Isolation and identification of petroleum hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms from oil contaminated environment

Oil contaminated soil, sea water and sediment samples were collected from old oil jetty of Paradip port, Orissa. These samples were screened for bacterial oil degradation using 0.5% diesel in Bushnell-Hass Mineral Salt medium. Samples were incubated separately in shaking orbital incubator at 37°C at 125rpm up to 15days. The level of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation was determined by gravimetric assay at each 5 days interval. One potent Gram negative bacillus bacteria was isolated on the basis of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation efficiency and identified as Pseudomonas sp. The bacterial strain had shown 49.93% of diesel oil degradation in 20days against 0.5% of diesel in 100ml BHMS.