G. Vidya and Gayathri V.
Abstract
Crude oil contamination presents serious environmental and public health challenges, making the development of effective remediation methods crucial. Soil samples from oil-impacted areas were collected to identify hydrocarbon-degrading microbes, including species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus megaterium, among others. Various carrier materials-such as sediment, gravel, banana stem, and banana peel -were used to immobilize these bacterial isolates to boost degradation performance. The results showed that sediment achieved the highest degradation rate (97%) after 30 days, followed by banana stem (89%), banana peel (82%), and gravel (75%). Further analyses using gravimetric and GC-MS techniques confirmed substantial decreases in crude oil compounds. These findings highlight the promising potential of immobilized microbial consortia on natural carriers as a sustainable and economical solution for crude oil cleanup.