OIL OXIDIZATION AND BIO-SAFACTANTS PRODUCTION BY STRAINS OF P. FLUORESCENS ONU541 AND B. MEGATERIUM ONU542

Aim. Detection of the peculiarities of oil oxidation and bio-surfactant production by soil strains of microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas fluorescens ONU541, Bacillus megaterium ONU542. Methods. Species belonging to the investigated microorganisms were determined from the spectra of fatty acids of their cellular lipids. The residual content of petroleum hydrocarbons was determined by IRspectrometry on "IKS-29" in the range of 2700–3200 cm-1. The products of microorganisms of biosurfactants were determined by the decrease in the surface tension of liquid cultures of bacteria and their supernatants and by their emulsifying ability (by the emulsification index – E24,%). Results. The dependence between the oil destructive ability of the strains of bacteria studied and their ability to produce biosurfactants is shown. The P. fluorescens ONU541 strain is more than the B. megaterium strain ONU542 oxidizes oil (by 74.6%) and produces surfaceactive metabolites. The studied strains of P. fluorescens ONU541, B. megaterium ONU542 are able to produce biosurfactants provided they are cultivated for five days in a nutrient medium (NM) of composition (g/l): KH2PO4 – 1.5; Na2HPO4–3; NaCl–5; NH4Cl–1; glucose–2 (pH 7.0–7.2). Conclusion. Oil destructive activity and the ability to produce biosurfactants of soil strains of P. fluorescens ONU541, B. megaterium ONU542 have been determined. It has been proved that in the joint presence of the investigated strains of microorganisms, the degree of destruction of oil reaches 90% under harsh environmental conditions: during cleaning of saline soil sections of the Zmeiny Island with chronic oil contamination