Diversity of Cultured Lipophilic Bacteria from Palm Oil Mill Effluent and the Biotechnological Potential of a Bacillus Isolate

Abstract: The goal of this work was isolation and investigation of new strains capable of degrading palm oil mill effluent. Using a selective nutrient medium for lipophilic microorganisms, bacteria with lipolytic activity were isolated from containment ponds for palm oil mill effluent. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most isolates were closely related to opportunistic members of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stutzerimonas stutzeri, and Alcaligenes faecalis. Only one strain was found to be closely related to nonpathogenic gram-positive spore-forming bacteria of the genus Bacillus. The fact that the Bacillus strain PN1-2Т2 was capable of growing with different kinds of lipids makes it a promising candidate as a degrader of lipid-containing waste. The strain’s capacity for utilization of carbohydrates was assessed biochemically using the HiCarbo test. A distinguishing feature of isolate PN1-2Т2 is its sensitivity to a broad range of antimicrobial agents.