Pages: (1-6 )
Abstract
The biodegradability of bitumen was found to be highly influenced by incubation temperature, pH and inoculum size with five strains of bacteria (Pseudomonas fragii, Streptococcus zymogenes, P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and Bacillus macerans) isolated from water samples collected from Agbabu, a bitumen producing area of Ondo state, Nigeria. When grown on Thermophile Halophile Sulplur (THS) medium, the dispersion rate of bitumen was very high at 40OC and 44OC but bitu-oil was not produced, while dispersion rate was high at 37OC and 0.33g/ litre of bitu-oil was produced. Very high bitumen dispersion rate and 0.43g/litre of bitu-oil were obtained at of pH 7.0. When two plates each of the isolated organism (each plate containing 1.0 าณ 1011 cfu/ml) in suspension was used as inoculum in two litre-fermenter, very high dispersions rate of bitumen and 0.35g/litre of bitu-oil were obtained. Results of this research shows that bitumen degradation was optimum at of pH 7.0, temperature of 37OC and with two plates of each bacterium in suspension using two litre-fermenter.
Keywords: Bitumen, biodegradation, bitu-oil, Thermophile Halophile Sulphur bacteria consortium.,