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CE 521 Environmental Biotechnology

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Term Paper Abstracts (Fall 2001):

THE ROLE OF MICROORGANISMS IN THE BIODEGRADATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

Carrie Bressler

            The role of microorganisms in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons has been investigated extensively due to the 5-10 million tons of petroleum that is released into the environment every year.  Bioremediation is an attractive alternative to the relatively ineffective physical cleanup methods that are commonly used.  Since biodegradation is naturally a very slow process, much research has been done to attempt to increase the rate of biological hydrocarbon degradation.  Some promising methods include the supplementation of limiting nutrients, the use of chemical and biosurfactants, the supplementation of oxygen through air sparging, and the use of genetically modified organisms as a biosupplement.  Each oil spill presents its own challenges since environmental conditions, oil composition and several other factors greatly affect the rate of biodegradation.  Hydrocarbon degradation has been examined in both tropical and arctic climates due to these extreme differences in environmental conditions and microbial population. While much progress has been made in the characterization and stimulation of oil spill biodegradation, there is still much work to be done in the future to determine an efficient way to quickly and safely remove hydrocarbons from aqueous environments.

 Keywords:  Biodegradation, Bioremediation, Biosurfactants, Hydrocarbon petroleum compounds, Exxon Valdez

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