Action of Microörganisms on Hydrocarbons 1

Abstract

Many micro6rganisms possess the ability of utilizing hydrocarbons as a sole source of energy in their metabolism. Gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons in the aliphatic, olefinic and naphthenic series are susceptible to microbial decomposition. Nearly a hundred species of bacteria, yeasts and molds representing thirty genera have been described which attack one or more kinds of hydrocarbons. Such microbes appear to be quite widely and abundantly distributed in nature where they may be of considerable importance in the carbon cycle and to various industries. Wherever exposed to mineral solutions in which microbial life is possible, petroleum, rubber or other types of hydrocarbons may be slowly decomposed by micro6rganisms. The microbial oxidation of hydrocarbons may help to account for the rapid disappearance of petroleum which pollutes fields and waterways, for the deterioration of certain rubber products both natural and synthetic, for the spoilage of cooling oils, for the depreciation of oiled or asphalt-surfaced highways and for the modification of petroleum or its products stored in the presence of water. The failure of underground pipelines or electrical conduits "protected" from corrosion by paraffin-impregnated materials, elastomers or other hydrocarbon derivatives may be attributed in part to the activities of microorganisms which decompose hydrocarbons. Obtaining intermediate products of economic value such as fatty acids, for example, from the microbial decomposition of hydrocarbons, or employing micro-'Contribution from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, New Series No. 295. This report represents part of the activities of Research Project 43A sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute

Hydrocarbon utilization within a diesel-degrading bacterial consortium

“…It consists mainly of aliphatic hydrocarbons ranging from C 9 to C 23 as well as a number of aromatic compounds (Bacha et al, 1998). The susceptibility of hydrocarbons to microbial degradation is well documented, dating to the 1940s (Zobell, 1946), and varies according to their chemical structure. This chemical structure also affects the compounds' solubility and therefore bioavailability.…”

Fungi growing on aromatic hydrocarbons: biotechnology's unexpected encounter with biohazard?

“…The biodegradation mode preferred by bioremediation investigators is the direct assimilation of aromatic hydrocarbons as a sole carbon and energy source, especially where this results in substantial mineralization. In relation to this topic, the amount of literature available on bacteria, in which utilization of benzene was documented as early as 1946 (ZoBell, 1946), greatly exceeds the amount of literature available on fungi. This would seem to suggest that the complete assimilative metabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons is uncommon in fungi.…”

Degradation of unsaturated hydrocarbons by methanogenic enrichment cultures

“…Whereas aerobic degradation of hydrocarbons has been studied in great detail, relatively little attention has been paid so far to anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation. The literature contains contradictory reports on the 'ifs' and 'hows' of hydrocarbon biodegradation in the absence of oxygen [1][2][3][4][5]. Earlier reports claiming degradation of saturated hydrocarbons by, e.g., sulphate-reducing bacteria are probably a consequence of poor anaerobic techniques together with poorly defined culture conditions, and usually deal with mixed cultures of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria or with growth of anaerobes on substrate contaminations [6][7][8][9].…”