Optimal Nitrate Concentration for the Biodegradation of n-Heptadecane in a Variably-Saturated Sand Column

Boufadel, M. C.; Reeser, Paul; Suidan, Makram T.; Wrenn, Brian A.; Ji, Cheng; Du, Xiaoming; Huang, Tiehung L.; Venosa, Albert D.

doi:10.1080/09593332008616808

Cited by 54 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Sediment was transported to the laboratory in a cool box at ambient temperature (Ͻ10°C) and used for microcosm experiments within 1 day of collection. The sediment was a fine sand (80% of the particles were in the range of 125 to 180 m) containing 3.2% mud (sediment particles of Ͻ63 m), with a density of 1.6 g/cm 3 (wet weight) and a moisture content of 34% (vol/vol) at the time of collection at low tide. The average total organic matter content of 10 sediment samples was 0.6% Ϯ 0.12%.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robust Hydrocarbon Degradation and Dynamics of Bacterial Communities during Nutrient-Enhanced Oil Spill Bioremediation

Röling

Milner

Jones

et al. 2002

Appl Environ Microbiol

430

248

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Degradation of oil on beaches is, in general, limited by the supply of inorganic nutrients. In order to obtain a more systematic understanding of the effects of nutrient addition on oil spill bioremediation, beach sediment microcosms contaminated with oil were treated with different levels of inorganic nutrients. Oil biodegradation was assessed respirometrically and on the basis of changes in oil composition. Bacterial communities were compared by numerical analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes and cloning and sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes. Nutrient amendment over a wide range of concentrations significantly improved oil degradation, confirming that N and P limited degradation over the concentration range tested. However, the extent and rate of oil degradation were similar for all microcosms, indicating that, in this experiment, it was the addition of inorganic nutrients rather than the precise amount that was most important operationally. Very different microbial communities were selected in all of the microcosms. Similarities between DGGE profiles of replicate samples from a single microcosm were high (95% ؎ 5%), but similarities between DGGE profiles from replicate microcosms receiving the same level of inorganic nutrients (68% ؎ 5%) were not significantly higher than those between microcosms subjected to different nutrient amendments (63% ؎ 7%). Therefore, it is apparent that the different communities selected cannot be attributed to the level of inorganic nutrients present in different microcosms. Bioremediation treatments dramatically reduced the diversity of the bacterial community. The decrease in diversity could be accounted for by a strong selection for bacteria belonging to the alkane-degrading Alcanivorax/Fundibacter group. On the basis of Shannon-Weaver indices, rapid recovery of the bacterial community diversity to preoiling levels of diversity occurred. However, although the overall diversity was similar, there were considerable qualitative differences in the community structure before and after the bioremediation treatments.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robust Hydrocarbon Degradation and Dynamics of Bacterial Communities during Nutrient-Enhanced Oil Spill Bioremediation

Röling

Milner

Jones

et al. 2002

Appl Environ Microbiol

430

248

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show abstract

“…Assuming that microbes are present, nutrient availability, especially of nitrogen and phosphorus, appears to be the most common limiting factor (494,526). Laboratory and field experiments with inorganic nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and organic fertilizers, including fish bones, fish or animal meal, biosurfactants, and bulking agents, have shown success (68,241,371,372,428,446,458,512,635,640).…”

Section: Treatment Of Contaminated Soils and Sludgesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Hamme¹,

