Optimization of diesel oil biodegradation in seawater using statistical experimental methodology

Petroleum hydrocarbons released into the environment can be harmful to higher organisms, but they can be utilized by microorganisms as the sole source of energy for metabolism. To investigate the optimal conditions of diesel oil biodegradation, the Plackett–Burman (PB) design was used for the optimization in the first step, and N source (NaNO3), P source (KH2PO4) and pH were found to be significant factors affecting oil degradation. Then the response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite design (CCD) was adopted for the augmentation of diesel oil biodegradation and a fitted quadratic model was obtained. The model F-value of 27.25 and the low probability value (