MRI RAPID: Acquisition of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer to track oil molecular degradation in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Gulf of Mexico

MRI RAPID：购买气相色谱-质谱仪来跟踪墨西哥湾深水地平线漏油事件中的石油分子降解情况

• 批准号: 1057683
• 负责人: Patricia Medeiros
• 金额: $ 10.09万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1057683&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; RAPID; Acquisition; gas; chromatograph

The PI requests MRI RAPID funding to acquire a Gas Chromatograph coupled to a Mass Spectrometer detector (GC-MS) and an Accelerated Separation Extraction (ASE) system. The instruments will be used to extract and characterize the organic composition of sediment and particulate organic carbon (POC) samples impacted by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Particular attention will be given to petroleum biomarkers (e.g., hopanes, steranes, terpanes) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are predominant components of oils and are expected to be found at increased quantities in the area affected by the spill. GC-MS analysis of a several month-long time series of sediment and POC samples will be used to identify and quantify transformations of the oil-derived organic matter with time and distance from the spill site. The PI will compare the composition and degradation products of oil-impacted samples throughout the water column, from the surface to the subsurface plumes observed in the Gulf.Broader ImpactsThe analyses proposed here will benefit the Gulf oil spill efforts by rapidly characterizing the oil degradation products in the spill region, quantifying their differences throughout the water column as a function of different degradation process, and identifying their assimilation by the bacteria community. This will provide new insights in the biogeochemical response to a massive oil spill that will aid to informed decision making in the current response effort in the Gulf of Mexico. In the long term, the acquisition of an GC-MS and extraction system will complement courses offered by the Marine Science department through the implementation of laboratory sessions by the PI. Instruments will be made available for use by other researchers at UGA. A graduate student will work in collaboration with the PI on the analyses of Gulf of Mexico samples using both instruments.

PI要求MRI RAPID资助购买气相色谱仪耦合质谱仪检测器（GC-MS）和加速分离萃取（ASE）系统。这些仪器将用于提取和表征受墨西哥湾大规模石油泄漏影响的沉积物和颗粒有机碳（POC）样本的有机成分。将特别关注石油生物标记物（如藿烷、甾烷、萜烷）和多环芳烃（PAHs），它们是石油的主要成分，预计在受泄漏影响的地区会发现更多的石油。对几个月的沉积物和POC样品的时间序列进行GC-MS分析，将用于识别和量化石油衍生有机质随时间和距离泄漏地点的变化。PI将比较整个水柱中受石油影响的样品的组成和降解产物，从墨西哥湾观察到的地表到地下羽流。更广泛的影响本文提出的分析将通过快速表征泄漏区域的石油降解产物，量化它们在整个水柱中作为不同降解过程的函数的差异，并确定它们被细菌群落同化，从而有利于墨西哥湾漏油事件的努力。这将为大规模石油泄漏的生物地球化学反应提供新的见解，有助于在当前墨西哥湾的响应工作中做出明智的决策。长远而言，采购气相色谱质谱及萃取系统，可配合海洋科学系所提供的课程，由科研组举办实验课。仪器将提供给其他研究人员在佐治亚大学使用。一名研究生将与PI合作，使用这两种仪器分析墨西哥湾的样品。