ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A MICROORGANISM IN CRUDE OIL EFFLUENT AND ITS UTILITY IN METAL ION REMOVAL/RECOVERY

📄 Project Abstract

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have resulted in the generation of large quantities of aqueous effluents, many of which contain high levels of toxic heavy metals and xenobiotics that pollute groundwater and soil of affected farmlands. Heavy metals are not biodegradable and as such not removed from the soil but rather accumulate and persist in soil reservoirs, consequently entering the food chain and exerting toxic effects on living organisms. Copper and lead which exert toxic effects even at very low concentrations are common constituents of the Nigerian crude oil and consequently are found in its effluent. Research has shown that removal/recovery of these metals (through bioaccumulation/biosorption by bacteria) is an attractive alternative to traditional physicochemical techniques. Microorganisms tolerant to metals are often isolated from areas of high metal loading, suggesting that metal tolerance or resistance is an adaptive response to excessive metal exposure. In this stu...