Effect Of Ralsionia Pickettii Strain V191 On N-Hexadecane Biodegradation

Ralstonia pickettii is an environmental organism with a worldwide distribution. It has been isolated from water, soil and plants including fruits and vegetables. It is an aerobic, nonfermenting, gram-negative rod. It is rarely pathogenic. Previous reports on infection with R. pickettii have largely involved direct contamination of supplies presumed to be sterile. Due to its ability to survive under such conditions, it is capable of forming biofilm. This has posed serious medical and industrial problems. Ralstonia pickettii (strain VI91) was isolated from industrial water tubing. The strain (V191) in this study showed ability to grow up 50% in a concentration of n-Hexadecane, To determine the potential biodegradation of the studied strain (VI91), a liquid medium containing 0.5% n-Hexadecane was used. Results indicated that the colony number increases with the growth rate and the Gas Chromatographic (GC) analysis was a key factor in the n- Hexadecane degrading by the bacterium. The response of n-Hexadecane, manifested in the increase of its growth rate, is related to a good adhesion of the bacteria on surfaces. The results showed that R. pickettii is able to degrade w-hexadecane as the only carbon source in the media. Therefore, this finding may be utilised in bioremediation in order to remove chemical pollution in our environment.