Bioremediation is any process that uses decomposers and green plants, or their enzymes, to improve the condition of contaminated environments. Bioremediation of marine oil spills has become a very practical approach to oil spill cleanup efforts in recent years. Oil spill bioremediation lab university of notre dame. This technology did not live up to its initial promise. Figure 22 illustrates the differences between the two. When pristine soil receives spilled oil, indigenous microorganisms suitable for dealing with the prevailing oilconcentrations become enriched. The tragic exxon valdez oil spill in 1989, informed the united states of the lack of preparedness the oil industry and country had in such remediation situations. Bioremediation of exxon valdez oil spill about epa us epa. Petroleum spill bioremediation in marine environments. Changes in crude oil production and distribution have increased the incidence of oil spills throughout the world.
Meet the microbes eating the gulf oil spill slide show. This study is examining bioremediation with nitrate and ammonium in the. In the case of the bp deepwater horizon spill, the leak was capped on july 15. In a letter to exxon, epa provided information that would support the use of bioremediation as a cleanup technique for the valdez oil spill. Article types of bioremediation and their modes of action.
However, specific bacteria mostly commonly are used in bioremediation of oil. Bioremediation of oil spills submitted by anchal garg environment science 2016 2. Bioremediation of oil spills using microorganism science. Bioremediation has several advantages over other approaches, and is often used in combination with other. There is only one known nonmechanical method to remove oil from an affected area without harming the area bioremediation 1. Several aspects of bioremediation make it an appealing choice. The science and history of oil spills live science.
The oil spill cleanup and recovery techniques are challenging and usually involve complex mechanical, chemical, and biological methods. Specific bacteria can be used to bioremediate specific contaminants, such as hydrocarbons, which are present in oil and gasoline. Bioremediation of soils saturated with spilled crude oil scientific. Oil spill response with bioremediation agent type ea bearing out as a workable first response alternative to the use of chemical dispersants, contrasting e. Bioremediation can occur on its own natural attenuation or intrinsic bioremediation or can be spurred on via the addition of fertilizers to increase the. History of bioremediation 1972 first commercial application. Caution required for gulf oil spill cleanup, bioremediation. Petroleum technology petroleum petroleum reservoir. The joint research group processes for the bioremediation of soil is headed by the bmbf project management agency for waste management and remediation of hazardous abandoned sites pt awas. Bacteria and other microbes are the only thing that will ultimately clean up the ongoing oil spill in the gulf of mexico. The study compared the biophysicochemical parameters of the oil spill polluted soil with particular reference to areas of oil production of the lowland forest ecological systems with those of the unaffected soil as well as their response to bioremediation interventions using enap.
Bioremediation is one technique that may be useful to remove spilled oil under certain geographic and climatic. Usually, mechanical removal of free oil is utilized as an effective. Hindu college, nagercoil, tamil nadu, india key words. The results demonstrated significant decrease in the. North dakota department of mineral resources offices are closed to public access effective immediately as. Sample records for brune laminaria digitatabrune laminaria digitata. Oil spill eater ii ose ii is the worlds most environmentally safe and cost effective bioremediation process for the mitigation of hazardous waste, spills and contamination virtually anywhere of any size, large or small. Aug 15, 2011 during the exxon valdez spill water washing and bioremediation biostimulation using fertilizers containing n nutrients were the major strategies. Heavy crude oils that contain large amounts of resin and asphaltene compounds are less amenable to bioremediation than are lightor mediumweight crude oils that are rich in aliphatic components. Effectiveness of bioremediation of crude oil contaminated. A large team of scientists was put together to design and. Intrinsic bioremediation manages the innate capabilities of naturally occurring microbial communities to degrade environmental pollutants without taking any engineering steps to enhance the process.
The best known such seep is coal oil point along the california coast where an. As the demand for liquid petroleum increases, the need for reliable and efficient oil spill cleanup techniques is keywords. Government printing office, washington, dc 204029325 order form can be found in the back of this report. Aug 18, 2010 meet the microbes eating the gulf oil spill slide show these microscopic life forms are blooming as a result of the oil spilled into the gulf of mexico from the macondo 252 deepsea well. Atlas department of biology, university of louisville. Bioremediation of hydrocarbon polluted soil in the lowland.
Bioremediation for marine oil spills princeton university. Introduction bioremediation is the use of microorganism metabolism to remove pollutants. Bioremediation as a tool for resiliency in oil spills abstract with an increase in boating, offshore drilling, and transportation of oil, coastal communities are in need of a plan to clean up waterways in the event of an offshore oil spill. Oil spills have become serious problem in cold environments with ever icrese in resource exploitation,transportation,storage and accidental lekage of oils bioremidation is a promising action for remidation it is effective and economic in removing oils with less undue environmental damages.
This study was carried out to develop an effective biocarriermediated bioaugmentation technology which will be useful for remediation of the crude oilcontaminated marine sediments. Following the exxon valdez oil spill in march 1989, the united states environmental protection agency epa made the decision to conduct a fullscale research project to determine whether bioremediation is a viable technology for the cleanup of such a catastrophic spill. Bioremediation techniques have become a major mechanism for removing oil residues on the affected shorelines. It was the deep water horizon oil spill into the gulf of mexico in 2010 that instigated the scientists to seek refuge in bioremediation.
Aug 05, 2016 epa informed exxon on july 26 that it would support a proposal by the company to use bioremediation to aid in cleaning up the oil spilled from the exxon valdez in prince william sound. Oil is released into the ocean from natural oil seeps on the seafloor. According to studies done by the epa and exxon following the exxon valdez spill in 1989, initial bioremediation rates can be as high as 1. Epa and fisheries and oceanscanada on a freshwater shoreline of the st. Moreover, the requirements for suc cessful seeding are more demanding than those for nutrient enrichment.
