Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Peak Tracking for Screening of Constituent Biodegradation in Petroleum UVCB Substances

Petroleum substances, as archetypical UVCBs (substances of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products, or biological substances), pose a challenge for chemical risk assessment as they contain hundreds to thousands of individual constituents. It is particularly challenging to determine the biodegradability of petroleum substances since each constituent behaves differently. Testing the whole substance provides an average biodegradation, but it would be effectively impossible to obtain all constituents and test them individually. To overcome this challenge, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) in combination with advanced data-handling algorithms was applied to track and calculate degradation half-times (DT50s) of individual constituents in two dispersed middle distillate gas oils in seawater. By tracking >1000 peaks (representing ∼53-54% of the total mass across the entire chromatographic area), known biodegradation patterns of oil constituents were confirmed and extended to include many hundreds not currently investigated by traditional one-dimensional GC methods. Approximately 95% of the total tracked peak mass biodegraded after 64 days. By tracking the microbial community evolution, a correlation between the presence of functional microbial communities and the observed progression of DT50s between chemical classes was demonstrated. This approach could be used to screen the persistence of GC × GC-amenable constituents of petroleum substance UVCBs.

The fate of conventional and potentially degradable gillnets in a seawater-sediment system

Abandoned gillnets in the marine environment represent a global environmental risk due to the ghost fishing caused by the nets. Degradation of conventional nylon gillnets was compared to that of nets made of polybutylene succinate co-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBSAT) that are designed to degrade more readily in the environment. Gillnet filaments were incubated in microcosms of natural seawater (SW) and marine sediments at 20 °C over a period of 36 months. Tensile strength tests and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed weakening and degradation of the PBSAT filaments over time, while nylon filaments remained unchanged. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed potential PBSAT degradation products associated with the filament surfaces, while nylon degradation products were not detected by these analyses. Microbial communities differed significantly between the biofilms on the nylon and PBSAT filaments. The slow deterioration of the PBSAT gillnet filaments shown here may be beneficial and reduce the ghost fishing periods of these gillnets.

Response of bacterial communities in Barents Sea sediments in case of a potential CO2 leakage from carbon reservoirs

Carbon capture and storage sites in Barents Sea shelf are currently in progress as part of climate change mitigation activities. However environmental impacts of a possible CO₂ seepage on bacterial community are lacking knowledge. This work addressed potential consequences on bacterial communities from Snøvit region in Barents Sea sediments. Long-term experiment (92 days) was carried out mimicking realistic conditions of pressure (∼30 bars) using the unique hyperbaric chamber (Karl Erik TiTank). The experiment was divided in three stages: i) 21 days of no CO₂, ii) 50 days of simulation of carbon dioxide leakage (depletion of pH to 7.0) and iii) 14 days emulating a leakage cessation. Results suggested that bacterial communities can adapt to a CO₂ leakage in short term. However, bacteria showed negative effects in terms of activity, community structure, and number of cells after long term CO₂ exposure. After CO₂ leakage cessation, bacterial communities did not show a significant recovery. These findings highlighted that, even though marine bacteria showed adaptation to the new conditions (acidified environment), in case of a small but continuous CO₂ leakage marine bacteria might not be recovered upon pre-exposure status.

Testing of novel net cleaning technologies for finfish aquaculture

To avoid the negative impacts caused by biofouling development, aquaculture nets around the world are periodically cleaned using high-pressure washers. Net cleaning is labour-intense and costly, can damage antifouling coatings on the nets, and pose contamination as well as fish health and welfare risks. To support the environmental sustainability of the growing aquaculture sector, novel net cleaning methods are needed. This study examined low-pressure-, cavitation-, and suction-based cleaning technologies as alternatives to conventional high-pressure cleaning. Using field experiments, cleaning efficacy, cleaning waste generation, and the impact of cleaning on coating integrity and net strength were evaluated. Cavitation and high-pressure cleaning achieved considerably higher cleaning efficacy than low-pressure and suction cleaning. However, a single high-pressure treatment caused up to 53% coating degradation, compared to 2% for cavitation. All technologies produced similar cleaning waste and neither reduced net strength significantly. This study identifies cavitation cleaning as promising technology for biofouling control on aquaculture nets.

