CRUDE OIL DEGRADATION BY

MARINE MICROORGANISMS

Marine pollution and microbial remediation

ISA-II
MI-1414
MICROBIOLOGY
introduction
 Petroleum is a viscous liquid mixture that contains
thousands of compounds mainly consisting of carbon
and hydrogen.
 Petroleum-based products are the major source of
energy for industry and daily life.
 Release of hydrocarbons into the environment whether
accidentally or due to human activities is a main cause
of water and soil pollution.
 Soil contamination with hydrocarbons causes extensive
damage of local system since accumulation of pollutants
in animals and plant tissue may cause death or
mutations .
Composition of crude oil
 Crude oil which is a heterogeneous liquid consisting of
hydrocarbons comprised almost entirely of the elements
hydrogen and carbon in the ratio of 2:1
 It also contains elements such

as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen,

all of which constitute less than
3% (v/v).
 There are also trace constituents, comprising less
than1% (v/v), including phosphorus and heavy metals
such as vanadium and nickel.
 crude oil can be classified into four main groups of chemicals:
 the saturated hydrocarbons
 poly aromatic hydrocarbons,
 polar, non-hydrocarbon components-resins (pyridines,
quinolines,carbazoles, sulfoxides, and amides)and the
asphaltenes(phenols, fatty acids, ketones, esters,
 and porphyrins).
 Saturated hydrocarbons constitute the largest fraction of crude
oil
 Aromatic hydrocarbon and polar fractions are more toxic and
persistant
Microbial degradation of crude oil
 Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons is a complex
process that depends on the nature and on the amount of
the hydrocarbons present.
 Hydrocarbons in the environment are

biodegraded primarily by bacteria,

yeast, and fungi.
 mixed populations with overall

broad enzymatic capacities are

required to degrade complex mixtures of hydrocarbons such
as crude oil in soil, fresh water, and marine environments.
 Bacteria are the most active agents in petroleum
degradation
 Bacteria Yeast Fungi
 Achromobacter Candida Aspergillus
 Acinetobacter Cryptococcus Cladosporium
 Alcanivorax Debaryomyces Corollasporium
 Alcaligenes Hamsenula Cunninghamella
 Bacillus Pichia Dendryphiella
 Brevibacterium Rhodotorula Fusarium
 Burkholderia Saccharomyces Gliocladium
 Corynebacterium Sporobolomyces Luhworthia
 Flavobacterium Torulopsis Penicillium
 Mycobscterium Trichosporon Varicospora
 Nocardia Yarrowia Verticillium
 Pseudomonas
 Rhodococcus
 Sphingomonas
 Streptomyces
 Table 1. Crude-oil degrading microorganisms
Mechanism of degradation
 The degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons can be mediated by
specific enzyme system -oxygenases, Cytochrome P450 alkane
hydroxylases.
 attachment of microbial cells

to the substrates
 production of biosurfactants-Surfactants

enhance solubilization and

removal of contaminants.
Biodegradation is also
enhanced by surfactants due
to increased bioavailability of
pollutants. eg:Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and Rhodococcus erythropolis.
 Biosurfactants increase the oil surface area.
 Biosurfactants can act as emulsifying agents by
decreasing the surface tension and forming micelles.
The microdroplets encapsulated in the hydrophobic
microbial cell surface are taken inside and
degraded
Thus..
Aerobic degradation
Aerobic degradation of crude oil hydrocarbons with its environmental impact. Biodegradation
of n-alkanes: metabolism begins with the activity of a monooxygenase which introduces a
hydroxyl group into the aliphatic chain.
[A]-monoterminal oxidation, [B]-biterminal oxidation, [C]- subterminal oxidation; TCA
Anaerobic degradation
Remediation
 The technology commonly used for the soil
remediation-
 mechanical
 Burying
 evaporation
 dispersion
 washing
 However, these technologies are expensive and can
lead to incomplete decomposition of contaminants.
bioremediation
 The process of bioremediation, defined as the use of
microorganisms to detoxify or remove pollutants owing
to their diverse metabolic capabilities.
 cheaper than other remediation technologies.
 strategies:
 1.Nutrient enrichment (Biostimulation) eg: Exxon, and
the State of Alaska have carried out extensive nutrient
enrichment testing on beaches polluted by oil from the
Exxon Valdez, nutrient enrichment in near shore areas
off the coast of New Jersey, in Prudhoe Bay, and in
several ponds near Barrow, Alaska.
2. Seeding with naturally occurring microorganisms
(Bioaugmentation)
3. Seeding with genetically engineered
microorganisms (Bioaugmentation with GEMs)
Factors affecting crude oil degradation
in marine environment
 Oxygen availability
 Microorganisms employ oxygen-incorporating
enzymes to initiate attack on hydrocarbons.
 Nutrient availability
 nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron-rate limiting
 Eg. by adding nitrogen- and
 phosphorus-rich fertilizers to stimulate
biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons Prince
William Sound, Alaska.
 Temperature
 The temperature of most seawater is between –2 and
35⁰C
 At low temperature, the rate of hydrocarbon
metabolism by microorganisms decreases.
 lighter fractions of petroleum become less volatile,
thereby leaving the petroleum constituents that are toxic
to microbes in the water for a longer time and
depressing microbial activity.
 Petroleum also becomes more viscous at low
temperature.
 Other factors-pressure, salinity, and pH.
 REFERNCES
 Dorota Wolicka and Andrzej Borkowski (2012) Microorganisms and
Crude Oil, Introduction to Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Processes and
Bioremediation of Oil-Contaminated Sites, Dr. Laura Romero-Zerón (Ed.),
ISBN: 978-953-51-0629-6, InTech.
 Mehdi Hassanshahian and Simone Cappello (2013)Crude Oil
Biodegradation in the Marine Environments Biodegradation - Engineering
and Technology.
 Nilanjana Das and Preethy Chandran (2011)Microbial Degradation of
Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminants: An Overview Biotechnology
Research International.
 Olajire and Essien J Pet (2014) Aerobic Degradation of Petroleum
Components by Microbial Consortia Environ Biotechnol, 5:5.
 Shigeaki Harayama, Yuki Kasai and Akihiro HaraMicrobial (2004)
communities in oil-contaminated seawater Current Opinion in
Biotechnology, 15:205–214.
THANK YOU…