Studies on bioremediation of Phenol by earthworm

Three species of earthworms namely Eisenia foetida, Eudrillus eugenia and Anantapur species were procured from different institutions. They were tested for their tolerance to phenol and bioremediation activity. The bioremediation assays were performed in soil with phenol dispersed in water. Different concentrations of phenol samples ranging from 20 to 100ppm were taken for experimentation. The remediation process of initial phenol concentration was investigated. The results indicated that Eisenia foetida and Eudrillus eugenia were the best tolerant species, while the Anantapur species was found to be least tolerant. As the initial concentration of phenol increased, there was an increase in the percentage of bioremediation with respect to Eisenia foetida.But with species Eudrillus eugenia and Anantapur species, the percentage of uptake of phenol at 24 hours decreased with increase in initial phenol concentration. This indicates that the species Eisenia foetida is most tolerant species since it is able to uptake 100ppm phenol completely with in 72hours.