ENHANCED BIODEGRADATION OF OIL

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Abstract
In a study of biodegradation of a weathered crude oil emulsion, direct addition of fertilizers to oil on shore enhanced the natural biodegradation. An oil-soluble urea fertilizer was at least as efficient as a water-soluble one containing ammonia and nitrate. In one year, the paraffins were totally degraded. Composting was studied both in aerated full-scale windrows and in model columns. Oily seaweed was mixed and composted with different oil sorbents and fertilizers to find the optimal conditions for oil degradation. The best alternative was obtained by mixing the oily seaweed with pine bark and a nutrient of urea in a microemulsion of oleic acid. Windrow composting of this mixture, with forced aeration from the bottom, resulted in approximately 65 percent degradation of the paraffins within a summer season, 70 percent over the entire year. The oil-soluble fertilizer was better retained in the windrows than the water-soluble one tried earlier, thus improving the leachate quality. Revegetation on this compost was successful.

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