Microcosm application for Improving Biodegradation potentials of diesel Oil contaminated marine sediments.

This study aimed to determine the most effective bioremediation strategies for the decontamination of sediments contaminated with diesel oil. There are many factors that affect the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons such as temperature, nutrients and pH. Among the Hyphomycetes, Aspergillus flavus was the most common species selected at the initial stage. In the course of the biodegradation assays, Results showed that pH 5 was the optimum for higher degradation under controlled conditions. It was observed that 28ºC is the optimum temperature for higher fungal growth on diesel oil while temperature at 4ºC was the least for fungal growth. It was showed that biomass yield was maximum with di potassium hydrogen phosphate. Microcosm experiments were performed with the addition of spore suspension of fungal and nutrients. The performance of each treatment was examined by monitoring biological parameters such as basal respiration, dehydrogenase activity, total protein and microbial biomass carbon (Cmic).