Bioremediation effects on steranes: Examples from the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Conference · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:370433

Moldowan, J M; Ekuan, A; Dahl, J ^[1]

---

1. Stanford Univ., CA (United States); and others

Six samples of severely biodegraded oil residues were selected from a survey of 91 oil residues and tars in the area of Prince William Sound, Alaska. These samples were collected over a period from 1990 to 1994 following the 1989 spill of North Slope crude oil from the supertanker Exxon Valdez (EV). The six samples were among 28 that were shown to have been residues of the EV spill by carbon isotopes and biomarkers. These samples had correlating trends in the depletion of their C{sub 27} steranes, diasteranes and monoaromatic steroids compared with the sum of C{sub 27} + C{sub 28} + C{sub 29} homologues of these steroids, respectively. They also showed relative depletion of C{sub 26} triaromatic steroids compared with the C{sub 27} + C{sub 28} homologues. Losses of diasteranes, monoaromatic and triaromatic steroids prior to extensive depletion of the entire suite of steranes and hopanes have not been observed in reservoired biodegraded oils or seep oils, but have been observed in the analysis of land-farmed refinery wastes. These data suggest an operative mechanism during bioremediation at the surface, in which the sterane side-chain structure is the primary factor influencing relative steroid biodegradation rates, rather than the structure of the steroid ring system.

• OSTI ID: 370433
• Report Number(s): CONF-960376--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
ALASKA
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
CARBON ISOTOPES
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
OIL SPILLS
PETROLEUM
REMEDIAL ACTION
RESIDUES
SOILS
STEROIDS