Compare the effect of Rhodococcus erythropolis and Rhodococcus equi on crude oil by FT-IR technique

The anthropogenic activities of the fossil fuel industry are a key contributor to environmental pollution, producing more than one billion tons of waste sludge annually. This sludge is a complex water-oil emulsion containing toxic levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals that causes severe damage to the ecosystem and public health. Bioremediation exploits the catabolic machinery of microbes to convert hydrocarbons into non-hazardous forms. In this study Rhodococcus erythropolis and Rhodococcus equi were prepared from Persian Type Culture Collection (PTCC), they were added to crude oil, and then the samples were put for 10 days in an incubator. After a specific time, the effect of bacteria on crude oil was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). FT-IR results show that compounds in polar fractions increased while non-polar fractions decreased. This study shows both bacteria have a suitable effect to break organic matter.