Study of Effects of Environmental Factors on Biodegradation of Crude Oil, by Pars Q2, an Extreme Halophilic Archea Bacterium and Gravimetric Determination of Used Crude Oil by this Bacterium under Optimal Conditions

Pars Q2, an extreme halophilic archea bacterium isolated from the Namakdan salt lake on Qeshm Island, was capable producing biosurfactants to emulsify and degrade crude oil. In this article, the effects of salinity, pH, temperature, aeration (shaker speed) and the minimum optimized concentration of nitrogen and phosphate sources were studied on the bioremediation of crude oil. The results showed that 15- 21% NaCl, pH 8. 2, 35 C and 140 rpm (shaker speed), 0. 2 g of (NH4) 2SO4 and 0. 1 g. of KH2PO4 provided optimal conditions for oil biodegradation using this strain. Under such optimal conditions, the bacterium degraded 100% of the available crude oil after seven days of incubation.