Measuring the fate of different diluted bitumen products in coastal surface waters

Ortmann, Alice C.; Cobanli, Susan E.; Wohlgeschaffen, Gary; MacDonald, Jessica; Gladwell, Alison; Davis, Andrew S.; Robinson, Brian; Mason, J. L.; King, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111003

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…An aliquot of the concentrated solvent was then prepared for GC-MS analysis as described by Ortmann et al . ( 2020 ). Briefly, this included sample cleanup using a silica gel, the addition of internal standards and a solvent transfer to iso-octane.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2019 ; Ortmann et al . 2020 ). Purified and concentrated extracts were analyzed using high-resolution gas chromatography (GC; 6890 GC; Agilent, Wilmington, DE) coupled to an Agilent 5975B mass selective detector operated in the selective ion-monitoring mode using the following GC (SLB-5ms column, 30 mby 0.25 mm inner diameter, 0.25-m film thickness; Supelco, Mississauga, ON, Canada) conditions: cool on-column injection with oven track mode (tracks 3°C higher than the oven temperature program), 85°C hold for 2 min, ramp at 4°C/min to 280°C and hold for 20 min.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situmicrocosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions

Schreiber

Fortin

Tremblay

et al. 2021

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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Douglas Channel and the adjacent Hecate Strait (British Columbia, Canada) are part of a proposed route to ship diluted bitumen (dilbit). This study presents how two types of dilbit naturally degrade in this environment by using an in situ microcosm design based on dilbit-coated beads. We show that dilbit-associated n-alkanes were microbially biodegraded with estimated half-lives of 57–69 days. n-Alkanes appeared to be primarily degraded using the aerobic alkB, ladA and CYP153 pathways. The loss of dilbit polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was slower than of n-alkanes, with half-lives of 89–439 days. A biodegradation of PAHs could not be conclusively determined, although a significant enrichment of the phnAc gene (a marker for aerobic PAH biodegradation) was observed. PAH degradation appeared to be slower in Hecate Strait than in Douglas Channel. Microcosm-associated microbial communities were shaped by the presence of dilbit, deployment location and incubation time but not by dilbit type. Metagenome-assembled genomes of putative dilbit-degraders were obtained and could be divided into populations of early, late and continuous degraders. The majority of the identified MAGs could be assigned to the orders Flavobacteriales, Methylococcales, Pseudomonadales and Rhodobacterales. A high proportion of the MAGs represent currently unknown lineages or lineages with currently no cultured representative.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situmicrocosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions

Schreiber

Fortin

Tremblay

et al. 2021

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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“…Temperature has a profound impact on the evaporation rate of spilled oil (Environment Canada, 2013;Yarranton et al, 2015;Johannessen et al, 2020;Ortmann et al, 2020). Yarranton et al (2015) conducted several tests to investigate and compare the evaporation rate and the physical property changes of dilbit and light crudes in freshwater.…”

Section: Evaporationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the AWB appeared to have a higher evaporability than the CLB (Environment Canada, 2013). A relatively long-term (14 days) experiment was conducted by Ortmann et al (2020) to simulate the spills of diluted bitumen products in a coastal area with different seasonal conditions. This study indicated that the warmer air temperature in summer and autumn would enhance the evaporation rate.…”

Section: Evaporationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accurate prediction of the spilled diluted bitumen's transport and behavior is of importance to local authorities and oil companies for quick and efficient response to diluted bitumen spills. Some studies have been carried out regarding the physicochemical properties of diluted bitumen and the investigation/simulation of its weathering processes (Yang et al, 2011;Banerjee, 2012a;Environment Canada, 2013;Menzies and Thomas, 2014;Tsaprailis et al, 2014;Dew et al, 2015;Fingas, 2015;Yarranton et al, 2015;Hounjet and Dettman, 2016;Wu et al, 2016;Sereneo, 2017;Ortmann et al, 2020;Li et al, 2022). For instance, Menzies and Thomas (2014) investigated the physical properties of diluted bitumen and compared them with the conventional crude oils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diluted Bitumen: Physicochemical Properties, Weathering Processes, Emergency Response, and Recovery

Zhong

Lin

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Bitumen, an unconventional crude oil, has received much attention with the increasing consumption and the shrinking storage of conventional crude oils. Bitumen is highly viscous and, thus, is commonly diluted for transportation purposes. Spills of diluted bitumen could occur during the transportation from reservoirs to refineries via pipeline, rail, and marine vessels. Although some laboratory and numerical modeling studies have been contributed to study the spill of diluted bitumen from different aspects, there is no systematic review in the field yet. Therefore, this study first conducted a review on different types of diluted bitumen based on their physicochemical properties, followed by their weathering processes including spreading, evaporation, emulsification, photooxidation, biodegradation, and sinking. Second, the numerical modeling on the fate and behavior of spilled diluted bitumen was summarized and analyzed. Finally, the techniques for spilled oil recovery were discussed, as well as the disposal/treatment of oily waste. Currently, a rare attempt has been made to turn the recovered oily waste into wealth (reutilization/valorization of oily waste). Using the recovered oily waste as the feedstock/processing medium for an emerging thermochemical conversion technique (hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass for crude bio-oil production) is highly recommended. Overall, this article summarized the state-of-the-art knowledge of the spill of diluted bitumen, with the hope to create a deep and systematic understanding on the spill of diluted bitumen for researchers, relevant companies, and decision makers.

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Temperate Coastal Microbial Communities Rapidly Respond to Low Concentrations of Partially Weathered Diesel

et al. 2021

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Diesel is frequently encountered in coastal ecosystems due to land run-off from road surfaces. The current study investigates how partially weathered diesel at environmentally relevant concentrations, as may be seen during a run-off event, affect coastal microbial communities. A mesocosm experiment using seawater from the Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia, was followed for 72 h after the addition of partially weathered diesel. Sequencing data suggests partially weathered diesel acts quickly to alter the prokaryotic community, as both opportunistic (Vibrio and Lentibacter) and oil-degrading (Colwellia, Sulfitobacter, and Pseudoalteromonas) bacteria proliferated after 24 h in comparison to the control. In addition, total prokaryotes seemed to recover in abundance after 24 h, where eukaryotes only ceased to decrease slightly at 72 h, likely because of an inability to adapt to the oil-laden conditions, unlike the prokaryotes. Considering there were no highly volatile components (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) present in the diesel when the communities were exposed, the results indicate that even a relatively small concentration of diesel run-off can cause a drastic change to the microbial community under low energy conditions. Higher energy conditions due to wave action may mitigate the response of the microbial communities by dilution and additional weathering of the diesel.

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Measuring the fate of different diluted bitumen products in coastal surface waters

Cited by 23 publications

References 28 publications

In situmicrocosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions

In situmicrocosms deployed at the coast of British Columbia (Canada) to study dilbit weathering and associated microbial communities under marine conditions

Diluted Bitumen: Physicochemical Properties, Weathering Processes, Emergency Response, and Recovery

Temperate Coastal Microbial Communities Rapidly Respond to Low Concentrations of Partially Weathered Diesel

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