Bioremediation of oil spills
An annotated selection of World Wide Web sites relevant to the topics inMicrobial Biotechnology
Lawrence P Wackett
Issue date 2012 May.
Microbes cleaning up Deepwater Horizon oil spill
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how‐microbes‐clean‐up‐oil‐spills
This article provides a good overview of how naturally‐occurring bacteria are ultimately the most important factor in the cleanup of oil spills. Human activity is largely to contain and to facilitate the degradation by the bacteria already present.
Microbes and oil spills: ASM
http://academy.asm.org/index.php/colloquium‐program/browse‐all‐reports/292‐faq‐microbes‐and‐oil‐spills
This report by the American Society for Microbiology is organized in the form of frequently asked questions about oil spills, and it provides answers. The answers come from a panel of scientists convened by the ASM.
How microbes manage oil spills
http://www.earthtimes.org/pollution/microbes‐manage‐oil‐spills/1280/
This site provides a brief primer on microbial degradation and oil spills.
Microbes consumed oil rapidly
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801111752.htm
In the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil disappeared more rapidly than predicted. This article discusses some of the studies investigating the underlying causes of this rapid biodegradation.
Oil spill is boon to bacteria
http://classic.the‐scientist.com/blog/display/57448/
This article emphasizes the fact that certain bacteria consume oil hydrocarbons quite readily and that oil spills cause such strains to proliferate and metabolize to greater extents.
Bacteria consuming oil at different temperatures
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003180432.htm
In the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, there was a large difference in the surface and deep water temperatures. However, there were species of psychrophilic bacteria present that were highly efficient in metabolizing hydrocarbons.
Oil spills: Microbe Wiki
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Oil_spills
This page focuses on microbiological aspects of oil spills and oil remediation.
Bioremediation for marine oil spills
http://www.fas.org/ota/reports/9109.pdf
This Congressional report on marine spills is somewhat dated, but still provides useful background information regarding oil components and microbial degradation.
Bioremediation of oil: EPA
http://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/edu/biofact.pdf
This Environmental Protection Agency factsheet provides information and references regarding oil spills.
Oil spill dispersants
http://documents.plant.wur.nl/imares/dispersants/08sintef.pdf
This brochure provides excellent overview of chemical dispersants used in oil spills.
Oil spill fight turns to chemicals
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100430‐energy‐gulf‐oil‐spill‐chemical‐dispersants/
This article discussed the large amount of chemical dispersants used in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Oil dispersants and risk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david‐ropeik/dispersants‐and‐oil‐spill_b_669814.html
This popular press article discusses the important topic of risk assessment regarding the use of chemical dispersants in oil spills. Some contend that dispersants should not be used, while others point to their ability to speed up natural oil biodegradation processes.
Oil spill dispersants: Nalco
http://www.nalco.com/applications/oil‐spill‐dispersants.htm
This site discusses how chemical dispersants work.
The basics: Oil spill dispersants
http://www.energyboom.com/emerging/basics‐oil‐spill‐dispersants
This site discusses how chemical dispersants work and how they are deployed in situations such as large oil spills.