Bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils from accidental spills

This study investigated the efficacy of bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil from the settlement of Yug (Perm Krai, Russia) using the commercial bioproduct "Bionex Oil Solvent" and the non-commercial strain Rhodococcus opacus KT112-7. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to analyze the concentrations of selected hydrocarbon groups (alkanes, cycloalkanes, and arenes) before and after treatment with the biological agents. The results indicated that strain KT112-7 exhibited superior efficacy in hydrocarbon degradation (45%–52%), particularly for aliphatic fractions (44%–60% reduction in initial alkane content). "Bionex Oil Solvent" reduced overall petroleum hydrocarbon content by 34%–39%, demonstrating greater activity towards cycloalkanes (27%–38%) compared with that of strain KT112-7 (11%–22%). Strain KT112-7 did not significantly alter the concentration of the investigated metals in the oil-contaminated soil, whereas the application of "Bionex Oil Solvent" led to increased concentrations of Na, Ca, Ni, and Mn. Therefore, the application of R. opacus KT112-7 shows great promise for soil bioremediation.