Comparative Study of the Alkylsulphatase Activity of Bacteria Found in Soil Contaminated with Detergent in Ondo State, Nigeria

Aim: To isolate, characterise and identify detergent degrading bacteria from the detergent contaminated soil in Ondo State, Nigeria and also to compare and quantify enzyme production and biodegrading potentials of each of the bacterial isolate.

Place and Duration of Study: Ondo state, Nigeria, between February and July 2017.

Methodology: Detergent degrading bacteria were isolated from detergent contaminated soil samples by supplementing minimal salt media with test surfactant. The bacteria isolated were subjected to enzyme analysis to study the alkylsulphatase enzyme production/activity in relation to growth pattern.

Results: Some bacterial isolates showed remarkable potential for alkylsulphatase production. In the enzyme study, Bacillus subtilis (1.53 mM/min), Pseudomonas putida (1.36 mM/min) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (1.33 mM/min) showed better enzymatic activity than the other isolates. Bacillus subtilis showed the highest enzymatic activity of 1.53 mM/min.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens can be found in soil environment polluted with detergent. They are capable of surviving the toxic effect of the pollutant and efficiently producing alkylsulphatase, thus can be employed in enzyme production. They are capable of degrading detergent as a pollutant, thus can be utilized in the bioremediation of soil environments contaminated with surfactants.