Influence of C/N/P ratio evolution on biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons-contaminated soil

Abstract: The highest biodegradation efficiency of petroleum hydrocarbons 50% was observed for a C:N:P        ratio of 100:10:1 while it reached 28% for a C:N:P ratio of 60:2:1 and moisture of 15% for both of them. For a higher N:P molar ratio greater than or equal to 10, the recorded depletion and consequently biodegradation ratios decreased significantly. The monitoring of temporal evolution of the biomass and C:N:P ratios highlighted that the N: P molar ratio may be a factor limiting which concurs with several studies. In addition to the ability of the indigenous microbial population to oxide petroleum hydrocarbons to a large extent, the results highlighted the remediation feasibility in solid-phase bioreactors.