Dominant species succession and oil behavior change under LSH-7′ petroleum hydrocarbon degradation bacteria and chemical dispersant in open water columns

Abstract

Abstract Recovery and/or remediation of submerged oil releases pose special challenges during all phases of emergency response because it is difficult to track and locate the subsea plume. In this study, the process of submerged oil release was realized and continually tracked for 38 days in the laboratory using simulated columns. The results indicated that LSH-7′ degradation bacteria could change the microbiological population structure of sea water, primarily reflecting the dominant species succession. Additionally, the oil under dispersant could easily promote bacterial growth. Furthermore, LSH-7′ degradation bacteria and nutrients could affect the native bacteria by promoting or restraining. To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first to report that the dispersion effect of the dispersants, the emulsification effect, and the microbial degradation of the petroleum hydrocarbon microbial degradation effect exist in a special relationship to control petroleum hydrocarbon. These findings deepen our understanding on behavior end-result and biodegradation of submerged oil.