Oil and Petrochemical Pollution最新文献

Rhodotorula rubra and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to have the potential to degrade petrochemical oil sludge. As a result of treatment there was a considerable decrease in BOD, COD and the content of various hydrocarbon fractions. Gas chromatographic analysis of the saturate fraction of oil sludge samples with various times of treatment revealed the preferential utilization of higher n-alkanes as compared to lower n-alkanes.

Large differences were observed in the ability of eight Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains to adhere to liquid hydrocarbon. Four strains exhibited extremely high affinity for hexadecane, two strains were moderately adherent and two other strains exhibited low affinity for the test hydrocarbon. Adherence of A. calcoaceticus RAG-1 to hexadecane was a function of culture age and growth conditions. In general, late exponential and stationary phase cells were more adherent than exponential phase cells. A. calcoaceticus RAG-1 cells cultured on hexadecane in flasks were adherent throughout growth. In contrast, a hydrocarbon-degrading strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhered poorly to hydrocarbons, even following growth on hexadecane. Adherence of bacteria to hydrocarbons is discussed in terms of the bacterial cell surface, microbial growth on oil, and microbial contamination of surfaces.

Contamination of groundwater by leaks from underground tanks is being given increasing attention in the USA. Many governmental bodies, both Federal and State, are considering legislation that will impose stringent requirements for tank installations in order to reduce or eliminate leaks. Nearly all such requirements consider only equipment failure, and ignore that part of the problem resulting from operator failure. This paper estimates the potential for spillage into the ground, primarily of motor vehicle fuel, as a result of operator error during tank filling operations, and suggests that an immediate reduction in such spillage can be made by retrofitting existing tanks with properly designed protective devices. The advantages and disadvantages of several commercially available forms of fillpipe protection are discussed.

Kepone was found to penetrate readily into several Gram-negative bacteria, accumulating in the inner membrane. About 62% of the Kepone was found to be associated with the cytoplasmic membrane and 38% with the outer membrane of mid-exponential phase cultures of Escherichia coli K-12 growth in medium containing Kepone. Alterations in cell envelope protein composition were observed in Gram-negative bacteria grown in the presence of high concentrations of Kepone. The alteration in cell envelope protein profile was reversible. The concentration of an inner membrane protein of molecular weight 34 000 decreased four-fold in cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa K03 grown in the presence of >10 μg Kepone ml⁻¹. Ten envelope proteins of E. coli, including pore-forming OmpF and OmpC proteins, either increased or decreased in concentration when cells were grown in broth containing Kepone at 500 μg ml⁻¹. The overall protein, lipoprotein and lipopolysaccharide composition of the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope did not appear to affect susceptibility to Kepone. This study was undertaken in view of the serious nature of Kepone pollution of the James River in Virginia, USA.

The successful use of chemical dispersants for treating oilspills requires advance information of product effectiveness, such information being necessary for stock piling in contingency planning. Many existing quality tests are unrepresentative of the conditions at sea. Here, a new method of testing oilspill dispersants is described and compared with a standard Warren Spring Laboratory test for effectiveness. Results show that, although similar in its ability to rank dispersants, the Mackay test could also prove useful for observational work on dispersant/oil/water mixtures and control of mousse formation.