Quantifying the effect of microbial consortium and alfalfa to accelerate the degradation of oily sludge
Keywords:
Oily sludge; Consortium; Microbial; Alfalfa; Hydrocarbons; Remediation.Abstract
Microorganisms use oily sludge as a source of carbon. However, their activity is retarded in oily sludge because of the presence of toxic hydrocarbons in oily sludge. Microbial activity in such soils can be enhanced once consortium is prepared from various genera of microbes capable of degrading hydrocarbons inoculated to oily sludge contaminated soils. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of microbial consortium as the best remediation option of oily sludge contaminated soil. Furthermore, the effectiveness of microbial consortium with alfalfa and fertilizer over a short period of time was also evaluated. Attention was paid to understand that consortium under alfalfa can increase the microbial population necessary to accelerate the remediation process. Microbial population was determined with colony forming units. Disappearance of hydrocarbons was determined with GC-FID. Remarkable differences in the percentage of degradation of n- alkanes (nC13 to nC29) present in high concentration in oily sludge were observed when microbial consortium was added to such soil. Around 80% of n-alkanes were degraded in such soil. Whereas only 3% of n-alkanes were degraded in oily sludge contaminated soils. The rapid degradation of n-alkanes is more likely because alfalfa respond positively with consortium in the presence of fertilizer. Alfalfa increases the bacterial number to 100 folds and is directly linked to the increase in the degradation of hydrocarbons in oily sludge. This revealed that microbial consortium can enhance the degradation of hydrocarbons which is further increased with alfalfa and fertilizer in oily sludge contaminated soils.
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