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Degradation and mineralization of petroleum in sea water: Limitation by nitrogen and phosphorous
Author(s) -
Atlas Ronald M.,
Bartha Richard
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260140304
Subject(s) - mineralization (soil science) , biodegradation , petroleum , environmental chemistry , chemistry , nitrate , nitrogen , seawater , nitrogen cycle , phosphate , microbial biodegradation , degradation (telecommunications) , microorganism , environmental science , geology , bacteria , oceanography , organic chemistry , telecommunications , paleontology , computer science
Biodegradation and mineralization of petroleum, added at 1% (v/v) to freshly collected sea water, were measured using gas–liquid chromatographic, residual weight, and CO 2 ‐evolution techniques. Only 3% of the added petroleum was biodegraded and 1% was mineralized in unamended sea water after 18 days of incubation. Added individually, nitrate (10 −2 M ) or phosphate (3.5 × 10 −4 M ) supplements caused little improvement, but when added in combination, they increased petroleum biodegradation and mineralization to 70% and 42%, respectively. Attempts to clean up oil spills with the aid of microorganisms should take into consideration the nutritional deficiencies of sea water.