IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOSURFACTANT PRODUCING BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM DIESEL-CONTAMINATED SEAWATER

Abstract

One of the most severe environmental problems today is oil pollution, especially in seawater. Bioremediation is one method to restore the environment due to the pollution of hydrocarbon compounds. Natural surfactants produced by bacteria can accelerate the biodegradation of hydrocarbon compounds. This study aims to obtain indigenous bacteria which produce biosurfactants from the Tanjung Perak Port, Indonesia. Isolation using selective media obtained 22 isolates of bacteria. The results of the screening of biosurfactant-producing bacteria used three different tests. There are the drop collapse test, oil spreading test, and emulsification test. MWN-8 isolate was the isolate that showed the best results. Microbact testing confirmed that the MWN-8 isolate was Aeromonas hydrophila with an accuracy rate of 96.43%.

Keywords

• aeromonas hydrophila
• bioremediation
• biosurfactant
• oil spills