Introduction of Arthrobacter citreus as a Crude Oil degradation from an Oil-Contaminated Soil in Masjed Soleyman

Introduction and Objectives: The problem of oil hydrocarbons and soil contamination and aquatic ecosystems is a serious global issue. The pollution caused by oil hydrocarbons is considered to be a serious health hazard for all living organisms in the world and according to their inhibitory characteristics, are classified as priority and emerging pollutants. Biodegradation is one of the main biological recovery mechanisms used by degrading microorganisms to remove hydrocarbon pollutants from the environment. In this study Arthrobacter citreus bacteria were isolated from an oil-contaminated soil at Masjed Soleyman. Arthrobacter citreus Is one of the most important phenol degradations. Material and Methods: Sampling of oil-contaminated soil was conducted in the Masjed Soleyman district of the foreign school. Initial screening and isolation of bacteria in the Bushnell-Hass salt base were performed and the frequency of bacteria was determined using MPN and CFU methods. In the second stage, screening of bacteria was done by gravimetric method. In the last step, using biochemical and molecular tests and obtaining 16S rRNA sequence, the bacterial genus was identified. Results: Arthrobacter citreus showed a high ability to remove contaminants. Adding nutrients to bacteria, such as carbon and nitrogen sources, reduced the crude oil biodegradation time from 10 days to 2 days. The rate of removal of crude oil by Arthrobacter citreus was higher than 68%. Conclusion: High and rapid degradation potential makes it possible to use this bacterium at the field level to reduce oil pollution in oil-polluted sites. By identifying the genes and enzymes involved in the degradation and transfer of active genes into native bacteria in contaminated areas, rapid elimination and reduction of oil pollution will be possible.

Keywords:

Biodegradation , Bacteria , Crude Oil , Bioremediation