A rod-shaped bacterium, A. borkumensis has played a role in oil spill cleanups from Alaska ( Exxon Valdez ) to the Mediterranean waters near Spain ( Prestige )....[More]
ALCANIVORAX BORKUMENSIS:
A rod-shaped bacterium, A. borkumensis has played a role in oil spill cleanups from Alaska (Exxon Valdez) to the Mediterranean waters near Spain (Prestige). Although it persists in low numbers at all times, the bacterium blooms after an oil spill—and has the ability to both break down the alkanes that make up part of the oil as well as spread a biodispersant that helps other microbes feast on other constituents of the spill. As a result, scientists have been attempting to "soup up" this oil-eater via genetic manipulation in order to make a spill-fighting supermicrobe. So far, they have not improved on evolution's design.
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Courtesy of Heimholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI)
DREDGING FOR CYCLOCLASTICUS:
Some of the most dangerous constituents of an oil spill are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—volatile molecules that can be highly toxic. Fortunately, at least 23 strains of the bacterial genus Cycloclasticus native to the Gulf of Mexico can degrade such nasty oil constituents by tapping them for energy....[More]
DREDGING FOR CYCLOCLASTICUS:
Some of the most dangerous constituents of an oil spill are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—volatile molecules that can be highly toxic. Fortunately, at least 23 strains of the bacterial genus Cycloclasticusnative to the Gulf of Mexico can degrade such nasty oil constituents by tapping them for energy. Even better, some members of the rod-shaped group can eat other aromatic hydrocarbons that are even more toxic, such as toluene. And they have tiny flagella to help them move from source to source, cleaning up toxics as they go. As a result, scientists are busily decoding Cycloclasticus pugettii, a strain found in the waters of the Puget Sound and being dredged for here, in the hopes of improving its toxic avenger abilities.
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Courtesy of Washington State Department of Ecology
COLWELLIA (GENUS):
This clan of oil-eating microbes can be found from cold Arctic and Antarctic waters to the balmy seas of the Gulf of Mexico. It also has the ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, from marine sediments to Arctic sea ice—making it one of the more adaptable spill fighters....[More]
COLWELLIA (GENUS):
This clan of oil-eating microbes can be found from cold Arctic and Antarctic waters to the balmy seas of the Gulf of Mexico. It also has the ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, from marine sediments to Arctic sea ice—making it one of the more adaptable spill fighters. Given that oil in sediments—or cold waters—is much harder to break down, scientists are in hot pursuit of this wide-ranging extremophiles' spill-fighting traits.
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Richard A. Finkelstein / NCBI
OCEANOSPIRILLALES (ORDER):
This order of microbes—part of the Proteobacteria phylum, named after the shape-shifting Greek god Proteus—assume a number of forms and roles in eliminating an oil spill....[More]
OCEANOSPIRILLALES (ORDER):
This order of microbes—part of the Proteobacteria phylum, named after the shape-shifting Greek god Proteus—assume a number of forms and roles in eliminating an oil spill. The most famous oil-eating member of the order is the aforementioned A. borkumensis, but other members can play a role in eliminating petroleum as well. Pictured here is the salt-loving Halomonas elongata, which grows best in extreme environments but does not eat oil.
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Courtesy of Expedition Zone
OLEISPIRA (GENUS):
Another alkane eater (like A. borkumensis ), various Oleispira turn oil into more and more Oleispira cells, along with carbon dioxide and water....[More]
OLEISPIRA (GENUS):
Another alkane eater (like A. borkumensis), various Oleispira turn oil into more and more Oleispira cells, along with carbon dioxide and water. One unintended side effect can be local "dead zones," as the industrious microbial consortia, like the one pictured here, consume much of the dissolved oxygen in the seawater as they feast on the oil. Another extremophile species in this genus has been found in Antarctic waters (Oleispira antarctica) as well as the subtropical waters into which the Macondo well has been spilling.
