Screening of Microorganisms usable in Bioremediation of Oiled Shoreline

Abstract

A small scale model of sandy beach, constructed of alumina columns and a bath with the ebb and flow of sea-water was developed and used for screening of microorganisms with cleaning activity of the oiled column. The cleaning activity was evaluated by three analytical methods after one month incubation in the column. The first method was a computer aided picture analysis of black oil stain of the column, the second was OD_660nm analysis of chloroform extract of the black oil and the third was analysis of whole oil content of the extract by TLC-FID. Among 124 strains of oil-degrading microorganisms, the only one possessing distinct cleaning activity of oiled column in the model was an oil-degrading yeast, Candida sp. M23-2, which we isolated from sea water of Mizushima Bay.