Enhancement of the diesel oil degradation ability of a marine bacterial strain by immobilization on a novel compound carrier material.

A novel floatable and biodegradable carrier material was made by coating puffed foxtail millet (PFM) with a calcium alginate (CA)-chitosan compound membrane. A diesel oil-degrading marine bacterial strain, Acinetobacter sp. F9, was immobilized on the carrier material. The number of viable F9 cells immobilized on the carrier material reached approximately 5×10(9) CFU/g. This formulation could be stored at -20°C and 4°C for 10 weeks without a significant decrease in the number of viable immobilized cells. SEM results showed that the coating membrane was porous and that F9 cells were immobilized on the walls of the pores. The immobilized F9 cells were able to remove more than 90% of the diesel oil by the second day, while free F9 cells did not remove 90% of the diesel oil until the seventh day. GC-MS analysis indicated that the immobilized F9 cells could remove diesel oil more completely than free cells. The immobilization of the F9 cells enhanced their ability to biodegrade diesel oil.