Bp Oil Spill

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But what surprises scientists is that billions of oil-eating microbe helps in the breaking down the oil. Based on articles, it is said that the motive of using dispersants is to degrade the oil into smaller size so that it is easier for the consumption of the marine life bacteria. Before the spill, the place was already home many different species of bacteria that eats and degrade crude oil.

Now, experts have choose and did a few experiment on genetic modification that will help the microbe’s capability to eat oil spill on both land and sea. The research are still on going as experts believe that there is not yet man-made microbe that are more effective than then one that occur originally and convert hydrocarbons. The reason for this failure is because petroleum are difficult and so is the bacteria that fed on it. The genetically designed microbes fails is due to its competition with the group that are adapted to the surrounding.

But, microbes are the only way to degrade oil in the deeper water that are far away from physical processes such as evaporation. It is said that as long there is oxygen around, the microbe will eat up the oil.

The other alternative is by adding iron. phosphorus and nitrogen to aid in the growth of bacteria and to speed up the bacteria works in the sediment along the coast. This approach is applied to the Alaska coast after the Exxon Valdez spill. Observation has been done and there are increase in rate of the biodegradation. It was the largest bioremediation case.

In July 2010, there was an oil spill that occur in Michigan’s Kalamazoo river, better known as the Enbridge oil spill. About 900,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled because there was a damaged pipeline. Experts observed A.borkumensis population increased and the breaking down of the oil are faster. Without the metabolism of this species, the wildlife and marine life would have en destroyed.

Researcher are still running test to introduce this bacteria while it is still in booms form tied with slow-release fertilizers. Based on their study, this bacteria chewed on heavy oil for 2 months and the results was that the water was clean enough to be discharged to the sea.

Conclusion

Disaster such oil spill cannot be prevent because there is no possible way to predict when it will happen. But what can man do is to prepare themselves with the best technology to minimize the effect of this kind of disaster to mankind and also to the environment.

Experts has been doing the research for years on how to clean up the sea after on oil spill. Not only to clean the ocean’s surface but also to clean the deep sea. This is because if the floor of the sea is full of sediment of the oil and microbe, this can be harmful to the aquatic life and later on, we, human are going to suffer because we ate aquatic life such as fish. What goes around comes back around.

The latest research are about inventing a genetically introduced microbe that can eat up oil spill without being an picky eater. This will help a lot in the breaking down of the oil and it will takes a lesser time then the natural microbe. Hopefully this technology will happen so that we can reduce the aftermath of the next oil spill.