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Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols pp 237–253Cite as

Oil Droplet Generation and Incubation for Biodegradation Studies of Dispersed Oil

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Abstract

Biodegradation of oil in the marine water column is mainly associated with oil dispersions. The operational use of chemical dispersants may therefore enhance oil biodegradation in seawater. The dispersant treatment results in oil droplet size reductions, increasing the surface-to-oil ratio of the oil. Several laboratory systems have been developed for testing of oil dispersions. The protocol presented here describes a system for generating oil dispersions with small droplets (10–30 μm) and maintaining the dispersions during biodegradation experiments. The dispersions are generated in a system consisting of a series of nozzles. The system is designed to generate accurately controlled oil concentrations and droplet sizes. The dispersions are transferred to a carousel system for incubation with slow continuous rotation around the carousel axis. This carousel system has been developed for keeping the oil droplets in suspension due to the combined effect of turbulence created in the flasks and the fact that the rising velocity of the oil droplets will make them constantly change direction in relation to any fixed point at the flasks inner surface. Biodegradation is determined by quantification of selected oil compounds and by microbiological analyses during the biodegradation period. Results from these studies have been used as input data in dynamic environmental models as part of fate predictions after oil spill and for describing successions of microbial communities related to the biodegradation of different groups of oil compounds.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Environmental Technology, Brattørkaia 17C, 7010, Trondheim, Norway

    Odd Gunnar Brakstad, Mimmi Throne-Holst & Trond Nordtug

Authors
  1. Odd Gunnar Brakstad
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  2. Mimmi Throne-Holst
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  3. Trond Nordtug
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Odd Gunnar Brakstad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex , Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

    Terry J. McGenity

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis

  3. Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Balbina Nogales

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© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Brakstad, O.G., Throne-Holst, M., Nordtug, T. (2016). Oil Droplet Generation and Incubation for Biodegradation Studies of Dispersed Oil. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales, B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2016_223

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2016_223

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-53110-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-53111-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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