A Marine Anaerobic Biodegradation Test Applied to the Biodegradation of Synthetic Drilling Mud Base Fluids

Herman, D.T.; Roberts, Deborah J.

doi:10.1080/15320380500180499

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…It is relatively persistent under natural conditions. The degradation of olefins in a marine anaerobic biodegradation test lasted longer than 9 months of incubation and required sediment containing a large number of sulfate reducing bacteria, general anaerobes and methanogens as a source of inoculum ( Herman and Roberts, 2005 ). Solid-phase tests revealed that synthetic drilling fluids containing olefins are slowly degraded in mud and coarse sand by indigenous microorganisms, where their half-life increases as the nominal concentration increases ( Munro et al, 1998 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formulation of Bio-Based Washing Agent and Its Application for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Before Bioremediation

Arpornpong

Padungpol

Khondee

et al. 2020

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Drill cuttings from petroleum exploration and production sites can cause diverse environmental problems. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) are a major pollutant from the use of polyolefin-based mud. As an alternative to incineration, this study investigated the application of surfactant-enhanced washing technology prior to bioremediation. The washing step was necessary because the initial TPH concentrations were quite high at approximately 15% (w/w). Washing agents were formulated by varying the concentration of lipopeptide biosurfactant (in foamate or cell-free broth), Dehydol LS7TH (fatty alcohol ethoxylate 7EO, oleochemical surfactant) and butanol (as a lipophilic linker) at different salinities. The most efficient formula produced a Winsor Type I microemulsion (oil-in-water microemulsion) with polyolefin and contained only 20% (v/v) foamate and 2% (v/v) Dehydol LS7TH in water. Due to the synergistic behavior between the anionic lipopeptides and non-ionic Dehydol LS7TH, the formula efficiently removed 92% of the TPHs from the drill cuttings when applied in a jar test. To reduce the cost, the concentrations of each surfactant should be reduced; thus, the formula was optimized by the simplex lattice mixture design. In addition, cell-free broth, at a pH of 10, containing 3.0 g/L lipopeptides was applied instead of foamate because it was easy to prepare. The optimized formula removed 81.2% of the TPHs and contained 72.0% cell-free broth and 1.4% Dehydol LS7TH in water. A 20-kg soil washing system was later tested where the petroleum removal efficiency decreased to 70.7% due to polyolefin redeposition during separation of the washing solution. The remaining TPHs (4.5%) in the washed drilled cuttings were further degraded by a mixture of Marinobacter

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formulation of Bio-Based Washing Agent and Its Application for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Before Bioremediation

Arpornpong

Padungpol

Khondee

et al. 2020

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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“…The application of the anaerobic biodegradability test using three commercial esters revealed a significant difference in the performance of the different products (Figure 1), which is not generally observed for the olefin based SBF (Herman and Roberts 2005). This observation, along with the observation that some commercial esters did not perform the same in every test, prompted the investigation of how different ester properties could affect their biodegradation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…The test was performed as described previously (Candler et al 2000, Herman andRoberts 2005). Marine sediment was collected from Galveston Bay, 60 miles south of Houston, TX from a water access point near the intersection of Interstate 45 and Regional Highway 146.…”

Section: Anaerobic Closed Bottle Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The test is similar to other anaerobic biodegradability test systems (Battersby & Wilson 1988;Colleran et al 1992;Owen et al 1979;Roberts 2002;Shelton & Tiedje 1984). The CBT system determines the biodegradation potential of SBF in marine sediment under anaerobic conditions relative to reference compounds (Federal Register 2004, Herman & Roberts 2005. Anaerobic biodegradation of SBF is indicated by an accumulation of anaerobic gases (CO 2 and CH 4 ) in SBF-spiked sediments, corrected for the gas production in control (free of SBF) sediments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of structural components of alkyl esters on their anaerobic biodegradation in marine sediment

Herman

Roberts

2006

Biodegradation

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Ester-based organic compounds are one type of synthetic base fluid added to drilling mud used during off-shore oil-drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Concern over the environmental impact of synthetic base fluid (SBF) contaminated rock cuttings discharged into the Gulf of Mexico has prompted the promulgation of EPA regulations requiring that all SBF be tested for biodegradability in marine sediment prior to their use in the Gulf. In order to allow the design or selection of suitably biodegradable esters, the anaerobic biodegradability of a variety of ester compounds was tested using a marine sediment inoculum to reveal the effect of: (a) increasing the chain length of the acid moiety, (b) increasing the chain length of the alcohol moiety; (c) alternating the relative size of the alcohol and acid moieties, (d) branching in the alcohol moiety, and (e) the presence of an unsaturated bond in the acidic moiety. The chemical structure of esters was found to affect the completeness and rate of anaerobic biodegradation, and would affect their ability to be certified for use as an SBF in the Gulf of Mexico. Recommendations for ester usage include using esters that have a total carbon number of between 12 and 18 and avoiding the use of branched alcohols (or acids by inference). The presence of an unsaturated bond in the acid (or alcohol by inference) increased biodegradability of the ester.

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“…1‐Hexadecene, a LAO with 16 carbon atoms, is abundant (i.e. 60–68%, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, ) in LAO commercial blends that are used in the production of tanning oils, synthetic fatty acids and drilling fluids for off‐shore oil exploration (Herman and Roberts, ). During 1‐hexadecene production in petrochemical plants, contaminated wastewater is generated, which can be treated by anaerobic digestion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancement of methane production from 1‐hexadecene by additional electron donors

Paulo

Salvador

Alves

et al. 2017

Microbial Biotechnology

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Summary1‐Hexadecene‐contaminated wastewater is produced in oil refineries and can be treated in methanogenic bioreactors, although generally at low conversion rates. In this study, a microbial culture able to degrade 1‐hexadecene was enriched, and different stimulation strategies were tested for enhancing 1‐hexadecene conversion to methane. Seven and three times faster methane production was obtained in cultures stimulated with yeast extract or lactate, respectively, while cultures amended with crotonate lost the ability to degrade 1‐hexadecene. Methane production from 1‐hexadecene was not enhanced by the addition of extra hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Bacteria closely related to Syntrophus and Smithella were detected in 1‐hexadecene‐degrading cultures, but not in the ones amended with crotonate, which suggests the involvement of these bacteria in 1‐hexadecene degradation. Genes coding for alkylsuccinate synthase alpha‐subunit were detected in cultures degrading 1‐hexadecene, indicating that hydrocarbon activation may occur by fumarate addition. These findings are novel and show that methane production from 1‐hexadecene is improved by the addition of yeast extract or lactate. These extra electron donors may be considered as a potential bioremediation strategy of oil‐contaminated sites with bioenergy generation through methane production.

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A Marine Anaerobic Biodegradation Test Applied to the Biodegradation of Synthetic Drilling Mud Base Fluids

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Formulation of Bio-Based Washing Agent and Its Application for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Before Bioremediation

Formulation of Bio-Based Washing Agent and Its Application for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Before Bioremediation

The influence of structural components of alkyl esters on their anaerobic biodegradation in marine sediment

Enhancement of methane production from 1‐hexadecene by additional electron donors

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