Influence of salinity and fungal prevalence on bioremediation of crude oil polluted soil

Abstract

The effect of NaCI salt on bioremediation of crude oil polluted soil was studied. Salt· treatments included NaCI amendments to adjust the soil solution electrical conductivities to 50, 130, 210 dsm-1. Oil biodegradation was estimated from quantities of CO2 evolved. Salt concentration at 210 dsm-1 in oil polluted soil resulted in a significant decrease (p <0.05) in oil biodegradation. A salt concentration of 50 dsm-1 reduced bioremediation by about 12%. The physico-chemical properties of the soil samples examined showed that the total hydrocarbon (THC) content increased with the oil pollution but significantly decreased (p < 0.05) with NaCI addition. The prevalence of fungal species in the soil samples during each sampling intervals showed that the oil contaminated soil and the uncontaminated soil supported fungal growth while addition of NaCI reduced the fungal
population in the soil