Abstract
This work aimed to develop a bioremediation product of lyophilized native bacteria to respond to marine oil spills. Three oil-degrading bacterial strains (two strains of Rhodococcus erythropolis and one Pseudomonas sp.), isolated from the NW Portuguese coast, were selected for lyophilization after biomass growth optimization (tested with alternative carbon sources). Results indicated that the bacterial strains remained viable after the lyophilization process, without losing their biodegradation potential. The biomass/petroleum ratio was optimized, and the bioremediation efficiency of the lyophilized bacterial consortium was tested in microcosms with natural seawater and petroleum. An acceleration of the natural oil degradation process was observed, with an increased abundance of oil-degraders after 24 h, an emulsion of the oil/water layer after 7 days, and an increased removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (47%) after 15 days. This study provides an insight into the formulation and optimization of lyophilized bacterial agents for application in autochthonous oil bioremediation.
Highlights
Laboratory growth optimization tests were initially conducted for each bacterial strain using carbon sources alternative to hydrocarbons, namely sodium acetate, glycerol, glucose and peptone
By choosing to apply microorganisms dationinprocess can be enhanced when complemented withcan biostimulation the bioremediation of an oil spill, the degradation performance be enhanced, asand bioaugthese microorganisms, alreadyby adapted to theto environment, will be able to compete with mentation
There are several studies reporting the potential of croorganisms, already adapted to the environment, will be able to compete with the natural autochthonous bioaugmentation for bioremediation of hydrocarbons in microcosms community without disclosing the unknown consequences associated to the input of exoge[4,20,43,44] and mesocosms experiments
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Hydrocarbon pollution resulting from anthropogenic activities threatens our marine ecosystems, whether by acute events of contamination, such as oil spills, or by chronic contamination. Mass-scale oil spills have high media coverage and are extremely dangerous to the environment, pressuring governments and agencies to act fast to contain and tackle the spillage. A faster response might not be the most environmental-friendly or effective approach [1], as illustrated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, where chemical dispersants were applied on a large scale to disperse the oil, harming the wildlife [2,3]
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