Detoxification and degradation of petroleum and diesel oil by microbial marine consortia

Abstract

The high industrial activity and the use of petroleum as the current primary energy resource are some of the factors that contribute to the frequent release of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. The use of hydrocarbons as carbon and energy source by microorganisms requires the presence of enzymes able to converting the complex molecules of the PAHs in common compounds from its catabolic routes which are usually associated to the ligninolytic enzyme system, dioxygenases, monooxygenases (P450) and epoxide hydrolases. Additionally, despite the paucity of studies, the use of lipolytic micro-organisms in the degradation of petroleum and its derivatives has been described. In this context, the aim of this work is to analyze the detoxification and degradation of crude oil and diesel samples including two marine lipolytic yeasts from Antarctica, a marine lipolytic fungus isolated from the Brazilian coast and a marine lipolytic fungus from Antarctica, in the best microbial consortium selected in the project of Gabriela Licursi Vieira that have been carrying out at UNESP/Rio Claro. The detoxification of these compounds will be evaluated through the analysis of acute toxicity in microtox and the best consortium selected will be subjected to experiments to determine the optimal conditions for detoxification of crude oil and diesel. Subsequently, will be evaluated: (i) the degradation of crude oil and/or diesel oil by classical liquid chromatography analysis and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer, and (ii) enzymes production during the process of degradation/detoxification. (AU)