Singh

Ward

2003

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,201

640

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Recent advances in molecular biology have extended our understanding of the metabolic processes related to microbial transformation of petroleum hydrocarbons. The physiological responses of microorganisms to the presence of hydrocarbons, including cell surface alterations and adaptive mechanisms for uptake and efflux of these substrates, have been characterized. New molecular techniques have enhanced our ability to investigate the dynamics of microbial communities in petroleum-impacted ecosystems. By establishing conditions which maximize rates and extents of microbial growth, hydrocarbon access, and transformation, highly accelerated and bioreactor-based petroleum waste degradation processes have been implemented. Biofilters capable of removing and biodegrading volatile petroleum contaminants in air streams with short substrate-microbe contact times (<60 s) are being used effectively. Microbes are being injected into partially spent petroleum reservoirs to enhance oil recovery. However, these microbial processes have not exhibited consistent and effective performance, primarily because of our inability to control conditions in the subsurface environment. Microbes may be exploited to break stable oilfield emulsions to produce pipeline quality oil. There is interest in replacing physical oil desulfurization processes with biodesulfurization methods through promotion of selective sulfur removal without degradation of associated carbon moieties. However, since microbes require an environment containing some water, a two-phase oil-water system must be established to optimize contact between the microbes and the hydrocarbon, and such an emulsion is not easily created with viscous crude oil. This challenge may be circumvented by application of the technology to more refined gasoline and diesel substrates, where aqueous-hydrocarbon emulsions are more easily generated. Molecular approaches are being used to broaden the substrate specificity and increase the rates and extents of desulfurization. Bacterial processes are being commercialized for removal of H2S and sulfoxides from petrochemical waste streams. Microbes also have potential for use in removal of nitrogen from crude oil leading to reduced nitric oxide emissions provided that technical problems similar to those experienced in biodesulfurization can be solved. Enzymes are being exploited to produce added-value products from petroleum substrates, and bacterial biosensors are being used to analyze petroleum-contaminated environments

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“…The maximum concentration of nutrients in PWS is less than 0.4 mg N/L (Eslinger et al 2001;Bragg et al 1994;Boufadel et al 2010;Sharifi et al 2010), an order of magnitude lower than the concentration needed for maximum microbial growth, which ranges from 2 (sometimes 5) to 10 mg N/L (Lewis et al 1995;Venosa et al 1996;Boufadel et al 1999;Wrenn et al 2006). In addition, Li and Boufadel (2010) reported also low concentration of oxygen at oiled pits.…”

Section: Subsurface Persistence Of the Exxon Valdez Oilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beach geomorphic factors for the persistence of subsurface oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska

Xia

Boufadel

2011

Environ Monit Assess

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Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill persists in some of the Prince William Sound (Alaska) beaches and continues to be a potential threat to the fauna. This paper reports a field investigation during the summer of 2008 of groundwater flow and solute transport in a tidal gravel beach in Smith Island, Prince William Sound. The beach contains oil on one side, the left side (facing landward). Field measurements of water table, salinity, and tracer (lithium) concentration were obtained for an approximate duration of 64 h for two transects, the oiled transect and a clean transect (the right transect). It was found that the hydraulic conductivity and the fresh groundwater recharge into the two transects were similar. It was also found that the beach slope of the mid to high tidal zone along the oiled (left) transect was ~7.4% which is considerably smaller than that of the clean (right) transect (~11.8%). This suggests a higher flushing/replenishing of the right transect with nutrients and/or oxygen, which would have enhanced biodegradation of oil on the right transect if that oil was not washed by waves. We also found that the degree of oiling at each location was inversely dependent on the armoring of the beach surface with clasts and boulders. The applied tracer concentration at the left transect was less than 2% of the source or close to the background level at all locations except a seaward well closest to the applied location, indicating that the tracer applied was diluted or washed out from the beach during the application. Thus, in situations where oil biodegradation is limited by the availability of nutrients and/or dissolved oxygen, applying the chemicals on the beach surface would most likely not enhance oil biodegradation as the applied chemicals would be greatly diluted prior to reaching the oil. Thus, deep injection of nutrients and/or dissolved oxygen is probably the only option for enhancing oil biodegradation.

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Optimal Nitrate Concentration for the Biodegradation of n-Heptadecane in a Variably-Saturated Sand Column

Cited by 54 publications

References 0 publications

Robust Hydrocarbon Degradation and Dynamics of Bacterial Communities during Nutrient-Enhanced Oil Spill Bioremediation

Robust Hydrocarbon Degradation and Dynamics of Bacterial Communities during Nutrient-Enhanced Oil Spill Bioremediation

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Beach geomorphic factors for the persistence of subsurface oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska

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