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The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum nitrogen concentration needed by microorganisms to biodegrade crude oil hydrocarbons attached to sand particles in a microcosm simulating a low energy marine beach. The experimental approach involved mixing clean sand with weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil and monitoring biodegradation in continuous-flow beach microcosms over a 40-day time period. Two experiments were conducted with different nitrate-N concentrations in the feed (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/L in the first experiment and 2.5, 5.0, 10, 25, and 50 mg/L in the second). Experimental results indicated that nitrate concentrations below approximately 10 mg/L limited the rate of crude oil biodegradation. This conclusion was supported by oxygen uptake, CO2 production, nitrate consumption, and biomass growth data.

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