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Courtesy of Bangor University
NEPTUNOMONAS (GENUS):
Some members of this genus attack the carcinogenic constituents found in most oil deposits—the aforementioned polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—and can be found throughout the planet's oceans....[More]
NEPTUNOMONAS (GENUS):
Some members of this genus attack the carcinogenic constituents found in most oil deposits—the aforementioned polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—and can be found throughout the planet's oceans. Members of the genus play a role not only in cleaning up oil spills—but also the fatty acid residue of whale carcasses, like Neptunomonas japonica pictured here. Other microbial genuses that contribute to such toxic tidying are Pseudomonas and Vibrio, although they may not be as abundant as Neptunomonas or Cycloclasticus.
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Courtesy of Masayuki Miyazaki / International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
THALASSOLITUUS OLEIVORANS:
Much like A. borkumensis , T. oleivorans makes its living by turning the alkanes in oil into microbial cells, CO2 and water—and can be found from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, as can other members of the Thalassolituus genus....[More]
THALASSOLITUUS OLEIVORANS:
Much like A. borkumensis, T. oleivorans makes its living by turning the alkanes in oil into microbial cells, CO2 and water—and can be found from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, as can other members of the Thalassolituus genus. Unfortunately, such similarly-minded bacterium don't cooperate; some experiments show that adding T. oleivorans reduces the activity of A. borkumensis and other oil-eating microbes as the tiny bacteria vie for oil-ingesting supremacy. Humans aren't the only species waging chemical warfare in the Gulf.
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Courtesy of Michail M. Yakimov / International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
The article states: "But the microbes will eventually devour all of BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill—no matter where it ends up—except the heaviest, nastiest stuff: asphaltenes and other big-chain hydrocarbons that go on to form the millions of tar balls dotting the world's oceans."
Yes, the main question is how long microbial consumption will take and what the hydrocarbon's environmental impact will be for the duration of that time. All is not well in the meantime.
"the microbes' speed is limited...by the availability of various nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus that wash into the ocean via rivers carrying sediments from the continents."
In other words, we need more of those nutrients, drained off commercial farmland, that are blamed for low oxygen dead zones near the mouth ot the Mississippi river.
Yeah, the article was rather cryptic about the nutrients in the dead zone, the location of the oil eruption. Does the author suggest that more nutrients are needed to speed up the process? I hope that the bugs will mitigate the oil along with the excess nutrients and that in time a brief period of 'normal' water chemistry will occur; at least until next spring when the Mississippi melt water replenishes the nutrients creating another dead zone.
While this is an excellent opportunity to study such bugs in a food rich environment, my vote goes to no more tragically catastrophic oil eruptions, less nutrients, and a more stable marine environment. The Gulf seeps enough oil naturally, and rigs and vessels spill enough low volume petroleum products to keep the critters around without blowouts.
I heard one comment on the radio that caught my attention: "This disaster is too big to waste". I can only assume that they were refering to what can be learned to prevent such events in the future.
Then I just heard today a report of up to 75% of the oil is in the form of microscopic droplets throughout the water column, not on the surface. The article of the link below indicates that most of these bugs require oxygen to do what they do and in the deeper more anaerobic zones the process could take a long time. In the meantime, local and pelagic macro-species continue to suffer.
That the supplementation with nitrogen and phosporus is even suggested is simply appalling: does anyone who so suggests has any idea what the systematic release of those nutrients in the oceans will trigger...? Anyone who has ever kept an aquarium is well versed in the dangers of excess nitrogen and phosporus in any aquaeic environment. Preposterous. And prey tell, whre are the lovely oil eating microbes going to go once they devour all the carbohydrates of the spill...? Where are they going to find more to sustain them? That's fine, though. As long as BP and whoever else can wash their hands of the environmental catastrophe. Who cares further environmental destruction will be unleashed...? Fishy is not the word here - it's more like stinking!
I do not like nothing of this. Now we are sure BP has spend too many million dollar in buying media to present a better face of the spill. I think the only solution is to finish all the oil tech and go to solar energy, aeolic energy or alga's energy, and forget all dirty tricks of oilmen.
