Abstract

ARAUJO, Ismenia et al. Biological surfactants in the bioremediation of light oil contaminated water. INCI [online]. 2008, vol.33, n.4, pp.245-250. ISSN 0378-1844.

The efficiency of biosurfactants in the bioremediation of light crude oil in contaminated waters was studied. The biosurfactant used was produced by selection of bacterial strains (MI9 and MI10) from the laboratory stock of the Industrial Microbiology Laboratory, Centro de Investigación del Agua, Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela. For the study of different treatments, lasting three months, besides the biosurfactant used a mixed culture was prepared with the bacterial strains MI5, MI7, MI9, MI10, and MI11. The applied treatments were: Maracaibo Lake water, hydrocarbon, mixed growth and biosurfactant (ANHCB); sterilized lake water, hydrocarbon and mixed growth (AEHC); lake water, hydrocarbon and mixed growth (ANHC); lake water, hydrocarbon and bisurfactant (ANHB); and lake water and hydrocarbon (ANH). Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses allowed to determine the efficiency of the biosurfactant and mixed cultures in the bioremediation. The best treatment essayed resulted to be the ANHCB, with an 81% removal of total hydrocarbons and the highest removal of N and P. The addition of the biosurfactants and the use of the mixed cultures influenced positively the biodegradation of the light crude oil. This indicates that the use of the surfactants increases the efficiency of bioremediation in hydrocarbon-contaminated waters.

Keywords : Biorremediación; Biosurfactante; Cultivo Mixto; Hidrocarburo.