Role of Microbes

in
Oil Spill
BIOREMEDIATION
BY: VAASHA RAMNARINE

Bioremediation
The use of organisms to metabolize pollutants.
It relies on living organisms to consume and break down
the compound, turning it into harmless, natural
substances.
Bioremediator- any organism used for bioremediation,
typically, microbes like bacteria, archaea and fungi.
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Microbes in Bioremediation
The goal in bioremediation is to stimulate microorganisms with
nutrients and other chemicals that will enable them to destroy
the contaminants.
Microorganisms are given optimum levels of nutrients and other
chemicals essential for their metabolism.
They gain energy by catalyzing oxidation-reduction reactions
Organic contaminant is oxidized, the chemical that gains the
electrons is reduced.

Microbes in Bioremediation
The contaminant is the electron donor, while the
electron recipient is called the electron acceptor. The
energy gained from these electron transfers is then
"invested", along with some electrons and carbon from
the contaminant, to produce more cells.
Primary substrate formed

Microbes in Bioremediation
Bioremediation can alter the metabolic capabilities of native
microorganisms. Often, microorganisms do not degrade
contaminants upon initial exposure, but they may develop the
capability to degrade the contaminant after prolonged exposure.
Adaptation occurs within single microbial communities and even
among distinct microbial communities that co-operate with each
other. One community may partially degrade the contaminant, and
a second community farther along the ground water flow path may
complete the reaction.
Such coupling has obvious applications for bioremediation of sites
bearing contaminant compounds whose complete metabolism
may require alternation between anaerobic and aerobic processes.

Demobilization
In addition to converting contaminants to less harmful
products, microbes can cause mobile contaminants to be
demobilized by three basic methods:
Microbial biomes can sorb hydrophobic organic molecules and stop or slow
contaminant movement. This concept is sometimes called a biocurtain.
Microorganisms can produce reduced or oxidized species that cause metals
to precipitate eg. Fe2+ to Fe3+, which precipitates as ferric hydroxide
(FeOH3(s));
Microorganisms can biodegrade organic compounds that bind with metals
and keep the metals in solution. Unbound metals often precipitate and are
immobilized.
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Complications
Unavailability of contaminants to the organisms
Toxicity of contaminants to the organisms
Microbial preference for some contaminants or naturally
occurring chemicals over other contaminants
Partial degradation of contaminants to produce
hazardous byproducts
Inability to remove contaminants to very low
concentrations
Aquifer clogging from excessive biomass growth.
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Case studies
Oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in
reducing the overall environmental impact of both theExxon
Valdez(1989) and BPDeepwater Horizon(2010) oil spills.
Lighter crudes, such as the oil released from the BPDeepwater
Horizonspill, contain a higher proportion of simpler lower molecular
weight hydrocarbons that are more readily biodegraded than heavy
crudes, such as the oil released from theExxon Valdez.
Bioremediation, which was used extensively in theExxon Valdezspill,
involved adding fertilizers containing nitrogen (N) nutrients to speed up
the rates of oil biodegradation.
Dispersants, such as Corexit 9500, which was used during the
BPDeepwater Horizonspill, increase the available surface area and,
thus, potentially increase the rates of biodegradation.
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Exxon Valdez

BP Deepwater Horizon

41.6 million liters

779 million liters estimated by the National

Incident Commands Flow Rate Technical
Group (FRTG)

North Slope Heavy Oil (API 29)

Light Louisiana Oil (API 35.2)

tanker spill with known volume

well leak with uncertain flow rates, large

amounts of methane also released

discharged as surface spill

discharged at well head in 1500 m of

seawater

on Bligh (near island shorelines)

77 km offshore

impacted cobble/rocky shorelines, major

storm in area with 50 mph winds 2 days
after spill

impacted deep-sea cloud of fine droplets of

low concentration oil, marshes and sandy
beach shorelines, 84 days to stop leak

bioremediation used extensively

aerial and subsurface dispersants used

extensively

fate of oil remnants still studied more then

21 years after spill

fate of oil remnants yet to be determined

much scientific and operating experience

gained is applicable to other spills

largest remediation and emergency

response to an oil spill ever, worldwide
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Mega Borg Oil Spill 1990

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Works Cited
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UArfzsUAJCM
http://www.webapps.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/teac
h/gwprimer/group24/Role.html
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?
record_id=2131&page=17
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