Not for a moment do I believe the oil has been eaten by microbes. Who in the world is buying this nonsense? Read the USF findings that is the real story:
The real juggernaut in all of this is the mis-information on the issue of degradation. 1. Technology exists and is in use today that simply breaks the hydrocarbon chains, making them completely digestible by local biota. 2. The off-gas of this process is oxygen, so the DOC is actually increased, not decreased as in the current crap model using Corexit 3. Anyone who would advocate adding nutrient load has lost their flippin' mind and has no concept of the current phosphorous and nitrogen loads we're dealing with concurrently. 4. Introducing any species to a marine environment that is not native to that environment is akin to bringing more Zebra mussels into the Great Lakes. 5. BP has not engaged the scientific community, but the public relations community instead. 6. If in-situ conservation was really the goal of BP's "research" then the real-world solutions would have already been deployed in the nearly 7,000 dead fields currently under their stewardship.
The oil was chemically dispersed (thanks for nothing, Dawn) and so can be trapped in thermals out of sight. This is the over-arching solution for corporate oil. Out of sight- out of mind. So much for stewardship of the planet. NOTE to BP: You really think the American public is buying your PR campaigns?!! And, these are the "brightest minds in the world"? Pullleeasaseee!
bioremediation is the process of using bacteria (or other organisms) to clean up our messes and restore things to a more natural state, not "boosting microbial activity by ensuring a steady supply of such nutrients"
Oil is broken down very readily by consortia of microorganisms. Many 454 bacterial sequencing projects have identified thousands of species in ocean waters and in subsurface reservoirs. The natural gas by-product of the biodegradation of hydrocarbons has been shown to be biogenic in many different areas due to enhanced C-13 ratios of the carbon in methane. This ratio occurs due to the biological preference for smaller carbons that exists in known methods of bacterial and archaeal metabolism. Given that the natural process has evolved over millions of years, it will be hard for anyone to determine the optimal pathways of biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Different microbes will have different niches - the pathways for n-alkane degradtion and o-methoxylated aromatics require different metabolic strategies and different syntrophic partners.
It is a very tough systemic web to study and usually all the attention goes to organisms that have been cultured. Potentially more important are those microbes that are unculturable and require a close syntrophic partnership with other bacteria to live.
Quite possibly, the best approach may require metagenomics and to treat the whole system of bacteria as a big bag of genes that can be turned off and on. These genes are where the functions are - and that is what is important if you are trying to optimize a bacterial system to accomplish something. Random pumping of nutrients will simply enhance all bacteria functions - not necessarily the ones you are trying to optimize.
As a Consultant Environmentalist with sound background in Microbiology and Biotechnology, i see the super rod-shaped bacterium as a solution to the problems on ground. Professionally, i seem to question the thought of having a genetically modified version of the freely existing super cell. Why not do an improved pack cell generation, good enough to degrade the oil? This is very possible and can be done in the most economical means. In-depth studies can be commissioned on the use of consortium or best fit combination to tackle the spill problem. If it was clearly observed to catalyse the Alkane moiety of the oil, and can also produce metabolites to enhance the growth of other hydrocarbonoclastic cells, then its a good start towards composing a consortium for a better oil eat-up process. Alcanivorax Borkumensis can be used in its wild form instead of its modified form. I fear the possibility of having another strange cell in the world. Let us also know that environmental pollution also include the introduction of strange cells into a strange habitat. All spills in the world today can be taken care of. It all about the methodology, cells and management plan. These are just little out of my pool of ideas. Peter A. John: Port Harcourt - Nigeria: +234-803-9693897
We need to first explain what happens In Mother Nature when a hazardous material is spilled. (Note that the key words used here are set in bold and defined in a simple glossary on the last page.)
