Oil dispersants do facilitate biodegradation of spilled oil

Prince, Roger C.; Coolbaugh, Thomas; Parkerton, Thomas F.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1525333113

Cited by 33 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A recent study questions the efficacy of the subsea dispersant application in modulating droplet size (55), and the variable impacts of dispersant on biodegradation are at the center of an ongoing debate (56,57). The effect of dispersant itself on the benthos is not well understood, but components of dispersant have been found to persist in sediments and in fragile deep-sea coral communities on a scale of years (4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence and biodegradation of oil at the ocean floor following Deepwater Horizon

Bagby

Reddy

Aeppli

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster introduced an unprecedented discharge of oil into the deep Gulf of Mexico. Considerable uncertainty has persisted regarding the oil’s fate and effects in the deep ocean. In this work we assess the compound-specific rates of biodegradation for 125 aliphatic, aromatic, and biomarker petroleum hydrocarbons that settled to the deep ocean floor following release from the damaged Macondo Well. Based on a dataset comprising measurements of up to 168 distinct hydrocarbon analytes in 2,980 sediment samples collected within 4 y of the spill, we develop a Macondo oil “fingerprint” and conservatively identify a subset of 312 surficial samples consistent with contamination by Macondo oil. Three trends emerge from analysis of the biodegradation rates of 125 individual hydrocarbons in these samples. First, molecular structure served to modulate biodegradation in a predictable fashion, with the simplest structures subject to fastest loss, indicating that biodegradation in the deep ocean progresses similarly to other environments. Second, for many alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biodegradation occurred in two distinct phases, consistent with rapid loss while oil particles remained suspended followed by slow loss after deposition to the seafloor. Third, the extent of biodegradation for any given sample was influenced by the hydrocarbon content, leading to substantially greater hydrocarbon persistence among the more highly contaminated samples. In addition, under some conditions we find strong evidence for extensive degradation of numerous petroleum biomarkers, notably including the native internal standard 17α(H),21β(H)-hopane, commonly used to calculate the extent of oil weathering.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence and biodegradation of oil at the ocean floor following Deepwater Horizon

Bagby

Reddy

Aeppli

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…This unprecedent application of dispersants enhanced oil droplet formation, aqueous phase solubilization and aimed to increase biodegradation at depth, but may have had negative effects on the microbial communities [3][4][5] and marine organisms [6][7][8][9] . Though dispersant application is a common response to oil spills, their effects on marine microbial populations is unclear, and the impacts on hydrocarbon biodegradation are debated 10,11 . A more comprehensive understanding of how dispersants impact microbial populations is necessary to inform response strategies for future oil spills in oceanic environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ColwelliaandMarinobactermetapangenomes reveal species-specific responses to oil and dispersant exposure in deepsea microbial communities

Peña-Montenegro

Kleindienst

Allen

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Over 7 million liters of Corexit EC9500A and EC9527A were applied to the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The impacts of dispersants remain under debate and negative, positive, and inconclusive impacts have been reported. Here, metatrancriptomics was applied in the context of metapangenomes to microcosms that simulated environmental conditions comparable to the hydrocarbon-rich 1,100 m deep plume. Within this microcosm study, negative effects of dispersants on microbial hydrocarbon degradation were previously reported based on activity measurements and geochemical data. Transcriptional enrichment of Colwellia, a potential dispersant degrader, followed variable time-dependent trajectories due to interactions between oil, dispersants, and nutrients. The Colwellia metapangenome captured a mixture of environmental responses linked to the Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H genome and to the genomes of other members of the Colwellia genus. The activation of genes involved in lipid degradation, nitrogen metabolism, and membrane composition under oil or nutrient availability, suggested an opportunistic growth strategy for Colwellia. In contrast, transcripts of Marinobacter, a natural hydrocarbon degrader, increased only in oil treatments. Marinobacter transcripts largely recruited to the accessory metapangenome of Marinobacter sp. C18, the closest genomic reference. A complex response involving carbon and lipid metabolism, chemotaxis and a type IV secretion system suggested active energy-dependent processes in Marinobacter. These findings highlight chemistry-dependent responses in the metabolism of key hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and underscore that dispersant-driven selection could temper the ability of the community to respond to hydrocarbon injection.

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“…, ; Prince et al . ). Experimental results can be contradictory, with biodegradation being enhanced (Brakstad et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This will drastically increase the oil-water interface and may potentiate oil bioremediation. However, the use of chemical dispersants is a subject of debate among scientists (Kleindienst et al 2015a(Kleindienst et al , 2016Prince et al 2016). Experimental results can be contradictory, with biodegradation being enhanced (Brakstad et al 2014;Ferguson et al 2017), inhibited (Foght and Westlake 1982;Kleindienst et al 2015b) or not significantly altered (Rahsepar et al 2016) by the addition of a dispersant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microcosm evaluation of the impact of oil contamination and chemical dispersant addition on bacterial communities and sediment remediation of an estuarine port environment

et al. 2019

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Aim To evaluate the interactive effects of oil contamination and chemical dispersant application on bacterial composition and sediment remediation of an estuarine port environment. Methods and Results A multifactorial controlled microcosm experiment was set up using sediment cores retrieved from an estuarine port area located at Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Aveiro, Portugal). An oil spill with and without chemical dispersant addition was simulated. Sediment oil hydrocarbon concentrations and benthic bacterial community structure were evaluated by GC‐MS and 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing respectively. Although initially (first 10 days) chemical dispersion of oil enhanced the concentrations of the heavier polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and of the C22‐C30 alkane group, with time (21 days), no significant differences in hydrocarbon concentrations were detected among treatments. Moreover, no significant changes were detected in the structure of sediment bacterial communities, which mainly consisted of operational taxonomic units related to hydrocarbon‐contaminated marine environments. We hypothesize that the environmental background of the sampling site preconditioned the communities’ response to additional contamination. Conclusion This experimental microcosm study showed that the chemical dispersion of oil did not influence sediment remediation or bacterial community composition. Significance and Impact of the Study Our study showed that chemical dispersion of oil may not improve the remediation of port sediments. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of chemical dispersants in combination with bioremediation strategies on the process of sediment remediation in port areas.

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Oil dispersants do facilitate biodegradation of spilled oil

Cited by 33 publications

References 5 publications

Persistence and biodegradation of oil at the ocean floor following Deepwater Horizon

Persistence and biodegradation of oil at the ocean floor following Deepwater Horizon

ColwelliaandMarinobactermetapangenomes reveal species-specific responses to oil and dispersant exposure in deepsea microbial communities

Microcosm evaluation of the impact of oil contamination and chemical dispersant addition on bacterial communities and sediment remediation of an estuarine port environment

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