Screening of commercial inocula for efficacy in stimulating oil biodegradation in closed laboratory system

Venosa, Albert D.; Haines, John; Nisamaneepong, Wipawan; Govind, Rakesh; Pradhan, Salil; Siddique, Belal

doi:10.1016/0304-3894(91)87012-q

Cited by 30 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Respirometry showed that P. putida was able to evolve CO 2 from unidentified metabolites of n-octylbenzene produced by the Acinetobacter sp. Many bioremediation companies offer such mixed cultures for sale to cope with environmental pollution (342), but third-party testing of such products has not proven them to be more effective than autochthonous microbial communities once additional nutrients and sorbents are removed (611,638). Standard assay procedures with simple consortia are being developed for Environment Canada (199,198) and the U.S. Evironmental Protection Agency (232) in order to test such products.…”

Section: Culture-based Methodsmentioning

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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Section: Culture-based Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Hamme¹,

Singh

Ward

2003

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,201

640

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Sterile controls in shaker flask efficacy tests of commercial products containing microbial inocula demonstrated that indigenous oil-degrading populations performed most, if not all, of the biodegradative activity [20,21]. Any positive effects of the products, above that of nutrient addition, were attributed to a cometabolite or some other unknown factor present fortuitously within the product.…”

Section: Bioaugmentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioremediation of Oil on Shoreline Environments: Development of Techniques and Guidelines

Lee

Merlin

1999

Pure and Applied Chemistry

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Over the last 20 years, the development of operational procedures to accelerate the natural biodegradation rates of oil spilled on shoreline environments has been the focus of numerous research programs. As a result, bioremediation has been demonstrated to be an effective oil spill countermeasure for use in cobble, sand beach, salt marsh, and mudflat environments. Today, studies are directed towards improving the efficacy and evaluating the ecological impacts of available bioremediation agents and/or procedures. This review describes the latest developments in bioremediation strategies and their key success factors.

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“…Current methods to assess the efficacy of commercial inocula [6] utilize controlled laboratory conditions that do not account for the role of indigenous bacteria in the degradation process. As indicated by the studies of Venosa and Haines [19], the natural microfauna may be responsible for a greater degree of degradation than that in the applied product. Concurrent testing of natural seawater that includes a bacterial load may help elucidate the actual role the product‐derived organisms play in the process.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A persistent issue regarding the use of extraneous bacteria is the extent to which the additions enhance degradation of oil over that achieved by the existing microbial community. Venosa and Haines [19] screened 11 commercial inocula for the ability to enhance biodegradation of weathered crude. All of the products caused some degree of oil degradation, with removal of alkanes ranging between approximately 40 and 70% over 20 d. However, none substantially enhanced degradation over that caused by hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria present in the seawater diluent used for the study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxicity evaluation of a commercial bioremediation agent mixed with crude oil

Bidwell

Cherry

Merski³

2003

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The toxicity and efficacy of a bacteria-based commercial bioremediation agent (CBA) was assessed through bioassays with juvenile inland silverside minnows, Menidia beryllina, and flask studies of oil degradation. Addition of the CBA to weathered Alaska, USA North Slope crude oil (ANS-521) prior to testing increased toxicity of the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of the oil in both chronic (growth) and acute (mortality) toxicity tests. Time-course toxicity assessment of the water-soluble fraction of the CBA/oil combination indicated increases in effect after 7 to 14 d of mixing that coincided with elevated concentrations of both alkanes and aromatics in the WSF. Under controlled laboratory conditions, the CBA significantly enhanced degradation of the oil compared with a treatment with nutrients alone. The alkane fraction was degraded by nearly 100% over a 42-d period while the aromatic fraction was decreased by 70%. While toxicity testing is not currently required to list bioremediation agents on the product schedule of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, the potential interaction between bioremediation agents and oil should be further investigated and listing requirements reassessed as necessary. Recommendations for future investigations of this issue include characterization of temporal trends in toxicity of CBA and oil mixtures, use of multiple test methods (battery testing) when evaluating toxicity, comparative evaluations of indigenous versus product-derived microorganisms in efficacy studies, and the use of a comparable oil between studies to facilitate comparison of efficacy and toxicity data for different products.

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Screening of commercial inocula for efficacy in stimulating oil biodegradation in closed laboratory system

Cited by 30 publications

References 5 publications

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Recent Advances in Petroleum Microbiology

Bioremediation of Oil on Shoreline Environments: Development of Techniques and Guidelines

Toxicity evaluation of a commercial bioremediation agent mixed with crude oil

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