Oil-mineral fine interactions facilitate oil biodegradation in seawater

An interaction with fine mineral particles accelerates the removal and disp ersion of stranded oil from spill impacted coastal regions. Shaker flask ex periments under simulated environmental conditions were conducted to measur e the significance of this intrinsic oil spill remediation process for the coastal marine environment. Results show that numerous crude and refined oi l products produce stable micro-aggregates. Experiments conducted with a we athered crude oil over a 56 day period (10 degrees C) indicated that oil-mi neral fine interactions stimulated bacterial growth and the rate and extent of hydrocarbon degradation. At the end of the experimental period, only 25 % compared to 48% of the n-alkane fraction (n-C-15 to n-C-35) remained in f lasks treated with and without mineral fines, respectively. Similarly, the percent total target aromatics remaining was substantially lower in mineral fine amended samples (8%) than in oiled controls (25%). These results supp ort the application of shoreline clean-up techniques based on the accelerat ion of oil-mineral fine interactions.