Abstract
Large deposits of natural bitumen are found in some areas of Ondo State, Nigeria. Although the mineral is still unexploited, its seepage is enough to negatively influence the environment, especially water resources. This work was designed to determine the potential of four Bitumen Utilizing Microbes (BUM) for the purification of Bitumen-Polluted Water (BPW). BUM were screened differently with a control on the BPW drawn from the affected communities. The bitumen’s degradation was determined using a supplemented enrichment medium with a sample of the BPW, and the growth was monitored by taking temperature readings, pH values, the optical density at 600 nm, and the total viable count (TVC) on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 respectively. The bitumen removal rate varied with the time of the incubation until after the third week, when the lack of nutrients supposedly set in and toxic metabolites started building up, which slowed down the process. The BUMs were identified as Bacillus firmus, Bacillus lentus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus alvei. The bitumen removal trend showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa > Bacillus firmus >Bacillus lentus > Bacillus alvei and the control the least amount of removal.