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LABORATORY STUDIES EVALUATING THE ENHANCED BIODEGRADTION OFWEATHERED CRUDE OIL COMPONENTS THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF NUTRIENTS
Citation:
Tabak, H., S. Safferman, A. Venosa, AND J. Glaser. LABORATORY STUDIES EVALUATING THE ENHANCED BIODEGRADTION OFWEATHERED CRUDE OIL COMPONENTS THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF NUTRIENTS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-90/139 (NTIS PB90264011).
Description:
Bench-scale biodegradability studies of the Alaskan weathered crudeoil were undertaken as part of the bioremediation project for theshorelines of Prince William Sound, Alaska, contaminated by theExxon oil spill. he purpose of the studies was to evaluate thecapability of the indigenous microbial consortium of the sea waterand island beach areas, to biodegrade the weathered crude oilalkane hydrocarbon and polynuclear aromatic (PAH) constituents inbatch-type respirometric reactors and shaker flask systems. Biodegradation studies incorporated the use of Inipol EAP 22 as thefertilizer nutrient source. n the respirometric studies, theunpolluted beach material in seawater was spiked with 1,000, 300,and 100 mg/L of weathered crude oil and with Inipol at 5% of oilweight was used in shaker flask studies. emperature of incubationin both studies was 15 degrees C and culture systems were incubatedin darkness. umulative oxygen uptake data, growth data and GG/MSanalysis data demonstrate almost complete utilization of the alkanehydrocarbon constituents in the presence of Inipol fertilizer andsignificant biodegradation of the PAH constituents after 6 weeks ofincubation.