Bioremediation of petroleum pollutants with alkane-utilizing bacteria
OwnerFelix Anthony Perrielloinventor
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Abstract
Alkane-utilizing bacteria are used to degrade pollutants comprising petroleum compounds. In-situ or ex-situ techniques may be used to reduce or eliminate petroleum pollutants from liquid, gas and solid sources. In a preferred embodiment, petroleum concentrations in various environments are reduced by contacting the petroleum pollutants with butane-utilizing bacteria in the presence of oxygen to degrade the petroleum pollutants by cometabolism or direct metabolism. Suitable alkane-utilizing bacteria include Pseudomonas, Variovorax, Nocardia, Chryseobacterium, Comamonas, Acidovorax, Rhodococcus, Aureobacterium, Micrococcus, Aeromonas, Stenotrophomonas, Sphingobacterium, Shewanella, Phyllobacterium, Clavibacter, Alcaligenes, Gordona, Corynebacterium and Cytophaga.
Claims63
A method of degrading a petroleum pollutant comprising at least one compound contained in crude or refined petroleum, the method comprising treating the petroleum pollutant with butane-utilizing bacteria in the presence of a butane substrate and oxygen for a treatment time sufficient for the butane-utilizing bacteria to degrade the petroleum pollutant.
A method of decontaminating water comprising:
- providing contaminated water comprising a petroleum pollutant including at least one compound contained in crude or refined petroleum;
- and
- treating the petroleum pollutant with an butane-utilizing bacteria in the presence of a butane substrate and oxygen for a treatment time sufficient for the butane-utilizing bacteria to degrade the petroleum pollutant to produce decontaminated water having a lower concentration of the petroleum pollutant than the contaminated water.
A method of treating a site contaminated with petroleum pollutants including at least one compound contained in crude or refined petroleum, the method comprising:
- supplying a butane substrate to the contaminated site to stimulate butane-utilizing bacteria;
- and
- supplying oxygen-containing gas to the contaminated site.
An in-situ method of decontaminating soil containing a petroleum pollutant including at least one compound contained in crude or refined petroleum, the method comprising injecting a butane substrate and oxygen into the soil to thereby stimulate growth of butane-utilizing bacteria which degrade the at least one compound contained in crude or refined petroleum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.