Effects of chitin on microbial emulsification, mineralization potential, and toxicity of bunker C fuel oil.
Bunker C, one of the most frequently spilled petroleum products in the US, is difficult to remove from oiled surfaces and is relatively recalcitrant to biodegradation; therefore, emulsification and biodegradability must be optimized before bioremediation can be considered a viable treatment option. Sand from a freshly oiled beach near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was incubated at 10 degrees C with nutrients (Bushnell-Haas (BH)) or nutrients with crab shell chitin (BH-C). BH-C amendment resulted in greater numbers of bunker C emulsifiers and greater mineralization potentials for hexadecane, phenanthrene, and fluorene than with BH only. Compared to BH alone, mineralization potentials for bunker C also were higher in BH-C, with an estimated 8% of fuel oil mineralized after 6 weeks. Microbially emulsified oil was more toxic than in uninoculated controls (p < 0.05) as measured by Microtox assays. However, toxicity was significantly lower in BH-C than BH after 4 and 6 weeks incubation (p < 0.05).
Richmond
S A
SA
Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 99775, USA. ftsar@uaf.edu
Lindstrom
J E
JE
Braddock
J F
JF
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004655:Emulsions; D005648:Fuel Oils / Q000633:toxicity*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000633:toxicity*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical
D004655:Emulsions; D005648:Fuel Oils; D010578:Petroleum; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002686:Chitin