Comparison of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Consortia from Surface and Deep Waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Characterization and Degradation Potential

Georgia Charalampous, Efsevia Fragkou, Konstantinos A. Kormas, Alexandre B. De Menezes, Paraskevi N. Polymenakou, Nikos Pasadakis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Eleftheria Antoniou and Evangelia Gontikaki
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Georgia Charalampous: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Efsevia Fragkou: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Konstantinos A. Kormas: Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
Alexandre B. De Menezes: Ryan Institute, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Paraskevi N. Polymenakou: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 71500 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Nikos Pasadakis: School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Crete, Greece
Nicolas Kalogerakis: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Eleftheria Antoniou: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Evangelia Gontikaki: School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface and Deep consortia, respectively, and crude oil as the sole source of carbon. The Deep consortium was additionally investigated at 25 °C to allow the direct comparison of the degradation rates to the Surface consortium. In total, ~50% of the alkanes and ~15% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were degraded in all treatments by Day 24. Approximately ~95% of the total biodegradation by the Deep consortium took place within 6 days regardless of temperature, whereas comparable levels of degradation were reached on Day 12 by the Surface consortium. Both consortia were dominated by well-known hydrocarbon-degrading taxa. Temperature played a significant role in shaping the Deep consortia communities with Pseudomonas and Pseudoalteromonas dominating at 25 °C and Alcanivorax at 14 °C. Overall, the Deep consortium showed a higher efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation within the first week following contamination, which is critical in the case of oil spills, and thus merits further investigation for its exploitation in bioremediation technologies tailored to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords: bioremediation; hydrocarbon degradation; microbial consortia; crude oil; Alcanivorax; deep-sea oil spills; Eastern Mediterranean Sea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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