Petroleum hydrocarbon and microbial community structure successions in marine oil-related aggregates associated with diatoms relevant for Arctic conditions

Oil-related aggregates (ORAs) may contribute to the fate of oil spilled offshore. However, our understanding about the impact of diatoms and associated bacteria involved in the formation of ORAs and the fate of oil compounds in these aggregates is still limited. We investigated these processes in microcosm experiments with defined oil dispersions in seawater at 5 °C, employing the Arctic diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus and its associated bacterial assemblage to promote ORA formation. Accumulation of oil compounds, as well as biodegradation of naphthalenes in ORAs and corresponding water phases, was enhanced in the presence of diatoms. Interestingly, the genus Nonlabens was predominating the bacterial communities in diatom-supplemented microcosms, while this genus was not abundant in other samples. This work elucidates the relevance of diatom biomass for the formation of ORAs, microbial community structures and biodegradation processes in chemically dispersed oil at low temperatures relevant for Arctic conditions.

Oil type and temperature dependent biodegradation dynamics - Combining chemical and microbial community data through multivariate analysis

BACKGROUND

This study investigates a comparative multivariate approach for studying the biodegradation of chemically dispersed oil. The rationale for this approach lies in the inherent complexity of the data and challenges associated with comparing multiple experiments with inconsistent sampling points, with respect to inferring correlations and visualizing multiple datasets with numerous variables. We aim to identify novel correlations among microbial community composition, the chemical change of individual petroleum hydrocarbons, oil type and temperature by creating modelled datasets from inconsistent sampling time points. Four different incubation experiments were conducted with freshly collected Norwegian seawater and either Grane and Troll oil dispersed with Corexit 9500. Incubations were conducted at two different temperatures (5 °C and 13 °C) over a period of 64 days.

RESULTS

PCA analysis of modelled chemical datasets and calculated half-lives revealed differences in the biodegradation of individual hydrocarbons among temperatures and oil types. At 5 °C, most n-alkanes biodegraded faster in heavy Grane oil compared to light Troll oil. PCA analysis of modelled microbial community datasets reveal differences between temperature and oil type, especially at low temperature. For both oils, Colwelliaceae and Oceanospirillaceae were more prominent in the colder incubation (5 °C) than the warmer (13 °C). Overall, Colwelliaceae, Oceanospirillaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Alteromonadaceae and Piscirickettsiaceae consistently dominated the microbial community at both temperatures and in both oil types. Other families known to include oil-degrading bacteria were also identified, such as Alcanivoracaceae, Methylophilaceae, Sphingomonadaceae and Erythrobacteraceae, but they were all present in dispersed oil incubations at a low abundance (< 1%).

CONCLUSIONS

In the current study, our goal was to introduce a comparative multivariate approach for studying the biodegradation of dispersed oil, including curve-fitted models of datasets for a greater data resolution and comparability. By applying these approaches, we have shown how different temperatures and oil types influence the biodegradation of oil in incubations with inconsistent sampling points. Clustering analysis revealed further how temperature and oil type influence single compound depletion and microbial community composition. Finally, correlation analysis of degraders community, with single compound data, revealed complexity beneath usual abundance cut-offs used for microbial community data in biodegradation studies.

Microbial communities in seawater from an Arctic and a temperate Norwegian fjord and their potentials for biodegradation of chemically dispersed oil at low seawater temperatures

Biodegradation of chemically dispersed oil at low temperature (0-2 °C) was compared in natural seawater from Arctic (Svalbard) and a temperate (Norway) fjords. The oil was premixed with a dispersant (Corexit 9500) and small-droplet oil dispersions prepared. Faster biotransformation of n-alkanes in the Arctic than in the temperate seawater were associated with the initially higher abundance of the alkane-degrading genus Oleispira in the Arctic than the temperate seawater. Comparable transformation of aromatic hydrocarbons was further associated with the late emergences Cycloclasticus in both seawater sources. The results showed that chemically dispersed oil may be rapidly biodegraded by microbial communities in Arctic seawater. Compared to oil biodegradation studies at higher seawater temperatures, longer lag-periods were experienced here, and may be attributed to both microbial and oil properties at these low seawater temperatures.

