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Title: Hydrocarbon degradation by antarctic bacteria

Journal Article · · National Meeting - American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry
OSTI ID:437362

Bacterial cultures obtained from sediment samples collected during a trial oil spill experiment conducted at Airport beach, Eastern Antarctica were selectively enriched for n-alkane-degrading and phenanthrenedegrading bacteria. Samples were collected from a control site and sites treated with different hydrocarbon mixtures - Special Antarctic blend (SAB), BP-Visco and orange roughy oils. One set of replicate sites was also treated with water from Organic Lake which had previously been shown to contain hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. No viable bacteria were obtained from samples collected from sites treated with orange roughy oil. Extensive degradation of n-alkanes by enrichment cultures obtained from sites treated with SAB and BP-Visco occurred at both 25{degrees}C and 10{degrees}C. Extensive degradation of phenanthrene also occurred in enrichment cultures from these sites grown at 25{degrees}C. Concurrent increases of polar lipid in these cultures were also observed. The presence of 1,4-naphthaquinone and 1-naphthol during the growth of the cultures on phenanthrene is unusual and warrants further investigation of the mechanism of phenanthrene-degradation by these Antarctic bacteria.

OSTI ID:
437362
Report Number(s):
CONF-960807-; ISSN 0270-3009; TRN: 97:000878-0049
Journal Information:
National Meeting - American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Vol. 36, Issue 2; Conference: 212. national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Orlando, FL (United States), 25-30 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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