There is a myriad of bacteria everywhere on the planet. Where a toxic spill comes in direct contact with bacteria, that bacteria is killed or dies off. Bacteria that is proximal [near] to the spill but not in direct contact, reacts in several ways:
• First, the bacteria separate themselves far enough away so as to protect themselves from the toxicity of the spill.
• Second, the bacteria then releases enzymes and biosurfactants to attack the spill.
• Third, the biosurfactants emulsify and solubilize the spill.
What this means is the biosurfactants will break up and partition the spill into a manageable consistency. In other words, it is breaking down the molecular structure of the spill or detoxifying it, so it can be used as a food source.
The enzymes then form binding sites on the emulsified or solubilize spill and this is where the bacteria will initially attach themselves and start the digestive process.
There have to be large amounts of bacteria for this process to take effect, and, if left solely to nature, it is a long process for bacteria to acclimate themselves to a spill. It then takes further time for the bacteria to release enzymes and surfactants.
One of the limiting factors is the number of bacteria present to produce and release enough enzymes and surfactants to get the process started.
This is why you hear scientists talk about adding nutrients to jumpstart the rapid growth of bacteria so enough enzymes and biosurfactants can be released to affect the mitigation of the spill.
However, nutrients alone have limited uses because of concentration requirements which are compromised in various environments--washed away or diluted by wave motion—and that, compounded with the time it takes to grow a large population of bacteria, reduces their effectiveness.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a means of emulating Mother Nature while at the same time, speeding up the process to mitigate in hours, days or weeks what Mother Nature takes months and/or years to handle on her own?
There is such a solution: OIL SPILL EATER II
OIL SPILL EATER II (OSE II) contains exact proportions of enzymes, bio surfactants, nutrients and other necessary constituents for complete life cycles and biodegradation.
When OSE II is added to a spill, it is not necessary to wait on the proximal bacteria to release enough enzymes or bio surfactants since they are already supplied by OSE II. Therefore, the minute you apply OSE II, there is sufficient biosurfactants to start the emulsification and solubilization process. This process generally takes just a minute or two, or possibly several more minutes depending on the consistency of the spill. As the bio surfactants do their job, the enzymes are attaching themselves to broken down hydrocarbon structures, forming digestive binding sites.
Note: Once this process has occurred, several important changes take effect:
1. The fire hazard has diminished. 2. The toxicity of the spill is rapidly diminished. 3. The odor or smell is almost non-existent. 4. The oil or spill will no longer adhere to anything. 5. The spill is caused to float, OSE II will prevent the oil from sinking.
If the spill has not reached a shoreline yet, but does so after application, it will not adhere to wildlife, sand, rock, wood, metal, or any vegetation.
If the spill has already attached itself, once application occurs, the spill will be lifted from sand, rock, wood, metal or vegetation and wildlife. OSE II is the perfect solution for cleaning up oiled wildlife and marine life because it works so swiftly and is non-toxic, causing the oil to just easily slough off once sprayed on. This causes less trauma for the animal being cleaned and a much faster and easier cleanup process.
The spill is detoxified to the point that indigenous bacteria (natural to a given environmental location) can now utilize the oil as a food source. This also diminishes toxicity to marine organisms, birds or wildlife.
OSE II causes the oil to float on the surface of the water, which reduces the impact to the sub-surface preventing secondary contamination of the water column or tertiary contamination on the floor of the body of water associated with the spill area. The spill being held on the surface will make it easy to monitor.
OSE II also has an extremely efficient nutrient system which is activated once you mix the product with natural water--water native to the spill environment.
While the spill is being broken down and detoxified, the indigenous bacteria already living in the natural water used to mix OSE II starts rapidly colonizing or proliferating the growth of large numbers of indigenous bacteria.
Once the bacteria run out of the OSE II’s readily available nutrients, they convert over to the only food source left: the detoxified oil spill. The spill is then digested to CO2 and water. In some cases you can see bacteria growing on the spill; however, in a short period of time, the oil will be digested to CO2 and water before your eyes on a contained spill. In laboratory tests, once you see the water in the test beaker or aquarium become turbid, you know it is only a matter of time before the contaminant is remediated to CO2 and water.
