Bp Oil Spill

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OIL-EATING BACTERIA

NAME : NUR RABIATUL ADAWIYAH BT SYED MUBARAK

MATRIC NO : E16A0190

PROGRAMME: Bachelor of Applied Science (Natural Resources)

DATE : 20TH APRIL 2017

LECTURER : DR. SUGANTHI APPALASAMY

FACULTY OF EARTH SCIENCE

PICTURE OF COLWELLIA

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PICTURE OF ALCANIVORAX BORKUMENSIS

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PICTURE OF OIL EATING MICROBE

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THE MECHANISM OF A. BORKUMENSIS DEGRADES OIL DROPLETS

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Individual puzzle pieces of DNA making up a bacterial genome. Each colour represent an individual genome and each dot depicts one pieces of DNA

REFERENCES

1. Biello. D (2006) Scientist break down oil eating microbe. Retrieved April 18, 2017 from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-break-down-oil/

2. Dombrowski. N and Baker. B. J (2016) Researcher are figuring out how bacteria can help clean up oil spills. Retrieved April 18, 2017 from

3. Genetic potential of oil eating bacteria from BP oil spill decoded. Retrived April 18, 2017 from https://news.utexas.edu/2016/05/09/potential-of-oil-eating-bacteria-from-bp-oil-spill-decoded

1. Frangoul . A ( 2016) Using bacteria to clean up oil. Retrived April 18, 2017 from http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/22/using-bacteria-to-clean-up-oil.html

Introduction

Disaster often happen and there is no way human can predict when it is going to happen. The saying hope for the best but prepare for the worst is very suitable in the context where man prepare themselves with all type of technology hoping that when disaster do occur, they are ready to clean up the mess.

Bioremediation is one of the example used to clean up the aftermath of disaster by naturally occurring or intentionally introduced microorganisms to eat and break down environmental pollutants. Example of a famous bioremediation is using a number of oil-eating bacteria to break down oil spill in the ocean such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20,2010 that happens at Gulf of Mexico.

Different type of bacteria were observed that helps in the degradation of oil such as Colwellia, Neptuniibacter and Alcanivorax. Based on microbiologist observation, they conclude that many type of bacteria may act together as a group to break down complex oil mixtures.

Colwellia is a genus of deep-sea psyhrophilic, piezophilic and obligate anaerobic bacteria from the family Colwelliaceae. This species of bacteria have an -20°C of optimal temperature and the produces cryoprotective polmeric substances. Studies that had been done shows that Colwellia that lives in deep sea plums etas on all big component of an oil spill such as benzene, ethylbnzene, toluene and xylene compounds. But despite eating all the dangerous stuff, they do not eat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or batter known as PAHs.

Alcanivorax borkumensis is another type of bacteria that has the genome that helps in breaking down oil crude in the ocean. This bacteria is has a rod shape and it is group as a gram negative bacterium. It prosper in halophilic aerobic surrounding and it is easily found in the upper layers of fresh water or marine surrounding such as Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean. This species of bacteria is hard to find in an unpolluted water because of the limited nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen.

Lastly, Neptuniibacter is a gram negative bacteria, it is a bit of halophilic, and it is an aerobic type of bacteria. This bacteria can break down sulphur. This is important because during an oil spill cleanup mission. Public uses a large number of dispersants on and under the water’s surface. Sulphur have a difficult chemical mixtures and mostly they contain carbon and sulphur. Dispersants are harmful to the marine life and having Neptuniibacter to break down can reduce it so that not many marine are affected by it.

Case study

The biggest offshore spill in US history happens in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill discharged approximately 4.2 million barrels of oil. This disaster caused a huge harm to the aquatic species and ecosystem starting from tidal marshes all the way to deep ocean floor. The rescue team uses many different ways to remove the oil such as they skimmed it from the surface, burned it and some even use dispersants to break the oil into a small droplet. The difference between this spill and the previous spill is that how fast it relatively recovered.