title: Effects of nutrients on crude oil biodegradation in the upper intertidal zone.
abstract: To enhance biodegradation, nutrients in the form of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) were applied to oil-contaminated microcosms (3%, v/v) which simulated intertidal environmental systems. Although nutrient concentrations in the interstitial water were not proportional to those in amended SRF, microbial activity, growth of oil-degrading microorganisms, and oil-degradation rate were closely related to the concentration of nutrients in the interstitial water. Adding nutrients at higher dose (microcosm I, 144.4 mg C/kg sand/day, versus microcosm II, 8.5 mg C/kg sand/day) had a positive effect on oil degradation rate, which was especially obvious during the early phase of treatment. Use of pristane, phytane, and nor-hopane as biomarkers enabled the detection of significant treatment differences in hydrocarbon biodegradation, which were not reliable enough when the data were normalized to sand mass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology, Mylongji University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005308:Fertilizers; D007700:Kinetics; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D010578:Petroleum; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons