Microbial degradation of four dispersed crude oils by Rhodococcus sp. evaluated using carbon stable isotope analysis

BACKGROUND The high frequency and wide distribution of oil spills pose serious threats to the marine environmental ecosystem and human health. Microbial degradation is considered to be the most applicable means to process oil spills. Carbon isotope fractionation was employed as a crucial tool for ev...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical technology and biotechnology (1986) 2019-06, Vol.94 (6), p.1800-1807
Main Authors: Pi, Yongrui, Chen, Bing, Bao, Mutai, Zhang, Baiyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkanes
Biodegradation
Carbon
carbon isotope fractionation
Carbon isotopes
Chromatography
Correlation coefficient
Correlation coefficients
Crude oil
Dispersants
dispersed crude oil
Dispersion
Environmental degradation
Fractionation
Gas chromatography
Isotope fractionation
Isotope ratios
Isotopes
Marine ecosystems
Marine environment
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Mathematical analysis
Microbial degradation
Microorganisms
n‐alkanes
Oil spills
Organic chemistry
Rayleigh equations
Rhodococcus
Scientific imaging
Spectroscopy
Stable isotopes
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Summary:BACKGROUND The high frequency and wide distribution of oil spills pose serious threats to the marine environmental ecosystem and human health. Microbial degradation is considered to be the most applicable means to process oil spills. Carbon isotope fractionation was employed as a crucial tool for evaluating the biodegradation of four crude oils by Rhodococcus sp. with Corexit 9500A as oil dispersant. RESULTS Following biodegradation, carbon isotope fractionation of n‐alkanes in four dispersed crude oil samples was measured by gas chromatography–isotope ratio mass spectrometry. A relationship between the carbon isotope ratios and residual concentrations of n‐alkanes was established based upon the Rayleigh equation, with a correlation coefficient, R2, ranging from 0.67 to 0.83. The carbon isotope enrichment factors for n‐alkanes of the four crude oil samples tended to be 0.04–0.25‰ in the residuals. The biodegradation level of n‐alkanes calculated from the Rayleigh equation agreed with the biodegradation results analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. CONCLUSIONS The degree of microbial degradation was positively correlated to the carbon isotope fractionation in n‐alkanes. Compound‐specific stable isotope analysis is capable of quantifying the biodegradation level of crude oil or oil spills. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
ISSN:0268-2575
1097-4660
DOI:10.1002/jctb.5945