Unlike mechanical cleanup, which cleans up a maximum of 20% of the oil spilled, OSE II will actually address 100% of a spill. This information is substantiated by the EPA’s listing of OSE II on the National Contingency Plan for oil spills referred to as the NCP list, which contains the efficacy test performed for the EPA at LSU University. This documentation can be examined at: http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/ncp/products/oseater.htm.
Glossary of Key Terms:
Bacteria: are one-celled organisms with a simple cell structure. Some are helpful, some are harmful. Bacteria are probably the most numerous of all organisms. They can be found almost everywhere. Bacteria are important to the cycling of chemicals in nature. Without the good bacteria, the soil and water would soon become poor in nitrogen and all plants and animals would die. Biosurfactants: are surface-active substances synthesized by living cells; they are generally non-toxic and biodegradable. Biosurfactants enhance the emulsification of hydrocarbons, have the potential to solubilize hydrocarbon contaminants and increase their availability for microbial degradation. The use of chemicals for the treatment of a hydrocarbon polluted site may contaminate the environment with their by-products, whereas support of the natural process of enzymes and biosurfactants will efficiently destroy pollutants, while being biodegradable themselves. (See: Wiki details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosurfactant#Biosurfactants ) Emulsify: An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids which are normally immiscible (un-blendable). Hence surfactants emulsify and solubilize (make a substance soluble [able to be dissolved] or more soluble) e.g. oil and water are blended. Enzymes: the chemical substances produced in the living cells of all plants and animals that act as catalysts in the regulation of biological processes. Some enzymes break down complex substances into simpler ones. All enzymes are proteins with a prosthetic group attached. The prosthetic group of an enzyme is the part of the molecule that catalyzes (causes or speeds) the chemical change.
Soluble: designed to be dissolved in water. Solubilize means to make something dissolve in water.
Turbid: not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque.
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Fixing the Global Nitrogen Problem
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Slick Solution: How Microbes Will Clean Up the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Gut Microbe Makes Diesel Biofuel
Biofuel from Bacteria
What Comes Next: Experts Predict the Future
The Next Generation of Biofuels
21 Comments
Add CommentThe article states:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"But the microbes will eventually devour all of BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill—no matter where it ends up—except the heaviest, nastiest stuff: asphaltenes and other big-chain hydrocarbons that go on to form the millions of tar balls dotting the world's oceans."
Yes, the main question is how long microbial consumption will take and what the hydrocarbon's environmental impact will be for the duration of that time. All is not well in the meantime.
gee, hope these microbes dont get down into the wells ??? !!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisgeeee, I really hope these microbes dont actually get INTO our wells....!!!!!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article states
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"the microbes' speed is limited...by the availability of various nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus that wash into the ocean via rivers carrying sediments from the continents."
In other words, we need more of those nutrients, drained off commercial farmland, that are blamed for low oxygen dead zones near the mouth ot the Mississippi river.
Yeah, the article was rather cryptic about the nutrients in the dead zone, the location of the oil eruption. Does the author suggest that more nutrients are needed to speed up the process? I hope that the bugs will mitigate the oil along with the excess nutrients and that in time a brief period of 'normal' water chemistry will occur; at least until next spring when the Mississippi melt water replenishes the nutrients creating another dead zone.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile this is an excellent opportunity to study such bugs in a food rich environment, my vote goes to no more tragically catastrophic oil eruptions, less nutrients, and a more stable marine environment. The Gulf seeps enough oil naturally, and rigs and vessels spill enough low volume petroleum products to keep the critters around without blowouts.
I heard one comment on the radio that caught my attention: "This disaster is too big to waste". I can only assume that they were refering to what can be learned to prevent such events in the future.
