Use bacteria to overcome oil spills

Scientists have deciphered the genome of bacteria that are able to remove oil from the water, returning a healthy ecosystem to the sea.

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon was considered the worst oil spill disaster in American history. The incident occurred when a BP Group offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, spilling 4.9 million barrels of oil into the surrounding waters. Incidents cause widespread damage to seafood and aquatic species and marsh ecosystems that stretch from the tide to the deep sea floor.

As soon as the incident happened, the emergency response force used many ways to remove oil from the Gulf. They skim on the water, burn and use chemical decay to break them into droplets. However, experts are still concerned because the oil spill to the ocean floor will cause great harm to the environment.

The group of scientists analyzed the gene and suggested that it could be intervened to increase the optimal bacterial oil density in seawater - (Photo: US Army Environmental Command / Flickr).

Prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill , scientists have observed that marine bacteria are very effective in removing oil from seawater. So many experts believe that marine bacteria will consume a large amount of oil from the incident and help the Gulf recover.

In a recent study, they conducted DNA analysis to confirm that some types of marine bacteria effectively break down some of the major petroleum chemical components of the oil spill.

In general, the results showed that some bacteria could not only tolerate but also break the oil thereby helping to clean up. By understanding how to support small bacteria naturally occurring, we can manage the consequences of better oil spills.

Before the oil spill happened, the water in the Gulf of Mexico contained many different types of phyla. Immediately after the incident, the bacteria became less diverse but a phylum type increased significantly. This indicates that many types are sensitive to oil but some can live.

Oil spill, in addition to human hands, requires the support of bacteria - (Photo: BI).

Scientists have used the new technology to allow them to have the genetic code of the active bacteria in the bay without having to raise them in the laboratory. After a lot of complicated analysis due to a drop of water containing countless bacteria requires careful analysis of scientists to find the right species to find.

They then studied their genome more closely and found that a diverse community of microorganisms can decompose substances step by step, not just one species.

Thus, we can now rest assured that the marine ecosystem is capable of self-decomposing pollutants caused by oil spills. People can intervene to increase the optimal bacterial density in seawater and reap many benefits from their natural ability.