Bacterial Community Shift And Hydrocarbon Transformation During Bioaugmentation

In part one (Influence of Crude Oil on prokaryotes) the following question will be answered; (1) which bacterial species in the Biello and Robinson articles gave off an impression of being best at separating the raw petroleum?

Bioremediation is the process in which microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, molds, and filamentous fungi are introduced into the spills. The introduction of these microorganisms assists in altering and metabolizing various chemical compounds present in oil. When the microorganisms metabolize these certain compounds it significantly reduces the time it takes for the oil biodegradation to occur.

Bioremediation is the use of bacteria, fungi, some types of transformed bacteria, and other microbes in the decomposition of garbage and breaking down of petroleum products. An example of where a transformed bacteria was used to reduce pollution is seen when scientists broke down naphthalene, an environmental pollutant found in soils that are artificially created, by using genetically altered pseudomonas fluorescents. This bacteria is stimulated to uptake the gene for fluorescence so that when it breaks down the naphthalene it produces light. The light produced depends on the amount of chemical the bacteria breaks down, allowing scientists to monitor the efficiency of the process. The Exon-Valdez oil spill is a famous example that involves the use of transformed bacteria that was genetically engineered to breakdown hydrocarbons in

On April 20, 2010 the Macondo Blowout, the largest accidental oil spill in the GoM and the second largest in the world, released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil (Atlas and Hazen 2011). This significant ecological perturbation of the sea and coastal region has led to negative impacts in local fishing, aquaculture and tourism (National Health Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (US) Gulf Ecology Division 1999; Yanez-Arancibia and Day 2004; Arreguin-Sanchez et al. 2004; Ritchie and Keller 2008). Since the occurrence of the oil spill, most studies used molecular approaches including NextGen sequencing technology to assess the diversity and metabolism of complex microbial communities in oil-contaminated environments, particularly samples collected from off-shore locations surrounding the Macondo Blowout (Evans et al. 2004; Bordenave et al. 2007; Cappello et al. 2007; Liang et al. 2007; dos Santos et al. 2011;

In the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the natural oil eating bacteria were able to curb the spreading of the oil in certain areas. Furthermore, the bacteria consumed “at least 200,000 tons of oil and natural gas that spewed into the Gulf [of Mexico] following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill”(LiveScience 1). The bacteria’s removal of 200,000 tons of oil proved incredibly effective since human efforts would have been much more costly and inefficient. These microorganisms convert the oil into fuel with nitrogen acquired from the air. Although high levels of this beneficial organism may lead to competition with other bacteria, a moderate amount with human supervision would create a natural solution to oil spills. As hefty environmental fines are placed on large oil companies such as BP and Exxon Mobile, the Environmental Protection Agency’s fund increases in large jolts, in most oil spill incidents, the company that begat the accident takes full or major responsibility and effort to restore the environment to its prior state. So where does the EPA come in? The engineered microbes have not been developed to be as efficient as the existing microbes, but the EPA can mass produce the existing microbes and deploy them into the oil battlegrounds using the fines they received. Breeding these microbes are fairly simple and cost-effective for all they require is a constant supply of nutrients and they will rapidly multiply. As a natural way of consuming toxic petroleum, oil eating bacteria are an economical and non-lethal antidote for the

In this paper I will be discussing the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on microbes in different locations of the Gulf Coast. A study done by Lamendella et al. (2012) investigated the effect of the oil on samples of microbes collected from a beach that was heavily impacted by the spill. Another investigation took a look at microbes on surface sediment samples from 64 different sites (Mason et al., 2014). A third study researched the past, present, and possible future responses of microbial communities, and how they have evolved to adapt to oil that was failed to be removed (Kimes et al., 2014).

The oil and refined products are a mixture of various hydrocarbons and other compounds whose physical and chemical properties vary; during an oil spill, the composite determines the behavior and impact on the environmental elements such as physical, biological, ecosystem, and the economical impact. During this Case Study I will continue to discuss the characteristics of each affected ecosystem including organisms commonly found in the Deepwater Horizon Spill affected area, potential threats based on their relative location to the spill, and the economic impact of damages in these communities.

