Preserving access to clean water that’s safe for people, animals and agriculture is one of your organization’s top priorities. You may work directly in the oil and gas industry and are concerned about the danger of oil spills and how to clean them, or work in an industry that’s directly affected by such sources of pollution. Whether you and fellow stakeholders grow or distribute crops or focus on crop certification and pest control, know that oil-eating microbes can provide a safe and efficient method of bioremediation.

Biotechnology’s Purpose in the Oil and Gas Industry 

With a growing population in cities and less people living in rural areas near agriculture centers, more communities rely on centralized farming and large distribution hubs to obtain their groceries. This means that countering the threat of oil spills is of the utmost importance, since it can immediately affect so many people concentrated in cities.

Before the advent of modern biotechnology, the oil and gas industry relied on manual removal of oil after spills, such as from an accident while drilling or during transport of fuel. Standard dispersants take longer to get rid of polluting oil than bioremediation.  

Using Bacteria to Clean Up Oil Spills 

At first glance, the idea of tiny bacteria cleaning up a huge swath of polluted waterways (a river or ocean coastline) might seem far-fetched. Though by carefully selecting microorganisms that have special capabilities to metabolize harmful organic materials, you can convert the pollution into biological mass. This mass is removed or separated for filtering and disinfection more readily.

For example, a recent study suggests coastal communities facing potential oil spills could maintain a 5,000-gallon tank with 2,300 pounds of the bacteria Alcanivorax borkumensis (an oil-degrading microbe) to cultivate a large supply within three days. This would then be introduced into the oil spill for help in bioremediation. 

Benefits of Using LIVENTIA’s Remediation Products

LIVENTIA is devoted to developing solutions with beneficial bacteria to help clean up oil spills because of the many benefits that come from their use, including: 

• Less chemicals: Reducing chemicals in the remediation products means you are not adding to the pollution problem in your efforts to clean up a spill.

• Naturally reduce hydrocarbons: The petroleum-eating bacteriacan naturally decrease hydrocarbons that have been accidentally released into the environment. They are well-suited to processes with a goal of decomposing and metabolizing organic materials. Using them gives the oil and gas industry a clean technology for safely and efficiently eliminating oil spills.

• Faster-paced cleanup: Unlike older approaches involving capturing and dispersing a toxic oil spill, the use of LIVENTIA’s biotechnology in the oil and gas industry spills is more effective, so the environment can be restored supporting humans, animals and agriculture in a natural way. This is a benefit not only environmentally speaking, but also from a public relations perspective.

Ready to Get Started With Oil-Consuming Bacteria?

Using oil-eating bacteria can be a safe and highly efficient method that helps when dealing with spills that endanger the environment. To learn more about how your organization might benefit from LIVENTIA’s bioremediation bacteria treatment for oil spills, please browse the links below for details about our innovative biotechnology products.