IDENTIFICATION OF HYDROCARBON DEGRADERS IN A CRUDE OIL POLLUTED VESSEL AND POSSIBLE GROWTH INDUCING POTENTIAL OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a class of organic compounds that have accumulated in the natural environment mainly, as a result of anthropogenic activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels. Some microorganisms, mainly from the genera Pseudomonas and Mycobacteria were found to be capable of transforming and degrading PAHs. Bioremediation is one approach that has been used to remediate contaminated soil and waters, and at the same time, promotes the natural attenuation of the contaminants, using microbial community of the site. However, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible effect of Azadirachta indica leaves on hydrocarbon degraders in crude oil polluted cotton wool vessel. The study was carried out using pumpkin seeds, Azadirachta indica, and crude oil polluted cotton wool vessel. The result from this study showed that, the vessel with the highest quantity of Azadirachta indica leaves had the highest growth of hydrocarbon degrading microorganism.