Effect of Metal Ions on Oil Degradation Activity of Bacillus and Acinetobacter Isolated from Oil Contaminated Sites of Mechanical Workshops

Used engine oils released from various automobile mechanical workshops pollute the environment. The various toxic chemical compounds present in the used engine oil cause deleterious effects to environment and living beings. In nature, there are some microbes which have the ability to degrade organic pollutants present in used engine oils. Such microbes can be isolated, identified and can be used for biodegradation of organic pollutants. In the present paper, effect of different metal ions on oil degradation activity of two bacterial species viz. , Bacillus and Acinetobacter was determined using minimal salt broth supplemented with used engine oil and different metal ions. Majority of the metal ions selected for the study were found to be important for the enhancement of oil degradation activity of both the bacteria. Presence of only two ions viz. , Fe3+ and Mn2+ decreased the oil degradation ability of the bacteria.