Then I just heard today a report of up to 75% of the oil is in the form of microscopic droplets throughout the water column, not on the surface. The article of the link below indicates that most of these bugs require oxygen to do what they do and in the deeper more anaerobic zones the process could take a long time. In the meantime, local and pelagic macro-species continue to suffer.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-microbes-clean-up-oil-spills
Waw
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is good to clean the water from oil.
That the supplementation with nitrogen and phosporus is even suggested is simply appalling: does anyone who so suggests has any idea what the systematic release of those nutrients in the oceans will trigger...? Anyone who has ever kept an aquarium is well versed in the dangers of excess nitrogen and phosporus in any aquaeic environment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPreposterous.
And prey tell, whre are the lovely oil eating microbes going to go once they devour all the carbohydrates of the spill...? Where are they going to find more to sustain them?
That's fine, though. As long as BP and whoever else can wash their hands of the environmental catastrophe. Who cares further environmental destruction will be unleashed...?
Fishy is not the word here - it's more like stinking!
Oh yeah, and I had forgotten about the surfactants!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd don't marine life just love to breathe in some soap!!!
I do not like nothing of this. Now we are sure BP has spend too many million dollar in buying media to present a better face of the spill. I think the only solution is to finish all the oil tech and
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisgo to solar energy, aeolic energy or alga's energy, and forget all
dirty tricks of oilmen.
Not for a moment do I believe the oil has been eaten by microbes. Who in the world is buying this nonsense? Read the USF findings that is the real story:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/st_petersburg/usf-scientists-say-oil-droplets-speckle-gulf-floor.
Who is buying this nonsense? Microbes really? Maybe in a 1000 years...read the USF findings:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/st_petersburg/usf-scientists-say-oil-droplets-speckle-gulf-floor
impressive
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBE CAREFUL. IF THE MICROBES SOMEHOW GO IN THE OIL WELLS THEN IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO CHECK THE GROWTH AND THERE WILL BE HUGE LOSS OF AVAILABLE OIL.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe real juggernaut in all of this is the mis-information on the issue of degradation. 1. Technology exists and is in use today that simply breaks the hydrocarbon chains, making them completely digestible by local biota. 2. The off-gas of this process is oxygen, so the DOC is actually increased, not decreased as in the current crap model using Corexit 3. Anyone who would advocate adding nutrient load has lost their flippin' mind and has no concept of the current phosphorous and nitrogen loads we're dealing with concurrently. 4. Introducing any species to a marine environment that is not native to that environment is akin to bringing more Zebra mussels into the Great Lakes. 5. BP has not engaged the scientific community, but the public relations community instead. 6. If in-situ conservation was really the goal of BP's "research" then the real-world solutions would have already been deployed in the nearly 7,000 dead fields currently under their stewardship.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe oil was chemically dispersed (thanks for nothing, Dawn) and so can be trapped in thermals out of sight. This is the over-arching solution for corporate oil. Out of sight- out of mind. So much for stewardship of the planet. NOTE to BP: You really think the American public is buying your PR campaigns?!! And, these are the "brightest minds in the world"? Pullleeasaseee!
Can the microbes eat scum and dirt like what we have in Washington?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisbioremediation is the process of using bacteria (or other organisms) to clean up our messes and restore things to a more natural state, not "boosting microbial activity by ensuring a steady supply of such nutrients"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this-5 pts
http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v2/n4/full/ismej2007111a.html
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOil is broken down very readily by consortia of microorganisms. Many 454 bacterial sequencing projects have identified thousands of species in ocean waters and in subsurface reservoirs. The natural gas by-product of the biodegradation of hydrocarbons has been shown to be biogenic in many different areas due to enhanced C-13 ratios of the carbon in methane. This ratio occurs due to the biological preference for smaller carbons that exists in known methods of bacterial and archaeal metabolism. Given that the natural process has evolved over millions of years, it will be hard for anyone to determine the optimal pathways of biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Different microbes will have different niches - the pathways for n-alkane degradtion and o-methoxylated aromatics require different metabolic strategies and different syntrophic partners.
