Canadian Journal of Pure & Applied Sciences

Abstract: The biodegradation of soy biodiesel by two microorganisms isolated from fields contaminated with crude oil, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pichia guilliermondii, were compared using initial pH values of 4.0, 5.0 and 7.0 and initial biodiesel concentrations of 10, 20 and 30%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most efficient at pH 7.0, presenting degradation of 80, 33.9 and 25.7% of the respective biodiesel concentrations of 10, 20 and 30%. Picchia guilliermondii showed only a 31.2% reduction in medium containing 10% of the fuel at pH 7.0. Rapid degradation of soy biodiesel by Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed that the biodegradation of biodiesel depends on the degree of contamination and initial pH.