ROLE OF EBT ON OIL SPILLS
-Anvesh Suraboyina

OIL SPILLS

• Oilspill is discharge of oil in to the sea by the ship due to the accidents caused by human error or Natural calamity
• These spills contaminate the water bodies and had a greater impact on aquatic life

EFFECTS

• Oil spill effects on environments and habitats can be catastrophic
• They can kill plants and animals
• Disturb salinity/ph levels
• Pollute air & water
• Blocks sunlight
• Direct impact on Marine Life
• It totally affects the food chain of the Ecosystem

Biotechnologies for oilspill cleanup

• Cleaning up oil spills in marine environments ultimately relies on Microbial metabolism of HC
• This involves several processes such as Bio stimulation,Bioremediation & Bio augmentation
• BIOREMEDIATION is the use of either naturally occuring or deliberately introduced microbes to consume& break down environment pollutants,in order to clean a polluted site
• BIOSTIMULATION is modification of environment to stimulate existing bacteria capable of bioremediation
• BIOAUGMENTATION is adding actively growing, specialised microbial strains in to a microbial community in an effort to enhance the ability of microbes to degrade certain compounds resulting in improved treatment

MICROBES USED FOR CLEANUP

• These are some specific bacteria species known to participate in bioremediation
• Pseudomonas putida (GMO)
• Dechloromonas aromatica
• Deinococcus radiodurans
• Methylibium petroleiphilum
• Phanerochaete chrysosporium
• All these bacterial species degrades the pollutants that are caused by oil spills

RECENT RESEARCH

• Alcanivorax borkumensis or A.borkumensis
• This rod shaped bacteria lives in all of the world’s oceans with a special preference for oil-polluted areas, as it uses Hc molecules for food.
• This microscopic bacteria is the Most recently studied microbe by the researchers seeking for a solution for oilspill