Analysis of cold-temperature crude oil-degrading bacterial communities

The remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated sites in cold climates presents professionals with challenges that may be absent in more temperate climates. With laboratory and field evidence demonstrating that the remediation of such sites can occur using biological methods despite the colder temperatures and the indication of increasing oil exploration and production in cold-climate areas, it was deemed important to examine the application of bioremediation at these sites. The purpose of this study was to characterize the bacterial populations responsible for crude oil degradation during cold-temperature bioremediation and to identify the implications for cold-climate bioremediation applications. Bacteria were isolated from crude oil-contaminated soil. Identification and characterization of these bacterial isolates took place using the Biolog environmental isolate database. A comparison of the physiological attributes of the bacterial isolates was undertaken to indicate their functional capabilities. Further characterization of the microbial communities involved the determination of functional diversity.