Biodegradation of Petrol by Bacteria isolated from Petroleum-contaminated Soil

Abstract: Petroleum contamination, resulting from various industrial and human activities, poses significant environmental and health risks. It affects microbial communities, plant life, and broader ecosystem functions. Bioremediation offers a promising approach to mitigate these impacts, aiming to restore soil health and ecosystem stability. This study investigates the potential of bioremediation as an eco-friendly approach to address petrol-contaminated soil. The research focuses on isolating, characterizing, and screening bacterial strains from petroleum contaminated soil samples. Among 18 bacteria tested, the most promising isolates were evaluated for their petrol degradation efficacy over a 14-day period using spectrophotometric method. The bacterial isolates exhibited up to 70% degradation ability These findings suggest that the isolated bacterial strains have significant potential for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and may be valuable candidates for developing effective bioremediation strategies for petrol-contaminated soils in the region.