Bioremediation of Heavy Oil Waste Contaminated Soil by Using Bacterial Consortium with Landfarming Technique

Abstract

Bioremediation of heavy oil waste contaminated soil has been carried out by using bacterial consortium with landfarming technique. Landfarming technique was performed by mixing heavy oil waste, clay, and compost at a various composition with the addition of 10% (v/v) bacterial consortium. The water content, pH, temperature, TPH, and gas production generated during the biodegradation process were observed every week for 4 months. The composition of hydrocarbons in heavy oil waste before and after bioremediation was determined by using GC-MS. The results showed that the percentage of TPH was still quite high at 5:58%. This indicates that the biodegradation process is slow due to the imperfect growth of bacteria, less optimum pH, and low water content. Notwithstanding with the slow process, biodegradation process continues as indicated by production of CO2 and NH3 gasses during the observation. This sustainable biodegradation process was also supported by GC-MS data, which showed that after 4 months of bioremediation process, hydrocarbon compounds from C-6 to C-12, which were originally composed of hydrocarbon compounds from C-6 and C-35, were identified.