Effects of Soil Types on the Biodegradation ofCrude Oil by Nocardia sp. H17-1

The degradation and mineralization of crude oilwere investigated over 50-days in three soils, loamy sand,sand, and combusted loamy, which were artificially contaminatedwith crude oil (50 g kg-1) and inoculated with Nocardia sp.H17-1. The degradation efficiency of total petroleum hydrocarbon(TPH) in sand was the highest at 76% among the three soils.The TPH degradation rate constants (kTPH) in loamy sand,sand, and combusted loamy sand were 0.027 d-1, 0.063 d-1,and 0.016 d-1, respectively. In contrast, the total amount ofCO2 evolved was the highest at 146.1 mmol in loamy sand.The CO2 evolution rate constants (kCO2) in loamy sand, sand,and combusted loamy sand were 0.057 d-1, 0.066 d-1, and0.037 d-1, respectively. Therefore, it seems that the degradationof crude oil in soils can be proportional to the soil pore spaceand that mineralization can be accelerated with the increase oforganic substance. KCI Citation Count: 16