Bioreactors and Guimaras oil spill

Oil-Eating Microbes Eyed The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is eyeing the use of naturally occurring microbes that feed on oil to clean up the spill off Guimaras island. The process is called "bioremediation" which hastens the natural biodegradation of oil through use of oil-eating microbes. The microbes to be used are the pseudomonas azelaica, serratia marcescens, and xanthomonas maltophilia, collectively known as "Pristine Sea."

Microbes Can Help Rid Seas of Black Sludge The corporate arm of the DENR said it planned to ask Petron Corp., the oil refiner that chartered the MT Solar I that sank on Aug. 11 while carrying two million liters of bunker fuel oil, to purchase from the United States a bioreactor that can produce the Pristine Sea product brand of microbes at a rate of 100 million/ml. A medium-sized machine costs $500,000 or roughly P25.5 million, according to Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC). “We’re working very fast because we recognize the urgency of the problem … This is an investment in infrastructure … If we get this machine, we can address oil spills immediately,”.

Some Aspects of the Environmental Safety of Commercial Oil Spill Bioremediation Agents Protocols and test systems have been developed to evaluate the efficacy and environmental safety of Commercial Bioremediation Agents (CBAs) intended for application on oil spills. The environmental safety protocols were tested with CBAs composed of a variety of ingredients including: nutrients, microorganisms, surfactants, enzymes, or a combination of these.