Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Environmental factors related to the distribution of petroleumolytic bacteria in an industrial subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay

Conference · · Dev. Ind. Microbiol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6336741
;

Petroleumolytic bacteria capable of utilizing 20 weight motor oil (20 WT), South Louisiana Crude oil (SLC), and Bunker C fuel oil (BC) were enumerated with both silica gel petroleum (SGP) and petroleum MPN media in subsurface water samples from the Elizabeth River. This highly-stressed industrial estuary exhibited mean densities of 11, 12, and 17 colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 ml on 20 WT, SLC, and BC silica gel media, respectively, and 7025, 5422 and 9039 bacteria per 100 ml, respectively, using an MPN technique. Petroleumolytic bacteria comprised < 1% of the total viable count, regardless of the petroleum substrate or enumeration technique. The MPN technique yielded 100 to 1000 times higher densities of petroleum degraders than did the SGP technique. From statistical analyses of the data, petroleumolytic bacteria (except BC MPN counts) were inversely correlated with nitrates and nitrites and directly correlated with total, dissolved, and particulate organic carbon. Unexpectedly, SLC- and 20 WT-utilizing bacteria on SGP were correlated inversely with phosphates. The MPN counts were not correlated with phosphates. The high correlation between phosphates and organic carbon may indicate that the phosphates are organic in nature and possibly bacteriocidal. Petroleumolytic bacteria on SGP were also significantly correlated with concentrations of oils and greases in the Elizabeth River surface waters.

Research Organization:
Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA
OSTI ID:
6336741
Report Number(s):
CONF-8208164-
Journal Information:
Dev. Ind. Microbiol.; (United States), Journal Name: Dev. Ind. Microbiol.; (United States) Vol. 24; ISSN DIMCA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Enumeration of petroleum-degrading microorganisms
Journal Article · Sat Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1976 · Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7365823
Factors stimulating propagation of legionellae in cooling tower water
Journal Article · Tue Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1992 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States) · OSTI ID:7051495
Enhanced recovery of coliforms by anaerobic incubation
Technical Report · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1983 · OSTI ID:6901518

Related Subjects

520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BACTERIA
BAYS
BIODEGRADATION
CFU
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHESAPEAKE BAY
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
MICROORGANISMS
NITRATES
NITRITES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PHOSPHATES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER POLLUTION
WATER QUALITY