Effect of Kerosene on the Growth of Nitrifying Bacteria Isolated From Soil

Abstract

The environment is being subjected to an increasing amount of stress due to the alterations caused by the pollution of refined petroleum products such as kerosene. These changes might be substantial, which would have a big effect on the environment and, in turn, the farm output. Determining the potential toxicities of kerosene dosage response relationships to sensitive species, like soil microbes, is crucial. This investigation assessed how kerosene affected the nitrifying bacteria that were taken out of farmland's soil. We observed the population changes of the two nitrifying bacteria that were isolated from soil samples after they were exposed to varying concentrations of kerosene (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%, and 10%) for duration of 120 hours. Using a mineral salts media, the effects of kerosene on the two nitrifying bacteria were investigated. Samples were taken from the medium every 24 hours to gauge the growth of the bacteria, and a spectrophotometer was used to quantify the turbidity at 600 nm. The result showed that as kerosene concentrations were exposed to these bacteria over longer periods of time, the survivability of Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. decreased. The toxicity studies' findings demonstrated that the degree of kerosene's toxicity to Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter species depended on the quantity of pollutants present and the length of the contact period.