Degradation of tarballs using associated bacterial consortia.

Tarballs are semi-solid blobs of crude-oil formed in marine environment. Microbial degradation of tarballs is poorly understood, though there are indications that tarball-associated microbes can degrade recalcitrant hydrocarbons present in tarballs. In this study, 38 tarball-associated bacteria from Betul beach, Goa, India were initially screened for crude oil degradation. Based on preliminary studies and literature survey, four bacterial strains, sp. Betul-O, sp. Betul-26, sp. Betul-14, and sp. Betul-M were selected for bacterial consortia preparation. Eleven bacterial consortia were prepared and studied for degradation of -alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs) of tarballs based on gravimetric and GC-MS-MS analyses. The bacterial consortia depleted 53.69-97.78% and 22.78-61.98% of -alkanes and PAH compounds, respectively, within 45 days. Bacterial consortium comprising sp. Betul-14, sp. Betul-M, and sp. Betul-O exhibited promising tarball degradation abilities with 97.78% and 61.98% degradation of -alkanes and PAH, respectively, within 45 days. Further research is required to obtain insights into degradation products and possible pathways involved.