Bioremediation: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

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.

The study conducted by Kadali et al. examined a range of hydrocarbons contained in crude oil and determined the key hydrocarbon degrading bacteria in each constituent. These types of studies are crucial to the process of improving the efficacy of bioremediation whilst limiting the alteration of native microbial communities. The importance of maintaining native biodiversity is underscored by a 2012 study by Dell’Anno et al. titled “High bacterial biodiversity increases degradation performance of hydrocarbons during bioremediation of contaminated harbor marine sediments”. This study demonstrates that “biodegradation effiencies of hydrocarbons were significantly and positively related with bacterial richness and evenness” (Dell’Anno et al., 2012).

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.

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

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

“On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well drilling platform started the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history, releasing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico” (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d., para.1). This tragedy didn’t only have a devastating impact on the environment; eleven personnel assigned to the Deepwater Horizon Macondo rig lost their lives, either in the initial oil well explosion or the subsequent fires that resulted. The environmental impact of this disaster may affect the gulf states ecosystems/wildlife (Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and Florida) for generations to come.

The first solution, bioremediation, is the most prominent and promising new innovation accessible to clean the oil spills, which possibly could uproot the oil in an innocuous way, from even the most obstinate and untidy situations, where it has sunk into shorelines and mangrove bogs, and even in submerged oil crest. Some naturally occurring microbes that process crude oil are known to exist in the ocean (“PROOYEN”). Be that as it may, the measure of oil spouting into the sea as a consequence of the BP oil spill is much

Despite the positive development of oil and gas industry in this last decade, there is something more valuable have been put on the line. The environment needs to pay for every single mistake made by the human. One of the greatest mistakes in humankind history is an oceanic oil spill. It has become a major environmental problem that the world is facing right now. History has shown how this problem could go. From the first major commercial spill of 1967 in the United Kingdom, up to the most recent one, at BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, that leaked thousands barrel of oil into the Gulf of Mexico since April 2010. Most large-scale oil spills have been disastrous and the marine wildlife is still recovering. Hence, the tension for a better cleanup technology increases.

Marine oil spills have short and long term effects on marine life and habitats. The short term effects are well known and predictable so they can be dealt with. Long term effects are known as ‘sub-lethal.’ A short term effect is something that can be dealt with in a short period of time. In terms of sandy shorelines, this includes using modern and natural cleaning methods to clean the oily contamination from the sand. Long term affects, on the other hand, are the opposite and include the left over oil that might be too deep in the sediment. This oil can be ingested or absorbed in some way by organisms such as crabs and reptiles.

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

Over 8000 animals were reported dead 6 months after the spill, including many that were on the endangered species list (7). Subsequently, seafood prices increased affecting restaurants and supermarkets. People abstained from going to beaches covered in oil, water sports and other aquatic attractions which meant that all organisations involved in tourism such as hotels, tour operators, restaurants and boat rental companies were affected (1). Furthermore, the method of cleaning up the oil by “in-situ burning” (burning oil in a contained area on the surface of the water), had adverse effects on the environment as the burning off of the oil led to mutations and increased mortality due to pollution.

Introduction: After the oil spills, we do not just leave it there to be encompassed around the world. (Add a “transitioning sentence here to the next sentence)To clean up the oil spill, there are many techniques in practice today such as situ burning– where they burn the oil or they may use a process that contains the oil and then vacuum it off the surface of the water. However, all of these processes take a long time to do and by the time before anyone could service the control of the oil spill, the oil has already spread many miles across the ocean making the problem even more difficult to contain. Also, processes like situ burning release toxic fumes into the atmosphere making CO2 emissions in the water start to skyrocket. Fortunately, there is a better, cheaper, and more efficient way of cleaning up oil spills that should be implemented immediately. By using waste hair from humans or animals that come from salons, barbers, groomers, etc., this hair will be weaved into mats and can be used to clean up oil spills. Our hair naturally absorbs oil which is why our hair is always oily all the time. (Explain how our sweat glands react with our hair) Then, once the hair has performed in soaking up the oil, this hair is biodegradable. All you have to do is put some mushrooms on it, let it ferment, and you have nice rich soil full of nutrients for plants to grow. (Really Rishe?

The microorganisms used in this study were isolated from oil contaminated seawater. The yeast presented in the samples were enriched by cultivation in Wickerham broth medium (10 g glucose, 5 g peptone, 3 g yeast extract, 3 g malt extract and distilled water up to 1 L; pH 6.2), while the fungal strains were enriched in Sabouraud dextrose broth medium (20 g glucose, 10 g peptone, 5 g yeast extract and distilled water up to 1 L; pH 5.6). Enriched cultures were incubated in an orbital shaker (150 rpm) for 48 h. After this enrichment, suspensions in physiological saline were used to inoculate duplicate modified Wickerham agar (supplemented with 100 mg/L chloramphenicol) and modified Sabouraud dextrose agar plates with yeast and fungi, respectively. All media were modified by using filtered seawater instead of distilled water to dissolve all ingredients. The plates were