BIOREMEDIATION OF A CAMBIC CHERNOZEM POLLUTED WITH PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS

Abstract: The exploitation of petroleum has generated various sources of pollution in soil. In order to resolve this problem, several techniques have been developed. Physical and chemical methods are the most widely methods used for land treatment of oil polluted soils. These methods are expensive, ineffective and could cause a lot of damages on soil. The biological methods are not expensive and do not cause changes in the soil physical and chemical characteristics. Bioremediation is based on the capacity of microorganisms to degrade organic pollutant compounds, such as hydrocarbons. This study presents the preliminary results of a bioremediation alternative for soils polluted with crude oil (petroleum hydrocarbons). The bioremediation was achieved by increasing the microbial population by adding the fibers provided from celluloid wastes and bacteria inoculum. The paper presents the effect of a bioremediation treatment applied to a cambic chernozem polluted with 50000 mg kg-1 (5 % crude oil) and 100000 mg kg-1 (10 % crude oil) of a complex mixture of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)