Quinoline Biodegradation by Bacillus Licheniformis Strain CRC-75

Abstract

<em>A bacterial culture was isolated from oil-contaminated soil based on its ability to metabolize </em><em>the quinoline as the sole source of nitrogen. In this research Bacillus licheniformis strain was identified based on</em><em> the result of 16S rRNA analysis. Optimized conditions were obtained with full factorial experimental design method using design expert software at temperature: 32^oC, agitation speed: 200rpm, quinoline concentration: 400 ppm.The efficiency of Bacillus licheniformis for biodegradation of quinoline at the optimum conditions was determined to be 35%. Two-phase cultivation media were used with 5, 10, 15 and 20% heavy crude oil concentration in aqueous media. Resting cells of Bacillus licheniformis was shown to be capable of removing about 25% of total nitrogen in 5% heavy crude oil. GC analysis showed a decreasing trend in the activity of this strain against crude oil concentration.</em>