The biodegradation capacity of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons of petrochemical oily sludge in
liquid medium by a bacterial consortium and five pure bacterial cultures was analyzed. Three bacteria
isolated from petrochemical oily sludge, identified asStenotrophomonas acidaminiphila, Bacillus megateriumandBacillus cibi, and two bacteria isolated from a soil contaminated by petrochemical waste, identified asPseudomonas aeruginosaandBacillus cereusdemonstrated efficiency in oily sludge degradation
when cultivated during 40 days. The bacterial consortium demonstrated an excellent oily sludge degradation capacity, reducing 90.7% of the aliphatic fraction and 51.8% of the aromatic fraction, as well as biosurfactant production capacity, achieving 39.4% reduction of surface tension of the culture medium and
an emulsifying activity of 55.1%. The results indicated that the bacterial consortium has potential to be
applied in bioremediation of petrochemical oily sludge contaminated environments, favoring the reduction of environmental passives and increasing industrial productivity