Microbiology of Terrestrial Crude Oil Degradation

Abstract

As most oil mishaps have been on water most of the progress or prevention and cleanup has been in the area of aquatic spills and relatively little has been done or considered in the area of terrestrial spills. Yet numerous petroleum transport systems are terrestrial. For example, the proposed Alyeska pipeline will cross 800 miles of ecologically sensitive terrain in Alaska. Terrestrial oil spill clean-up is difficult in any area, but in Alaska, where permafrost soils and slow growing vegetation are prevalent, the potential problems are magnified immensely. Therefore, after the potential water pollution and health hazards have been addressed, one of the most logical approaches for treating a terrestrial oil spill in Alaska is by microbiological means. The report concerns the topic of microbial decomposition of crude oil in soils.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1972
Accession Number
AD0742674

Entities

People

  • Patrick G. Hunt

Organizations

  • Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acyclic Hydrocarbons
  • Alkanes
  • Bacteria
  • Breakpoint Temperature
  • Chemistry
  • Cold Regions
  • Cyclic Hydrocarbons
  • Decomposition
  • Degradation
  • Earth Sciences
  • Environmental Protection
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Microbiology
  • Microorganisms
  • Oil Spills
  • Organic Compounds
  • Petroleum

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Marine Ecotoxicology
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biotechnology - Bioremediation