1. Bioremediation of an experimental oil spill on the shoreline of Delaware Bay
- Author
-
Venosa, Albert D., Suidan, Makram T., Wrenn, Brian A., Strohmeier, Kevin L., Haines, John R., Eberhart, B. Loye, King, Dennis, and Holder, Edith
- Subjects
Delaware Bay -- Environmental aspects ,Bioremediation -- Research ,Oil spills -- Environmental aspects ,Environmental issues ,Science and technology - Abstract
An experimental oil spill on the shoreline of Delaware Bay was conducted to determine if bioremediation with inorganic mineral nutrients and/or microbial inoculation enhanced the removal of crude oil contaminating a sandy beach and to calculate intrinsic and enhanced biodegradation rates. It was noted that significant hydrocarbon biodegradation occurred in untreated plots. Significant differences were observed in the biodegradation rates of total alkane and total aromatic hydrocarbons between treated and untreated plots. There were no significant differences between plots treated with nutrients alone and plots treated with nutrients and the indigenous inoculum. First-order rate constants for the disappearance of alkanes and PAHs showed loss patterns typical of biodegradation.
- Published
- 1996