Compounds In Fuel Oil Research Articles

Fuel oil hydrocarbons in Mytilus edulis in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts USA: Comparison of data from two oil spills

A small No. 2 fuel oil spill contaminated a Mytilus edulis population in the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, USA during a three day period in April 1983. Retention and release of the fuel oil compounds were assessed over several days and months. Compounds analyzed included n-alkanes, pristane, phytane, C2 -, C3 –naphthalenes, flourene, phenanthrene, C1-, C2-, C3 – phenanthrenes. Biological half-lives were calculated for the release of the compounds up to day 29 and ranged from 1.5 days to 9.9 days. Results compared favorably with similar data from a small No. 2 fuel oil spill contaminating the same population of Mytilus edulis at the same time of year, April 1978. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses of C2-, and C3- phenanthrenes documented changes in relative abundance within the isomer groupings after day 29. This suggests a within isomer grouping molecular structural control on release or enzymatic catalyzed alteration of these compounds.

Degradation of Bunker C Fuel Oil by White-Rot Fungi in Sawdust Cultures Suggests Potential Applications in Bioremediation.

Fungal lignocellulolytic enzymes are promising agents for oxidizing pollutants. This study investigated degradation of Number 6 “Bunker C” fuel oil compounds by the white-rot fungi Irpex lacteus, Trichaptum biforme, Phlebia radiata, Trametes versicolor, and Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes). Averaging across all studied species, 98.1%, 48.6%, and 76.4% of the initial Bunker C C10 alkane, C14 alkane, and phenanthrene, respectively were degraded after 180 days of fungal growth on pine media. This study also investigated whether Bunker C oil induces changes in gene expression in the white-rot fungus Punctularia strigosozonata, for which a complete reference genome is available. After 20 days of growth, a monokaryon P. strigosozonata strain degraded 99% of the initial C10 alkane in both pine and aspen media but did not affect the amounts of the C14 alkane or phenanthrene. Differential gene expression analysis identified 119 genes with ≥ log2(2-fold) greater expression in one or more treatment comparisons. Six genes were significantly upregulated in media containing oil; these genes included three enzymes with potential roles in xenobiotic biotransformation. Carbohydrate metabolism genes showing differential expression significantly accumulated transcripts on aspen vs. pine substrates, perhaps reflecting white-rot adaptations to growth on hardwood substrates. The mechanisms by which P. strigosozonata may degrade complex oil compounds remain obscure, but degradation results of the 180-day cultures suggest that diverse white-rot fungi have promise for bioremediation of petroleum fuels.

The West Falmouth oil spill after 20 years: Fate of fuel oil compounds and effects on animals

The barge Florida spilled No. 2 fuel oil into Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts on 29 September 1969. Sediments from five of the original stations were sampled in August 1989 and analysed for fuel oil hydrocarbons. Two subtidal and one intertidal marsh station showed no evidence of fuel oil. One subtidal mud core had traces of biodegraded fuel oil at 10–15 cm. One marsh core contained 10 −6 g g −1 dry wt of weathered and biodegraded fuel oil aromatic hydrocarbons and cycloalkanes at 5–10 cm with lesser concentrations at 0–5 and 10–15 cm. Although present in trace concentrations, these hydrocarbons appear to be slightly inducing cytochrome P4501A in marsh fish ( Fundulus heteroclitus).

Accumulation and retention of no. 2 fuel oil compounds in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus rathbun

In order to determine if blue crabs ( Callinectes sapidus) can bioaccumulate and retain complex mixtures of petroleum hydrocarbons, adult crabs were exposed for 14 days or 30–35 days in continuous flow-through seawater systems to three sublethal concentrations, nominally 0·00 (control), 0·01, or 1·0 ppm (mg/liter), of the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of No. 2 fuel oil. Crabs exposed for 14 days were subsequently exposed to clean running seawater for 7 days whereas crabs exposed for 30–35 days, were placed into clean running seawater for a 30 day ‘depuration’ period. Gill, hepatopancreas, and muscle tissue samples were collected from control, WAF exposed, and ‘depurated’ crabs and analyzed by gas chromatography and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Number 2 fuel oil compounds were not detected in any of the tissues collected from control crabs. Trace amounts of fuel oil compounds were detected in gill and hepatopancreas tissues collected from crabs exposed to the 0·01 ppm WAF and no fuel oil compounds were detected in muscle tissues. All tissues of crabs exposed to the 1·0 ppm WAF accumulated No. 2 fuel oil compounds and considerable amounts remained in hepatopancreas and gill tissues following depuration for 30 days in clean seawater.

No. 2 fuel oil compounds in Mytilus edulis

Mytilus edulis contaminated by a brief 2-d exposure to a slick from a No. 2 fuel oil spill in the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, USA were sampled six times during an 86-d post-spill period to study the rate of release of fuel oil compounds under field conditions. Detailed measurements of compounds by high resolution glass capillary gas chromatography and quantitative glass capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer systems analyses provided a more comprehensive examination of release rates of different types of compounds. Biological half-lives were calculated for selected compounds for the first 21 d during which the release rates were exponential. Typical half-lives were n-alkanes, 0.2–0.8 d; pristane, 1.5 d; C-2 (dimethyl or ethyl) napthalenes, 0.9 d; methyl phenanthrenes, 1.7 d. Changes in relative ratios of C-2 phenanthrenes during the release period were observed. The evidence available to date strongly supports the role of molecular weight and accompanying properties of water solubility as the main controlling factors in the rate of release of fuel oil compounds by M. edulis. However, the data for the rapid release of n-alkanes and C-2 phenanthrenes also indicate molecular type and molecular configuration as additional key factors. The data from this study are compared and contrasted to data from short term experimental studies in the laboratory, longer term studies from chronic exposure conditions, and data from two other oil spills with longer term exposure.