Abstract

Biodegradation of petrol by microorganisms isolated from the soils of Industrial area was studied. In order to isolate hydrocarbon utilizing organisms, enrichment medium supplemented with 1% petrol was inoculated with the above soil samples. The isolated organisms were identified by morphological characters, cultural studies and biochemical properties .The identified organisms were further studied to determine the biodegrading activities on hydrocarbons using petrol as the sole source of carbon. The growth of isolates was determined using calorimeter at 595 nm. The bacteria were identified at genus level as Bacillus sp. by 16S rRNA sequencing and showed that they were able to grow on petrol.