Isolation and Identification of Bacteria from Transformer Oil Contaminated Soil
Aziz ur Rehman Safi
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Subhanullah .
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Muhammad Ayaz
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan
Attaullah .
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Baharullah Khatak
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan
Noor Ul Akbar *
Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Imran Khan
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Muhammad Asif
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Nasar Khan
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
Sami Ullah
Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic chemicals with toxigenic, carcinogenic affecting human health and the environment using as dielectric fluids in transformers as a cooling and insulating medium containing.
Materials and Methods: Soil samples were collected from transformer oil contaminated soil at different workshops in three different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa i.e. Peshawar, Nowshera and Kohat and were kept at 4°C before analysis.
The samples were subjected to Pure culture isolation through a selective medium (Medium A). After incubation for 24 to 48 hours at 37°C with 1% transformer oil as sole source of carbon, the isolates were examined for their colony size, shape, margin, consistency, opacity, elevation and pigmentation; while Gram reaction and cell morphology were examined microscopically. Furthermore the biochemical tests were also done for identification of the bacteria.
Results: A total of 14 isolates were obtained from all the transformer oil contaminated soil samples after examining the samples indicates the bacteria namely Bacillus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Staphylococcus were identified during the current study.
Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, five bacterial species capable of degrading PCBs in transformer oil, from which it was concluded that PCB compounds can be degraded by some microorganisms under aerobic conditions.
Keywords: PCBs, soil, transformer, bacillus, staphylococcus