Oil Spill Bioremediation Kit
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Transcript Oil Spill Bioremediation Kit
Carolina Science Supply
The activities in this kit are intended to
simulate how oil-degrading microbes can be
used to break down petroleum after oceanic
oil spills.
The activities are NOT a direct representation
of marine oil spill bioremediation.
Carolina Item #181322
$89.25
Kit designed for a class
of 32 students
Included in the kit:
1 bottle of tetrazolium
indicator, 0.02%
▪ Chemical indicator that will
turn from clear to pink when
reduced
1 bottle of oil
1 container of Rid-X Septic
System Treatment
1 sheet of labels
64 culture tubes with caps
81 plastic pipettes
Needed, but not
supplied:
Test tube racks
At lease 64 mL of
distilled water
140 mL warm tap water
Funnel
20 x 20 Cheese cloth
Prior to the lab, the Rid-X solution needs to
be made, left to react, and then sifted.
This process can be completed the day before
the lab.
In a spill of crude oil in the ocean:
25% of the oil evaporates and becomes air
pollution
15% of the oil consists of heavy compounds which
stick together and sink to the bottom of the ocean
The remaining 60% is broken down over time into
simpler, nontoxic products by oil-degrading
microbes (microscopic living organisms) in a
process called biodegradation.
Human intervention to facilitate microbial
removal of pollutants from the environment
Three major approaches to bioremediation for the
cleanup of marine oil spills
Biostimulation
Optimizing the environment of oil-degrading
microbes to accelerate their growth and metabolic
activity
Nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron are
added to the ocean environment, much like applying
fertilizer to a lawn
Negatives
▪ Nutrients must remain in contact with the oil
▪ Concentration must remain at an optimal level for an
extended period of time.
Bioaugmentation
The process of supplementing (or “seeding”) a
population of naturally occurring, oil-degrading
microbes with additional microorganisms
Used when the existing population of microbes in a
contaminated region is not optimally suited to
degrade the type of oil present
Positives
▪ These microbes cans be easily cultivated in large quantities in
laboratories and can be stored, ready for use, for up to three
years
Genetically Engineered Microorganisms
(GEM)
Most naturally occurring microbes cannot achieve
complete degradation on its own
Scientists are creating genetically modified
microorganisms to combine requisite pathways
and enzymes in one organism in order to degrade
oil more efficiently and extensively
Relatively new approach and is undergoing
development
Lab consists of four culture tubes to be used in
two experiments
Experiment A
▪ Oil will be treated with oil-degrading microbes (experimental
condition) and without oil-degrading microbes (control
condition) in the presence of the tetrazolium chemical indicator
Experiment B
▪ Oil will be treated with oil-degrading microbes (experimental
condition) and without oil-degrading microbes (control
condition) but without the chemical indicator