Microbial community and metagenome dynamics during biodegradation of dispersed oil reveals potential key-players in cold Norwegian seawater

Oil biodegradation as a weathering process has been extensively investigated over the years, especially after the Deepwater Horizon blowout. In this study, we performed microcosm experiments at 5 °C with chemically dispersed oil in non-amended seawater. We link biodegradation processes with microbial community and metagenome dynamics and explain the succession based on substrate specialization. Reconstructed genomes and 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that Bermanella and Zhongshania were the main contributors to initial n-alkane breakdown, while subsequent abundances of Colwellia and microorganisms closely related to Porticoccaceae were involved in secondary n‑alkane breakdown and beta‑oxidation. Cycloclasticus, Porticoccaceae and Spongiiabcteraceae were associated with degradation of mono- and poly-cyclic aromatics. Successional pattern of genes coding for hydrocarbon degrading enzymes at metagenome level, and reconstructed genomic content, revealed a high differentiation of bacteria involved in hydrocarbon biodegradation. A cooperation among oil degrading microorganisms is thus needed for the complete substrate transformation.

Biodegradation of dispersed oil in seawater is not inhibited by a commercial oil spill dispersant

Chemical dispersants are well-established as oil spill response tools. Several studies have emphasized their positive effects on oil biodegradation, but recent studies have claimed that dispersants may actually inhibit the oil biodegradation process. In this study, biodegradation of oil dispersions in natural seawater at low temperature (5°C) was compared, using oil without dispersant, and oil premixed with different concentrations of Slickgone NS, a widely used oil spill dispersant in Europe. Saturates (nC10-nC36 alkanes), naphthalenes and 2- to 5-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were biotransformed at comparable rates in all dispersions, both with and without dispersant. Microbial communities differed primarily between samples with or without oil, and they were not significantly affected by increasing dispersant concentrations. Our data therefore showed that a common oil spill dispersant did not inhibit biodegradation of oil at dispersant concentrations relevant for response operations.

Dispersibility and biotransformation of oils with different properties in seawater

Dispersants are used to remove oils slicks from sea surfaces and to generate small oil-droplet dispersions, which may result in enhanced biodegradation of the oil. In this study, dispersibility and biodegradation of chemically dispersed oils with different physical-chemical properties (paraffinic, naphthenic and asphaltenic oils) were compared in natural temperate SW at 13 °C. All selected oils were chemically dispersible when well-known commercial dispersants were used. However, interfacial tension (IFT) studies of the dispersed oils showed different IFT properties of the oils at 13 °C, and also different leaching of the dispersants from oil droplet surfaces. Biodegradation studies of the chemically dispersed oils were performed in a carousel system, with initial median droplet sizes <30 μm and oil concentrations of 2.5-2.8 mg/L. During biodegradation, oil droplet concentrations were rapidly reduced, in association with the emergence of macroscopic 'flocs'. Biotransformation results showed that half-lives of semivolatile total extractable organic carbon (TEOC), single target 2- to 4-ring PAH, and 22 oil compound groups used as input data in the oil spill contingency model OSCAR, did not differ significantly between the oils (P > 0.05), while n-alkanes half-lives differed significantly (P < 0.05). Biotransformation was associated with rapid microbial growth in all oil dispersions, in association with n-alkane and PAH biotransformation. These results have implications for the predictions of biodegradation of oil slicks treated with dispersants in temperate SW.

Metabarcoding approach for the ballast water surveillance--an advantageous solution or an awkward challenge?

Transfer of organisms with ships' ballast water is recognized as a major pathway of non-indigenous species introduction and addressed in a few recent legislative initiatives. Among other they imply scientific and technical research and monitoring to be conducted in a efficient and reliable way. The recent development of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding technologies opens new opportunities for biodiversity and biosecurity surveillance. In the current study, the performance of metabarcoding approach was assessed in comparison to the conventional (visual) observations, during the en route experimental ballast water survey. Opportunities and limitations of the molecular method were identified from taxonomical datasets rendered by two molecular markers of different degree of universality - the universal cytochrome oxydase sub-unit I gene and a fragment of RuBisCO gene. The cost-efficacy and possible improvements of these methods are discussed for the further successful development and implementation of the approach in ballast water control and NIS surveillance.