Either way, bioremediation is commonly better for the environment and less expensive than other chemical methods. Pdf as the demand for liquid petroleum increases, the need for reliable and efficient oil spill cleanup techniques is inevitable. Bioremediation, contaminants, monitoring and saturation received 16 march 2011. Petroleum biodegradation and oil spill bioremediation. However, there were species of psychrophilic bacteria present that were highly efficient in metabolizing hydrocarbons.
Bioremediation o conducted under controlled conditions, biositesm bioremediation uses a combination of chemicals and microorganisms to naturally break down hazardous materials into nonhazardous substances that can be recycled or buried in conventional landfills. Bioremediation can be grouped into two broad types. Atlas university of louisville, louisville, kentucky, usa several exciting findings about the biodegradation of hydrocarbons have come to light over the past year. Free essays, homework help, flashcards, research papers, book reports, term papers, history, science, politics. Bioremediation is not your first response to a fresh oil spill if its a fresh spill it is important to.
Jul 24, 2016 using dispersants can increase the surface area of the spill, and therefore can potentially increase the rates of biodegradation 3. Pdf oil spills are probable accidents occurring mostly during transportation and processing of oil that can contaminate marine, soil, sediments. Reference book for geology for petroleum engineering. The action of naturally occurring oil degrading microbes are slow. Oil spills require quick action so that they cause as little damage as possible.
Bioremediation is an economical and safe method for cleaning up oil spills and bioremediating soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and dangerous organic compounds. In the case of the bp deepwater horizon spill millions of gallons 1 u. Treating contaminated soils onsite at bioremediation facilities. Congress, office of technology assessment,bioremediation for marine oil spills background paper, otabpo70 washington, dc. Recover free fluids recycle back to the stock tank if possible use an absorbent to get fluids that cant be recovered dispose of properly it is to your benefit to bioremediate only those fluids that soak into the ground. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment, especially into oceans can affect the marine ecosystem, birds and human. While the spill didnt get much press at the time, it is the largest inland spill ever reported. Bioremediation oil spills list of high impact articles. Vidali encyclopedia of life support systems eolss recent years has led to international efforts to remedy many of these sites, either as a response to the risk of adverse health or environmental effects caused by contamination or to enable the site to be redeveloped for use. Bacteria can be used to clean up oil spills in the ocean through bioremediation. The increasing number of marine oil spills asks for effective solutions for the environment.
Apr 16, 2012 in the gulf of mexico oil spill, there was a large difference in the surface and deep water temperatures. Welcome to the most trusted and comprehensive oil spill bioremediation products directory on the internet. Biodegradation of oil and bioremediation of oil spills ronald m. Oil migrates down through soils, adsorbing to soil particles until it reaches groundwater, where oil constituents. Production and characterization of a bioemulsifier from yarowia lipolytica article in process biochemistry 418. Bioremediation of exxon valdez oil spill epa press release july 31, 1989 based upon results of epas research program, the exxon corp.
Oil spills oil spills occur frequently throughout the world. Guidelines for the bioremediation of oilcontaminated salt. A broad range of oil spill bioremediation products resources are compiled in this industrial portal which provides information on manufacturers, distributors and service companies in the oil spill bioremediation products industry. Manual removal of oil is a critical first step and when paired with bioremediation. Biosurfactants research trends and applications green. Production and characterization of a bioemulsifier from. Biodegradation of oil and bioremediation of oil spills sciencedirect. In the context of ameliorating the adverse environmental impact of an oil spill, bioremediation entails taking advantage of the oil degrading capabilities of a number of bacterial species with the aim of diminishing andor eliminating oil and other hydrocarbon based environmental contamination. It currently comprises seven joint projects with over 30 single projects see figure, page 9. Laboratory evaluation of oil spill bioremediation products in. Biodegradation of oil and bioremediation of oil spills. The natural rapid attenuation of oil in the bp deepwater horizon spill is due to a number of parameters, for example, type of crude, offshore, jetting of the oil in to the deepsea, rapid dissolution, and microbial adaption.
Following the accidental oil spill of the bahia paraiso in. Bioremediation is a technique applied to several environmental impacts, among which the ones generated by petroleum derivatives, through the introduction of microorganisms into the environment, or. Bioremediation techniques, category definitions, and mode of action in marine and freshwater environments originally compiled to update and revise us epanrt bioremediation fact sheet and rrt iv bioremediation spill response guidance, types of bioremediation section and bioremediation response plan appendix g, in coordination. Bioremediation as a tool for resiliency in oil spills.
This manual is a supplement of the previously published guidelines for the bioremediation of marine shorelines and freshwater wetlands zhu et al. How microbes will clean up the deepwater horizon oil spill. Sun oil pipeline spill in ambler, pennsylvania 1970s continuing bioremediation projects by richard raymond of sun oil mid1980s emphasis on bioengineering organisms for bioremediation. Different types of bacteria, archaea, algae, and some species of plants are all able to breakdown specific toxic waste products into safer constituents. The physical and chemical characteristics of the oil are also important determinants of bioremediation success. Bioremediation is the process of using microbes to clean up waste material or pollutants. Bioremediation involves the use of nutrients to enhance the activity of indigenous organisms andor the addition of naturallyoccurring nonindigenous microorganisms. Oil spills often cause destructive effects on aquatic and land ecosystems.
30 1390 740 1445 788 454 293 1152 657 1629 1476 1544 1339 447 1085 1376 1073 1121 1094 537 907 1033 494 975 1516 1042 789 674 950 172 1117 541 261 377 1299 440 1315 992 1337 221 1351