It is a very tough systemic web to study and usually all the attention goes to organisms that have been cultured. Potentially more important are those microbes that are unculturable and require a close syntrophic partnership with other bacteria to live.
Quite possibly, the best approach may require metagenomics and to treat the whole system of bacteria as a big bag of genes that can be turned off and on. These genes are where the functions are - and that is what is important if you are trying to optimize a bacterial system to accomplish something. Random pumping of nutrients will simply enhance all bacteria functions - not necessarily the ones you are trying to optimize.
you are so right. this fishy coveer up- STINKS! do not believe the oil men!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a Consultant Environmentalist with sound background in Microbiology and Biotechnology, i see the super rod-shaped bacterium as a solution to the problems on ground. Professionally, i seem to question the thought of having a genetically modified version of the freely existing super cell. Why not do an improved pack cell generation, good enough to degrade the oil? This is very possible and can be done in the most economical means. In-depth studies can be commissioned on the use of consortium or best fit combination to tackle the spill problem. If it was clearly observed to catalyse the Alkane moiety of the oil, and can also produce metabolites to enhance the growth of other hydrocarbonoclastic cells, then its a good start towards composing a consortium for a better oil eat-up process. Alcanivorax Borkumensis can be used in its wild form instead of its modified form. I fear the possibility of having another strange cell in the world. Let us also know that environmental pollution also include the introduction of strange cells into a strange habitat. All spills in the world today can be taken care of. It all about the methodology, cells and management plan.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese are just little out of my pool of ideas. Peter A. John: Port Harcourt - Nigeria: +234-803-9693897
those guys are fantastics!!!! i hope they will clean up the mess!! XD
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEMULATING MOTHER NATURE
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHOW BIOREMEDIATION OCCURS IN MOTHER NATURE
We need to first explain what happens In Mother Nature when a hazardous
material is spilled. (Note that the key words used here are set in bold and defined in a simple glossary on the last page.)
There is a myriad of bacteria everywhere on the planet. Where a toxic spill comes in direct
contact with bacteria, that bacteria is killed or dies off. Bacteria that is proximal [near] to the spill but not in direct contact, reacts in several ways:
• First, the bacteria separate themselves far enough away so as to protect themselves from the toxicity of the spill.
• Second, the bacteria then releases enzymes and biosurfactants to attack the
spill.
• Third, the biosurfactants emulsify and solubilize the spill.
What this means is the biosurfactants will break up and partition the spill into a manageable consistency. In other words, it is breaking down the molecular structure of the spill or detoxifying it, so it can be used as a food source.
The enzymes then form binding sites on the emulsified or solubilize spill and
this is where the bacteria will initially attach themselves and start the digestive process.
There have to be large amounts of bacteria for this process to take effect, and, if left solely to nature, it is a long process for bacteria to acclimate themselves to a spill. It then takes further time for the bacteria to release enzymes and surfactants.
One of the limiting factors is the number of bacteria present to produce and release enough enzymes and surfactants to get the process started.
This is why you hear scientists talk about adding nutrients to jumpstart the rapid growth of bacteria so enough enzymes and biosurfactants can be released to affect the mitigation of the spill.
However, nutrients alone have limited uses because of concentration requirements which are compromised in various environments--washed away or diluted by wave motion—and that, compounded with the time it takes to grow a large population of bacteria, reduces their effectiveness.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a means of emulating Mother Nature while at
the same time, speeding up the process to mitigate in hours, days or weeks what Mother
Nature takes months and/or years to handle on her own?
There is such a solution: OIL SPILL EATER II
OIL SPILL EATER II (OSE II) contains exact proportions of enzymes, bio surfactants, nutrients and other necessary constituents for complete life cycles and biodegradation.
When OSE II is added to a spill, it is not necessary to wait on the proximal bacteria to release enough enzymes or bio surfactants since they are already supplied by OSE II. Therefore, the minute you apply OSE II, there is sufficient biosurfactants to start the emulsification and solubilization process. This process generally takes just a minute or two, or possibly several more minutes depending on the consistency of the spill. As the bio surfactants do their job, the enzymes are attaching themselves to broken down hydrocarbon structures, forming digestive binding sites.
