Bioremediation of total petroleum hydrocarbons in crude oil contaminated soils obtained from southeast Anatolia

Oil spills are one of the most common types of soil pollution. Bioremediation is an attractive alternative method to physico-chemical remediation. It is well-known that bacteria and fungi are the principal petroleum degrading organisms. Hence, this study investigates the use of fungus Aspergillus niger to remove TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) from soil polluted with crude oil obtained from Southeast Anatolia of Turkey, and accordingly the biodegradable of TPH in soil by A. niger biomass was investigated. The amount of TPH was measured before and after A. niger application. For this purpose, the biodegradation of TPH was applied to three different soil media, including (I) contain only A. niger in sterilized soil, (II) soil microorganisms - A. niger, and (III) only soil microorganisms. The experiment was conducted at 30°C for 30, 65 and 96 days without pH modification (original pH was 5.0). At the beginning and end of the experimental periods, the samples of soil were taken from the media and analyzed in accordance to the EPA analytic techniques. The result showed that removal of TPH in the soil using fungus A. niger was rather achieved in the above incubation periods. The best results were achieved for the medium (I) with the reduction of TPH, from the initial value of 48.300 ppm to 44.630, 39.430 and 33.600 ppm within 30, 65 and 96 days, respectively.