Crude oil bioremediation in sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments: chemistry and toxicity of oiled residues
Pelletier, E.; Delille, D.; Delille, B. (2004). Crude oil bioremediation in sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments: chemistry and toxicity of oiled residues. Mar. Environ. Res. 57(4): 311-327. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2003.07.001
In: Marine Environmental Research. Applied Science Publishers: Barking. ISSN 0141-1136; e-ISSN 1879-0291, more
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| Author keywords |
cruoil; bioremediation; Antarctica; sediments; fertilizers; |
| Authors | | Top |
- Pelletier, E.
- Delille, D.
- Delille, B., more
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| Abstract |
The effectiveness of fertilizers for crude oil bioremediation in sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments was tested over a one-year period in a series of ten (10) experimental enclosures. Chemical, microbial and toxicological parameters demonstrated the effectiveness of various fertilizers in a pristine environment where hydrocarbon degrading bacteria (HDB) had not been stimulated by previous accidental spills or human activities. The low temperature of seawater (3-4°C) had no obvious effects on the HDB community and the bioremediation process. Over 90% of n-alkanes were degraded in the first six months and most light aromatics (2-3 rings) disappeared during the first year of observation. The toxicity of oiled residues (Microtox(R) SP) was significantly reduced in the first 6 months of the process, but it increased again in the last months of the experiment. One of the fertilizers containing fishbone compost enriched with urea, inorganic phosphorus and a lipidic surfactant reduced significantly the toxicity of oil residues in the last 3 months of the experiment. Interstitial waters collected below the oil slicks during the remediation showed no toxicity, and even stimulated Vibrio fischeri. When comparing all fertilizers to the control plots, a good correlation (r2 = 0.82) was found between the growth rate of HDB and the degradation rate of n-alkanes in the first 90 days of the experiment only indicating that fertilizers were efficient for at least 3 months but their beneficial effects were lost after 6 months. |
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