Biodegradation of Hydrocarbons from Crude Oil by Pseudomonas Putida

Massive cleanup efforts were initiated within a few weeks of the spill and they continued at reduced levels for the next three years. Approximately 14% of the spilled oil was recovered by cleanup crews (Newsweek, p.50). As a result of these efforts and natural weathering, little oil from the spill remained in the affected area by 1992. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration some oil residues are still found under the ocean surface in areas sheltered from wind and waves. Yet, these residues are highly weathered and the toxicity is reduced to levels tolerable by organisms in the water (7). Nonetheless, the magnitude and timing of the Exxon Valdez oil spill raised immediate concerns about possible effects on marine fish and wildlife and prospects that these effects might be long lasting.

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.

Oil spill pollution, a severe environmental problem which arouses in a marine environment or in the water bodies, has grown into an alarming scale with the increase in oil production and transportation. Causes are either accidental or due to operational failure. Henceforth, it is almost impossible for marine life not to be a victim of this vulnerable zone. Our planet has the largest oil reserves, occasionally it cracks and rarely causes a major accident. However, human interference causes a devastating damage to marine and ecosystem.

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

ioremediation refers to the use of organisms, particularly microorganisms, to transform or degrade a contaminant to make it harmless (Antizar-Ladislao 2010). One well- characterized example is the bioremediation of the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaska coast; the treatment has largely eliminated pollutants and wastes along hundreds of miles of coastline (Atlas and Hazen 2011). Currently, bioremediation is regarded as a cost-effective remediation technology potentially appropriate for large polluted areas, such as contaminated water and soil. Its potential safety and efficiency will certainly accelerate further development of the

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

Urban and rural areas need bioremediation because they have different problems. Some uses of bioremediation include cleaning up crude oil, gasoline, pesticides, and sewage. In 2010, a massive oil spill had taken place in the Gulf of Mexico which had been a massive hazard to the animals and even the humans. Cleaning up the oil was risky for humans, so the idea of using bioremediators came up. Also, TNT and other explosives can be broken down when plants are are engineered to contain certain bacterial enzymes.

It is estimated that 50-60 percent of the oil remains in the Gulf, after the use of methods such as burning and chemical dispersion. This event had some serious consequences on our marine environment, including 4,768 dead animals washed up on shore.1 These horrifying numbers have sparked interest in alternative methods for

Crude oil can be refined to produce many kinds of combustible fuels (International Agency for Research on Cancer. 1989), but when introduced to the environment it can be harmful. Some of the major ill-effects are the decrease in growth or death of some plant life and organisms. Seed germination can also be affected by the introduction of crude oil to the surrounding soil (Henner et al., 1999). When crude oil is introduced to water in high concentrations, the growth of organisms are effected in a negative way and can cause plants to stop undergoing photosynthesis and death can ensue (Pulich et al., 1974).

In this paper am going to examine the factors contributing to oil spills, and their effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This addition of phytoplankton leads to depletion of oxygen levels in water, making it hard for survival of animal and plant population in the water.  These oil spills do not only affect the marine system but also the chronic urban contamination and the economic loss. The oil spill has total effect on marine life despite the distance from the oil spill. The closer the oil spill is to the shoreline, the more damage it causes.  The effects are also felt toward the offshore and the coastal environment.

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

Oil is crucial to humans through transportation, electricity and synthetics, however, it is leaking into our water systems. Most of the world’s wildlife is living within or along oceans, rivers and lakes, and also most of the diverse amounts of marine life. Despite humans living on land, humans are dependant on our three oceans for survival. Humans depend on plankton living within oceans for providing about half of the earths oxygen, fish for food, and also shipping cargo across seas. Oil spills from tankers shipping cargo, factories and drilling for oil are a enormous issue in earths waters due to oil rigs operating along shorelines, and oil leaks. Through environmental stewardship, humans need to protect the environment through conservation, regeneration, and restoration of water and wildlife in our waterways.

Although the oil is difficult to extract there are many methods that can aid in the removal of toxic chemicals from the ocean. One method is by the use of additional chemicals in a process called, chemical remediation, or chemical oxidation. This method is primarily used when a swift clean up of the oil is necessary. Depending on the hazards the oil poses, and the location of the oil spill