Investigating the absorption and biodegradation of spilled oil on water using expanded perlite loaded with oil-eating bacteria

Oil spills in aquatic environments subject to severe ecological consequences, including toxicity, mutagenicity, potential carcinogenicity and disruption of life cycles. The present research aimed to scrutinize the efficacy of expanded perlite as an oil absorbent and its potential for remediating oil spills by incorporating oil-degrading microorganisms. Three types of adsorbents were examined: a control group without microbes, perlite loaded with bacteria and expanded perlite laden with microbes. The expanded perlite, characterized by its large surface area and low density, provided an optimal environment for microbial growth and proliferation. The results indicated that the presence of microbes significantly enhanced both oil absorption and removal and achieved an increase of 58% and 80.45%, respectively, compared to the pre-expansion state. Furthermore, microbial activity played an important role in mitigating oil contamination by reducing the surface tension between water and oil. This effect was attributed to the production of surface-active substances by the oil-degrading bacteria. The reduced surface tension facilitated the separation of residual oil from the water phase. These findings highlight the potential of expanded perlite modified with oil-degrading bacteria as a promising strategy to improve the remediation of oil spills in aquatic ecosystems. The combination of the high surface area of the expanded perlite and the enhanced oil-degrading capabilities of the microorganisms is promising to mitigate the detrimental effects of oil spills on the environment.