Hydrocarbons produced by bacteria from Antarctic

Abstract

The use of fossil resources in industrial processes results in increasing environmental impact. Microorganisms from extreme environments have unique characteristics that guarantee their survival in cold regions. Bacteria from the Antarctic continent have potential for hydrocarbon production, offering a new sustainable energy source for biofuel production. The present work aimed the evaluation of hydrocarbons production from bacteria isolated from marine samples from the Antarctic continent. Six bacteria isolated were cultivated in the lipid extraction culture medium. Lipid extraction was performed with a chloroform/methanol/water mixture and confirmed by thin layer chromatography. The evaluation of the dry mass allowed to observe a standard microbial growth among the strains. Chromatographic analyses showed that lipid extraction was efficient, yielding lipids between C3-C18. Future studies must to be performed to exploring microbial adaptation to these extreme conditions. Results confirmed the potential of bacteria from extreme environments to produce compounds for biotechnological application.