is a scientifically advanced method to prepare solid inoculants from oil degrading bacterium. The introduction of oil‒degrading microbes or bioaugmentation can be an efficient way to bioremediate oil spills in marine areas, where oil-degrading bacteria are deficient. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential use of solid inoculants of LZ-2 bacteria to enhance the degradation rate of crude oil. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was incorporated into the experimental design to optimize a response, which is influenced by different protectants. Our results showed that five factors have interactive and synergistic protective effects on the growth of LZ-2. Optimal growth of freeze-dried LZ-2 (63.8%) was observed with a 10.5% solution of skim milk supplemented with 14.3% sucrose, 14.4% of trehalose, 4.9% of glycerin and 14.7% of β-cyclodextrin. The culture grew in medium containing crude oil (3 g/L) at 37 °C at 150 rpm for 30 days, GC and GC-MS analysis showed biodegradation of 44.2 and 21.6% for total saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons respectively. These results indicated that the solid inoculants of LZ-2 bacteria had the potential to be used for ex-situ bioremediation of hydrocarbon pollutants associated with crude oil.