No abstract

The contamination of marine and freshwater ecosystems with the items from thermoplastics, including polystyrene (PS), necessitates the search for efficient microbial degraders of these polymers. In the present study, the composition of prokaryotes in biofilms formed on PS samples incubated in seawater and the industrial water of a petrochemical plant were investigated. Using a high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, the predominance of Alphaproteobacteria (Blastomonas), Bacteroidetes (Chryseolinea), and Gammaproteobacteria (Arenimonas and Pseudomonas) in the biofilms on PS samples exposed to industrial water was revealed. Alphaproteobacteria (Erythrobacter) predominated on seawater-incubated PS samples. The local degradation of the PS samples was confirmed by scanning microscopy. The PS-colonizing microbial communities in industrial water differed significantly from the PS communities in seawater. Both communities have a high potential ability to carry out the carbohydrates and amino acids metabolism, but the potential for xenobiotic degradation, including styrene degradation, was relatively higher in the biofilms in industrial water. Bacteria of the genera Erythrobacter, Maribacter, and Mycobacterium were potential styrene-degraders in seawater, and Pseudomonas and Arenimonas in industrial water. Our results suggest that marine and industrial waters contain microbial populations potentially capable of degrading PS, and these populations may be used for the isolation of efficient PS degraders.

The article considers the possibility of increasing the efficiency of chemical reagents by treating inhibited solutions with a magnetic field. It is shown that a various method for generating the magnetic field has a different effect (Some positive some negative). The best results can be achieved with anti-scale magnetic treatment using permanent magnets. Modified inhibitors (after magnetic treatment) have enhanced protective effectby their adsorption capacity with respect to metal increases.

During the primary treatment of oil, gas and water, complications arise associated with the presence of hard water-oil emulsions, which cause an increase in fluid pressure in the gathering systems, pipeline damage, as well as difficulties in gas separation and preliminary water discharge at the preliminary discharge unit (PRU). Additional problems arise during transportation of highly paraffinic oils associated with the crystallization of paraffin in the flow path of the oilfield equipment and on the inner surface of pipes, leading to a drop in the productivity of pipelines.  Article discusses the technology of magnetic-reagent treatment of water-oil media, which allows intensifying the processes of primary oil treatment at the facilities of its production. Bench and pilot tests have shown the ability of the magnetic field to accelerate oil demulsification processes, increasing the percentage of separated water during subsequent settling, and to reduce asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits (ARPD) on the inner surface of oil and gas field equipment. Mechanism of the magnetic field effect on water-oil media is described. Effect of treatment on the integrity of the armour shells of oil-water emulsions was studied. Various modes of magnetic treatment have been investigated with evaluation of its effectiveness. It is shown that the best effect is achieved with the combined use of reagents and a magnetic field. Synergistic effect is observed, which consists in increasing their effectiveness. This made it possible to conclude that this method can be applied to reduce the consumption of reagents used in oil production while maintaining the treatment efficiency.