Design and in vitro application of hydrocarbon degrading microbial consortia

Abstract

The petrochemical industry has negatively affected the environment due to the polluting compounds that it emits, among them the hydrocarbons are considered the most toxic. However, bioremediation presents viable techniques for decontamination of the places affected by these compounds, such as bioaugmentation using microorganisms with degrading ability to reduce the concentration of contaminating compounds. In this study, we designed six different microbial consortia that presented an optimal and variable preference for hydrocarbon degradation. For instance, one consortium for the degradation of naphthalene and other for diesel, through confrontation tests between isolates that were previously collected from the Lerma River in Salamanca (Guanajuato, Mexico), and a clandestine take of gasoline in Pueblo Nuevo, Guanajuato. These consortia are proposed so that they can be applied in the future for soil bioremediation in situ.