STIMULATED BIODEGRADATION OF OIL SLICKS USING OLEOPHILIC FERTILIZERS

Biodegradation of polluting oil at sea is seriously limited by the scarcity of nitrogen and phosphorus. Since water soluble sources of these elements could be ineffective in the ocean, oleophilic compounds were screened to serve as fertilizers for oil slicks. A combination of paraffinized urea and octylphosphate was found to promote oil biodegradation both in laboratory experiments and in field trials to an extent that the practical application of this principle to oil cleanup appears feasible. The tested oleophilic fertilizer supplies nutrients to hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms selectively, and in contrast to nitrate and phosphate salts it does not trigger algal blooms. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Rutgers University, New Brunswick

  Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
  New Brunswick, NJ  United States  08903
• Authors:
  • Atlas, R M
  • Bartha, R
• Publication Date: 1971-12-31

Media Info

• Pagination: 18 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biodeterioration; Oil spill cleanup; Oil spills; Simulation; Water pollution
• Old TRIS Terms: Ocean pollution
• Subject Areas: Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00043925
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: 3 Tech Rpt
• Contract Numbers: N00014-67A-0115-0005
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 4 1973 12:00AM