Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2022

Document Type

Honors Project

University Scholars Director

Dr. Christine Chaney

First Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Karisa Pierce

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Derek Wood

Keywords

Shoreland, Information, Database, Bioremediation, Bioaugmentation, Biostimulation

Abstract

The use of oil and its derivative products is well known world-wide. The benefits of oil are many and its products, for example, range from gasoline used in our automobiles to its use in plastics, building products, and medical supplies. Oil spill hazards associated with oil extraction, production, and transportation can have devastating impacts on the environment and local economies. When oil spills happen in the water, for instance, major shorelands are placed at risk of significant harm. As oil contaminates shorelands, the impacts can range from killing sea creatures and seabirds to destroying entire ecosystems. To help mitigate the devastating effects of oil spills, access to information about impacted shoreland environments is crucial to help determine what cleanup technologies and strategies can best remediate the oil contaminated media. This paper reviews two useful and appropriate bioremediation technologies, bioaugmentation and biostimulation, that use bacteria and supplemental nutrients to assist in the degradation of petroleum contamination on beaches and aquatic shorelines. This paper also proposes the development of a global shorelands' information database relating to shorelands that are likely targets of oil spills. Before an oil spill occurs, the database would contain specific information about various shorelands' ecosystems, including their soil, bacteria, and micro flora types. In the event that an oil spill threatens a beach, the database could be consulted to predict what bioremediation technologies would be appropriate and useful for remediation purposes before the oil comes into contact with the shoreland.

Comments

A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Scholars Honors Program.

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