The importance of weathered crude oil as a source of hydrocarbonoclastic microorganisms in contaminated seawater

This study investigated the hydrocarbonoclastic microbial community present on weathered crude oil and their ability to degrade weathered oil in seawater obtained from the Gulf St. Vincent (SA, Australia). Examination of the native seawater communities capable of utilizing hydrocarbon as the sole carbon source identified a maximum recovery of just 6.6 × 10 1 CFU/ml, with these values dramatically increased in the weathered oil, reaching 4.1 × 10 4 CFU/ml. The weathered oil (dominated by > C 30 fractions; 750,000 ± 150,000 mg/l) was subject to an 8 week laboratory-based degradation microcosm study.