Much of what was consumed were the natural gas components- methane, ethane, butane, propane, and pentane. Tar-like hydrocarbons, such as the aforementioned tarballs, are too big for microbes to digest. A lot of what was discharged has settled into the seabed, where soil microbial activity may be continuing to break the hydrocarbons down. Nutrients regulated the biodegradation at the spill, which may be why so much of oil had sedimented

During use, new oil picks up toxic chemicals, carcinogenic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals which harm the environment and public health when used oil is disposed of improperly. One pint of oil can produce a slick covering approximately one acre of water. Used oil in waterways threatens fish, waterfowl, insects and aquatic life. In salt water, oil kills the microscopic plankton and algae that form the base of the marine food web. Very small amounts of oil spilled in the habitat of fish and shellfish can contaminate their flavor. Used oil seeps through landfills and soils to contaminate groundwater supplies. One quart of oil can foul the taste and purity of 250,000 gallons of water. Used oil applied to roads as a dust suppressant causes water

Bioremediation was a major approach in removing the oil following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the spill most known for the considerable impact it had on the wildlife of Alaska and the extensive repair measures that followed. The world production of crude oil is more than three billion tons per year, and nearly half of this is transported by sea. Consequently, the international transport of petroleum by tankers is frequent. Bioremediation is the use of microbes, or naturally occurring organisms, to break down harmful pollutants. The bioremediation process was proven to be the most effective due to the microorganism’s ability to degrade the hydrocarbons found in oil. Microbes capable of degrading oil are primarily bacteria or fungi and basically

For instance, Rufe, who is a scientist, states that we have not developed an approach that can clean more than 3 to 5 percent of the spilled oil” (Mufson, 2012). Furthermore, In the Gulf of Mexico, although 205.8 million gallons of oil have been spilled, just 51.8 million gallons have been collected, which equals approximately 25 percent. Moreover, in order to clean the Gulf from the oil spills almost 2 million gallons of toxic dispersants were used. Unfortunately, the toxic dispersants did not truly purify the spilled oil, but fractured them into tinier particles. As a consequence, that may make the oil more harmful for some ocean animals and plants ( A Center for Biological Diversity Report, 2008). However, with the increasing of offshore oil drilling accidents, and with no solution to solve the problem efficiently. The hazardous impact is not going to affect only on animals and plants. It might affect people who depend on the polluted area for food, ecological enrichment, and entertainment ( A Center for Biological Diversity Report,

In this essay, I will be answering two questions; How do prokaryotic organisms differ from eukaryotic organisms in their ability to clean up crude oil in marine environments? What were some of the challenges these scientists faced when figuring out how microbes could clean up the Horizon Oil Spill, and whether these microbes would can restore the natural balance afterwards?

The oil also has a physical and physiological effect including irritation, inflammation, or necrosis of the skin, chemical burns, ingestion of oil/dispersants can lead to inflammation, ulcers, bleeding, as well as possible damage to liver, kidneys, and brain tissue. It can also cause disfunction of the immune and reproductive system. The wildlife can become physiologically stressed, their physical condition will ultimately decline, and some may even die. The oil spill has additionally had an extensive effect on the ecosystem as a whole. An ecosystem can be defined as a biological environment consisting of all the organism living in a particular area, as well as the non-living physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact. Experts predict that the ecosystem could require years or even decades to fully recover since there is a chance of biomagnification. Biomagnification occurs once a PBT(Persistent Bioaccumalative substances) have piled up in one part of the ecosystem the substance becomes concentrated from one link in the food web to the next. It can affect entire populations and threaten biodiversity in “insidious, sub-lethal” ways. In addition to the possibility of biomagnification the oil causes

During the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, millions of gallons of oil were dispersed in the Gulf of Mexico in the same area known as the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone. The hypoxic zone along the Gulf Coast contains less than the normal amount of dissolved oxygen, at two parts per million. The little to no oxygen is theorized to be caused by excess nutrients from the Mississippi River along with the stratification of the Gulf waters. The excess nutrients create a growth of primary consumers and when decomposing at the bottom, uses the oxygen. The layering of the water does not allow for the water to mix the top and bottom layers, leaving a lack of oxygen at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone and an oxygen-plenty top layer. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the petroleum, generally accepted to have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, and are mainly from anthropogenic sources and are considered environmental pollutants. The nonpolar organic molecular are insoluble in the water, and are considered to be of utmost importance in terms of environmental hazards. The combination of the burning of petroleum on the top of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone created a deadly effect, as evidenced by the several deaths of animals and an unbalanced food web as secondary and tertiary consumers died

Environmental biotechnology includes the fields of bioremediation (cleaning up environments that have been contaminated), pollution abatement (reducing and eliminating air, water, and other pollution sources as a result of existing industrial technology), and continuing to make chemicals and biofuels that are renewable and green. Because bioremediation is inexpensive and can provide the proper environment and nutrients for the prokaryotic organisms that are used, the technology has been widely explored to clean up heavy metals (lead mercury, selenium, etc.), nuclear waste, and oil. In order for the bioremediation treatment to be effective, environmental engineers must be able to maintain favorable conditions for prokaryotic growth, usually by keeping the environment moist and full of oxygen. When conditions may be difficult to maintain, the microorganisms may be “seeded” by