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Old 10-01-2015, 01:49 PM   #3
sbu22
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City: New Orleans
Vessel Name: Panache
Vessel Model: Viking 43 Double Cabin '76
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,253
You're asking a big question. I'm tangentially involved in the chemical spill cleanup business and have been for years. The boiremediation of petroleum spills has been around for decades. There are two critical parameters that are not sufficiently appreciated about biorem: 1) Everything about successful biorem is site specific; 2) When successful, it takes a lot of time.

The site specific part includes everything from ambient temp to the constituents of the petroleum target: specific aliphatic/aromatic components, etc. Guys have been running around selling their particular "bugs" since the 70s. Unfortunately, their bugs may not work well or at all in a specific situation. The real way you do biorem is to collect samples from the spill and contaminated water and soil, set the samples up in a lab environment with conditions favorable to microbe growth, and let Mother Nature sort out the microbes that can thrive in the particular conditions. The duration of this process is measured in months. These guys get cultured up and when a sufficient population is present, they are introduced in mass to the spill site and allowed to go to work.

Then, the process is monitored, additional nutrients may be added, and you wait. Months, years.

The probability of canned microbes helping out your problem is slim to none in my experience. A lot of desperate oil field guys have spent a ton of money on commercial oil eating bugs to no noticable result.

BoatUS has a couple of pieces on the subject ( Oil Absorbent Product Testing : BoatUS Foundation Findings for one). Not real helpful to your situation, but it gives you the idea.
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