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Microbes That Get Rid of Oil Pollution

When oil pollution occurs, it can have devastating effects. For instance, when oil is spilled in the ocean, it can poison marine life and birds, threatening to kill or severely injure many animals and plants. However, some marine microbes take in and break down oil, essentially cleaning up an oil spill.

Bioremediation
- Bioremediation is the process of using microorganisms or other lifeforms to consume and breakdown environmental pollutants, such as oil. Many forms of bacteria occur naturally that can digest oil. Because bacteria have a fast rate of population growth and are constantly evolving, they can adapt to live off materials and chemicals that are normally poisonous to other species. In 1997, the bacterium Dehalococcoides ethenogenes was found growing on sewage at a plant. This bacteria could remove chlorine from carcinogenic materials, as well as digest pesticides.
Process
- Methane monooxygenase (MMO) is one process by which bacteria conducts bioremediation; microbes turn methane into water and harmless gases. However, in order for a microbial bioremediation of oil pollution to occur, the correct bacteria must be used in the right environment. The temperature, nutrient levels and oxygen levels must all be adequate in order for a specific bacteria to conduct bioremediation of oil or other chemical. If these conditions are not met, the microbes will not have a large enough population to deal with the oil.
Methanotrophs
- Methanotrophs are an aerobic methylotrophic bacteria that use methane for their carbon and energy source. These bacteria occur naturally and have been found in a range of environments, including soils, landfills, sediments, seawater, groundwater, peat bogs, salt reservoirs, the Antarctic and hot-springs. Methanotroph bacteria oxidize methane for a food source. In January 2011, scientists discovered that Methanotroph bacteria were responsible for digesting a large amount of the methane gas that was released at the sea floor during the 2010 Gulf oil disaster.
List of Bioremediation Bacteria
- A range of microbes exist that conduct bioremediation of oil pollution. Such microbes include actinobacteria, cyanobacteria, flavobacteria, deinococcus-thermus, thermotogae, firmicutes, staphylococcaceae and proteobacteria. These microbes live in a variety of environments, including the soil, the ocean, fresh water and hot springs. Scientists are currently studying many of these bacteria to try and find betters ways of combating oil pollution, specifically oil spills in marine environments, in the future.

Nature