Oil Biodegradation and Bioremediation: A Tale of the Two Worst Spills in U.S. History
RMRonald M. AtlasTCTerry C. Hazen
University of Louisville · Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Indexed incrossrefpubmed
Abstract
The devastating environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oil spills, microorganisms are able to consume petroleum hydrocarbons. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oil spills.
Citation impact
883
total citations
- FWCI
- 33.35
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 24
Citations per year
Authors
2- RMRonald M. AtlasCorresponding
University of Louisville
- TCTerry C. Hazen
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Topics & keywords
Topics
Keywords
- Oil spill
- Deepwater horizon
- Petroleum
- Bioremediation
- Environmental science
- Biodegradation
- Crude oil
- Petroleum product
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Responsible consumption and production
No related works found for this paper.