Occurrence and Biodegradation of Kerosene by Aquatic Phycomycetes from Some Water Bodies in a Semi-Arid Area of Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out on the occurrence of aquatic phycomycetes and biodegradation of kerosene by some aquatic phycomycetes isolates that occurred in some polluted water bodies in Maiduguri. Isolation was done by baiting method using hemp seed as bait while identification was done by following standard protocols. Abilities of three species of aquatic phycomycetes to degrade kerosene were tested on PDA medium supplemented with 1%, 5% and 10% (V/V) kerosene. A variety of aquatic phycomycetes species were isolated from the three freshwater bodies studied. The Lagos Bridge and Coca-cola sections of the River Ngadda were found to contain more isolates than the Lake Alau location of the sampling sites. Considering the anthropogenic environmental activities in the three locations, the Lagos Bridge and Coca-cola areas are more polluted than the Alau Dam location which is a source of water for treatment into portable drinking water by the Borno State Government. The more occurrences of aquatic phycomycetes in the more polluted areas could implicate these isolates as pollution indicators. Three aquatic phycomycetes species namely Saprolegnia bhargavi, Blastocladiella variabilis and Allomyces recurvus showed good abilities in degrading kerosene supplemented PDA with the highest growth presented by Saprolegnia bhargavi in 5% kerosene supplemented PDA culture medium. The abilities of the three test aquatic phycomycetes species to grow in a medium supplemented with kerosene shows they can biodegrade kerosene and could be further considered as a bioremediation agent.