STUDY GEOQUIMICO OF CARPETS MICROBIAL SYSTEMS AND THEIR ABILITY TO COASTAL DEGRADATION OF OIL SPILLSAuthor:
GARCIA DE OTEYZA FELDERMANN TIRSO.
Year:
2004.
University:
POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA [
www.upc.edu].
Place of defense: Ingenieria Hidraulica Marítima y Ambiental.
Place of preparation: EDIFICI D1 Campus NORD.
Summary: This thesis focused on the comprehensive study of microbial carpets and its response to oil contamination. Attempts were made to better understand the operation of microbial carpets in its potentially more relevant to the processes of degradation of oil, to monitor the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in contact with the mat and finally, isolate, describe and analyze the physiology and biochemistry of the major communities of bacteria present. In addition, a study of abiotic degradation processes in order to differentiate between biodegradation and physical effects as chemical evaporation, leaching or fotooxidación. Five were chosen from various microbial carpets coastal environments in Europe and developed in various conditions of salinity, temperature, light, etc.. The oils were chosen two, Casablanca and Maya. The Casablanca is a light oil and Mayan representative of the heavy oil. Among the first studies made a thorough characterization of the two oils by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For the study of polar compounds were used various techniques of extraction, analysis and derivatization. The analysis of biogeochemical carpets was similar to that of oil. Extraction, column chromatographic fractionation and analysis by GC-FID and GC-MS. The study of microbial tapestry of the salt of the Ebro Delta and Delta Rhone indicated a mastery of the presence of cyanobacteria diatoms, haptofíceas and the Ebro dinoflagellates. Also found in two samples of bacteria sulfatoreductoras and markers of purple sulfur. Among the tapestry of the Orkney Islands, was identified a contribution of algae and cyanobacteria, more important to the tapestry of Waulkmill Bay. It was also detected the presence of bacteria sulfatoreductoras and metanógenas especially Swanbister Bay. In all carpets are microbial detect the presence of alquenonas of C37-C40 and dominated by their counterparts triinsaturados. In studying the processing or degradation of oil were designed several experiments to distinguish between abiotic degradation and biodegradation and to be able to identify the cause of specific changes. This is mounted in cooperation with various microcosm microbiology laboratories trying to simulate different scenarios of environmental pollution by oil. In addition we studied the potential of microbial degradation of carpets in reactors and the potential for biodegradation of pure cultures of cyanobacteria present in these ecosystems. Finally, we analyzed some samples from the beaches of Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. They sought to observe the changes that occur in the natural environment both abiotic degradation as biodegradation, while confirming the laboratory experiments. The main results have confirmed the potential for biodegradation of oil by microbial carpets. Of the cyanobacteria consortiums have also been confirmed resistance to oil contamination in addition to its potential for biodegradation. In general, in the absence of nutrients, abiotic degradation processes lead to a more rapid removal of oil and effective microbial biodegradation by tapestries and organisms present in them both in laboratory experiments and in the environment. However, while a higher viscosity oil affects the effectiveness of the abiotic degradation that is not the case for microbial biodegradation by tapestries. As a result of this thesis were sent 18 articles in international journals in the SCI, 7 of them first author and 11 as a co-author
