Team Name: OCEANITS-GW
Subject: Ecology/Environment
Grades: 9th-College
Oil-digesting Microbes on Foam
Abstract:
The current cleanup procedures of oil spills are ineffective in that they do not mediate the issue
of human and marine health. Dispersants used to break up oil spills pose a debate surrounding
their effectiveness when utilizing bio-remediation to cleanup after a minor or major oil spill. Oileating bacteria known as microbes are naturally occurring microorganisms that can bioremediate oils and other hydrocarbons, helping with the clean up of oil spills after they happen.
When dispersants are used, oil tends to sink the microbes responsible for eating away the
hydrocarbon molecules beneath the surface of the ocean. Our solution is to build a polymeric
foam transporter that acts as a carrier to hold the microbes above the surface and allow them to
easily consume pollution particles and hydrocarbons without sinking the microbes to the bottom
of the ocean.
Problem:
One of the strategies used to clean up oil spills is to spread chemical dispersants out onto the oil
slick. They then break up the oil on the ocean surface, dissolving into patches of smaller
molecules, which sink to the bottom of the ocean. Although this method has shown to work, it
partly fails because the oil that sinks to the ocean floor often stays there for hundreds of years
and can be washed up on shore. This has been evident from another spill, Exxon Valdez Spill,
that took place in March 23, 1989. To this day, there still are reports of oil trickling from
underwater “burials” (oil buried in the ocean sediment) to the shoreline (Lovgren 1). There is
also an immediate concern that dispersants are dangerous to the health of marine life habitats.
Background:
An oil spill can be anything from a petroleum spill from vessels or damaged pipelines to storage
tank leaks or illegal dumping that contaminate groundwater and streams. In fact, the EPA has
reported over 150 confirmed releases every week from 2000 to 2009 (“Carpenter Paper” 2).
Many groups of bacteria such as Alcanivorax borkumensis (A. borkumensis), a naturally
occurring oil-consuming species of microbes, are essential to keeping not only the inhabitants of
the ocean in good health, but humans near coastal regions as well. In places where they are
naturally found such as seawater environments, A. borkumensis species become highly prevalent
when dealing with natural and environmental disasters such as oil leakages and spills. These
natural organisms are cultivated in most oceans around the world. For the most part, the A.
borkumensis species only become active when oil spills or leakages occur. They consume the oil,
breaking down hydrocarbons or organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon. A
disadvantage of the bio-degradation process of oils by the microbes is that most oil spills are in
the form of crude oil. Crude Oil is a heavy mixture of hydrocarbons that lacks the basic
nutrients--Phosphorus and Nitrogen--required for the quicker and easier breaking down of oils
for consumption by other organisms. In addition to the lack of the appropriate nutrients, the
weight of crude causes microbes to sink to the bottom of the ocean too early. This, in turn,
lessens the effectiveness of the oil-eating microbes when they begin to bio-degrade the oil
molecules. Chemical-dispersant solvents such as Corexit, which was used in the BP Gulf oil
spill, are used to break the oil into smaller droplets so that consuming the oil becomes simpler.
This speeds up the oil-degradation process from years to months. The chemical dispersants also
stimulate microbial bacteria growth. Regrettably, the chemicals used in dispersants have been
found to be ‘as dangerous as oil’. These chemicals have been reported to still linger even after
several months of remaining dormant. Such observations contradict previous claims by the EPA
and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that stated, “Dispersants are
generally less toxic than oil; they reduce risks to shorelines, and degrade quickly over several
days to weeks.” (Dempsey 3). Because the toxicity of the components of chemical dispersants
like Corexit is dangerous and unnatural, it is no surprise that bacteria in the Gulf are not too
accustomed to this man-made chemical. Dr. Liz Kujawinski, a chemist at the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution, has noted that since these Gulf microbes have never encountered a
man-made chemical before, they are not eating the dispersant; hence the oil is dissolving while
the dispersant is being left behind. The aquatic toxicology of oil dispersants has been considered
a threat to marine ecosystems and life in that it inhibits the respiratory and nervous systems of
marine animals and plants. Therefore, it is necessary to find an alternative method to cleaning up
oil disasters; one that is fast but also not as harmful to the aquatic ecosystems present in the
region of the disaster.
Objective:
To determine how much oil can be absorbed using a foam carrier by helping and speeding up the
bio-remediation process in an efficient and effective manner.
Hypothesis:
Microbes and other oil-eating bacteria can effectively and safely consume hydrocarbon
molecules in a polyethylene foam carrier because they will not sink below the ocean surface and
the carrier is biodegradable.
Materials & Methods:
This invention makes use of a multi-layer polyethylene foam carrier for the purpose of speeding
up bioremediation and cleaning up oil pollutants in fresh and salt-water sources. We modified a
previous idea that has been patented in 2003 (US7166221), and have since changed and
improved upon this idea to fit current standards and technology following the Deepwater
Horizon BP Oil Spill. The multi-layer polyethylene foam carrier will act as a “flotation device”
for the purposes of degrading oil above the ocean surface using specially made HTP microbe
tablets. HTP is a bioremedial oil-encapsulator that contains the naturally occurring bacterium, A.
Borkumensis, as well as other nutrients that are non-toxic. Each layer is made to be ASTM D5511 biodegradable and will utilize NomaGreen’s Polyethylene foam technology. Because of
this, each layer will also be coated with the aerobic bacterium, Sphingomonas, that will
eventually help in the degrading of the polyethylene; a duration of a few months. Inside the
center of the carrier, a small indention will be made where the HTP microbe tablet will be
placed. We will utilize bentonite clay material to hold the oil and pollution-digesting microbes in
place on the supporting open-cell, low-density, polyethylene foam. The flotation carrier will
prevent the HTP microbes from sinking beneath the ocean surface. A diagram depicting this
foam carrier can be seen in figure 1. Nevertheless, they are then exposed to pollutants where they
are digested and decomposed via the natural decomposition of microbes as seen in figure 3. The
structure of the carrier and the absorbency of the bentonite clay will make the pollutants attracted
to the HTP microbe tablet within the carrier. Because of the use of biodegradable and already
consumer-made materials, the cost of manufacturing these foam carriers is low and maintenance
is minimal. To combat marine animals entering the oil-spill site, a fishnet mesh will enclose the
entire area of contamination beneath the surface of the ocean, subsidized by weight. This will
contain the carrier and the oil-contamination without interference. In figure 1 of the illustration
below, the carrier is shown with the net in place, held down by weights beneath the ocean
surface. Figure 2 displays a more intricate illustration of the layering. The first layer of the
polyethylene foam is placed in contact with the ocean surface. On top of it is the HTP Microbe
tablet that is enclosed by bentonite clay. The second layer of foam separates the clay from the
HTP powder to prevent unwanted material from passing through. The third layer seals the entire
carrier so that no relevant material for the process is lost. This project is expected to be
implemented in the Gulf of Mexico, due to the recent events of the terrible oil-spill. Iris Cross, an
employee who works for the BP Community Outreach mentions that BP still continues with its
efforts to clean up the disastrous oil spill. BP has also provided $500 million to independent
research that can be carried out by independent scientists for a total of 10 years.
Diagrams and Illustrations
Fig. 1 & 2. Figure 1 shows an illustration of the proposed carrier in the ocean. Figure 2 outlines in depth the
structure and materials of the foam carrier.
Fig. 3. A mineral clay bentonite tablet with a microbe tablet center and polyethylene foam carrier substance
that is floating on the surface (above the oil) of the ocean. The oil pollutants are being pulled into the foam
carrier to the center mineral clay tablet.
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