ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA FROM PRODUCED OR FORMATION WATER

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out to isolate and identify bacteria from produced or formation water. The method employed was the standard plate count where 0.1 ml of the samples was cultured in triplicates onto nutrient agar and Bushnell Haas agar plates for heterotrophic bacterial and hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts using pour-plate technique. Pure cultures of the bacterial isolates were obtained from the subculture of a single colony from the successful pour plate technique and were characterized using cultural, morphological and biochemical methods. The bacteriological analysis of the produced water samples showed that the heterotrophic bacterial count ranged from log10 0.0±0.00 cfu/ml to log10 2.86±0.07 cfu/ml. The hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts ranged from log10 2.564±0.01 cfu/ml to log10 3.09±0.02 cfu/ml. The counts for hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria were found to be higher after 5 days than heterotrophic counts after 24 hours. The identified bacterial isolates were Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella oxytoca.