Molecular identification of the isolated diesel degrading bacteria and optimization studies

Diesel, a refinery product of crude oil constitutes a major source of pollution in our environment. Poor solubility in water and the higher content in sediments make diesel a potential water pollutant. Bioremediation of contaminated aquatic and soil environments has arisen as an effective technology, with a range of advantages compared to more traditional methods. A total of 9 bacteria were isolated from three petroleum contaminated soil samples and isolate 3 of sample 1 showed maximum degradation potential of diesel in both primary and secondary screening tests. Hence, it was subjected for 16srDNA study and sequence alignment by BLASTN identified the isolate as Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain KEB24. The reaction conditions for efficient diesel degradation by the isolate were optimized.