Note: Once this process has occurred, several important changes take effect:
1. The fire hazard has diminished.
2. The toxicity of the spill is rapidly diminished.
3. The odor or smell is almost non-existent.
4. The oil or spill will no longer adhere to anything.
5. The spill is caused to float, OSE II will prevent the oil from sinking.
If the spill has not reached a shoreline yet, but does so after application, it will not adhere to wildlife, sand, rock, wood, metal, or any vegetation.
If the spill has already attached itself, once application occurs, the spill will be
lifted from sand, rock, wood, metal or vegetation and wildlife. OSE II is the perfect solution for cleaning up oiled wildlife and marine life because it works so swiftly and is non-toxic, causing the oil to just easily slough off once sprayed on. This causes less trauma for the animal being cleaned and a much faster and easier cleanup process.
The spill is detoxified to the point that indigenous bacteria (natural to a given environmental location) can now utilize the oil as a food source. This also diminishes toxicity to marine organisms, birds or wildlife.
OSE II causes the oil to float on the surface of the water, which reduces the impact to the sub-surface preventing secondary contamination of the water column or tertiary contamination on the floor of the body of water associated with the spill area. The spill being held on the surface will make it easy to monitor.
OSE II also has an extremely efficient nutrient system which is activated once you mix
the product with natural water--water native to the spill environment.
While the spill is being broken down and detoxified, the indigenous bacteria already living in the natural water used to mix OSE II starts rapidly colonizing or proliferating the growth of large numbers of indigenous bacteria.
Once the bacteria run out of the OSE II’s readily available nutrients, they convert over to the only food source left: the detoxified oil spill. The spill is then digested to CO2 and water. In some cases you can see bacteria growing on the spill; however, in a short period of time, the oil will be digested to CO2 and water before your eyes on a contained spill. In laboratory tests, once you see the water in the test beaker or aquarium become turbid, you know it is only a matter of time before the contaminant is remediated to CO2 and water.
Unlike mechanical cleanup, which cleans up a maximum of 20% of the oil spilled, OSE II will actually address 100% of a spill. This information is substantiated by the EPA’s listing of OSE II on the National Contingency Plan for oil spills referred to as the NCP list, which contains the efficacy test performed for the EPA at LSU University. This documentation can be examined at: http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/ncp/products/oseater.htm.
Glossary of Key Terms:
Bacteria: are one-celled organisms with a simple cell structure. Some are helpful, some are harmful. Bacteria are probably the most numerous of all organisms. They can be found almost everywhere. Bacteria are important to the cycling of chemicals in nature. Without the good bacteria, the soil and water would soon become poor in nitrogen and all plants and animals would die.
Biosurfactants: are surface-active substances synthesized by living cells; they are generally non-toxic and biodegradable. Biosurfactants enhance the emulsification of hydrocarbons, have the potential to solubilize hydrocarbon contaminants and increase their availability for microbial degradation. The use of chemicals for the treatment of a hydrocarbon polluted site may contaminate the environment with their by-products, whereas support of the natural process of enzymes and biosurfactants will efficiently destroy pollutants, while being biodegradable themselves. (See: Wiki details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosurfactant#Biosurfactants )
Emulsify: An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids which are normally immiscible (un-blendable). Hence surfactants emulsify and solubilize (make a substance soluble [able to be dissolved] or more soluble) e.g. oil and water are blended.
Enzymes: the chemical substances produced in the living cells of all plants and animals that act as catalysts in the regulation of biological processes. Some enzymes break down complex substances into simpler ones. All enzymes are proteins with a prosthetic group attached. The prosthetic group of an enzyme is the part of the molecule that catalyzes (causes or speeds) the chemical change.
Soluble: designed to be dissolved in water. Solubilize means to make something dissolve in water.
Turbid: not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque.