Individually immobilized and surface-modified hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria for oil emulsification and biodegradation

Effective emulsification plays an important role in the treatment of marine oil spills. The negative effects of chemical surfactants have necessitated a search for alternative dispersant that are sustainable and environmentally-friendly. To identify alternate dispersants, oil-in-seawater emulsions stabilized by hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were investigated. After individual immobilization and surface-modification, the hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, Bacillus cereus S-1, was found to produce a stable oil-in-seawater Pickering emulsion, which was similar to particle emulsifiers. The individual immobilization and surface-modification process improved the surface hydrophobicity and wettability of the bacterial cells, which was responsible for their effective adsorption at the oil water interface. Through effective emulsification, the biodegradation of oil was remarkably facilitated by these treated bacteria, because of the increased interfacial area. By combining the emulsification and biodegradation, the results of this reported work demonstrated a novel approach for developing environmentally-friendly bioremediation technology in the field of oil treatment.