Re: [Paddlewise] Oil spills

     Now I'm wondering what oil-consuming bacteria eat in between oil spills.
     I know there are snails (invasive species) in Florida that eat house
paint.

     Brad

  On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Bradford R. Crain <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote:

    Does anyone know anything about bacteria that consume oil?
    I've heard two people who think bacteria will break down the oil
    in reasonable time. Is there any scientific basis for this hope?


  Not only are there bacteria that consume oil but there is a product
(BioBore) that will stop them from doing it as it can be a major problem. Dave
can certainly answer the chemical questions of how they survive on the oil but
the result of these critters is a sticky substance that clogs up fuel pumps,
fuel lines, and injector nozzles. The critters are especially hard on boats
that sit idle for long periods of time with full fuel or on boats that don't
use their engines a lot.

  It would not surprise me much if someone weren't working on training these
little guys to work on oil spills. However it would also not surprise me to
discover that the cure could be worse than the disease.


  Craig Jungers
  Moses Lake, WA
  www.nwkayaking.net
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