Development of an optimized naphthenic acid bioremediation strategy in OSPW.

由于世界范围内的轻质原油储量预计可维持50年左右，因此有必要开发替代燃料资源，如油砂。大量的油砂资源已经被开发，造成了大规模的污染。它们含有复杂的脂肪酸和芳香酸混合物，被称为“环烷酸”（NAs），对人类和环境都有剧毒。在精炼过程中，产生的废水超过10亿立方米含有高浓度钠（40-120毫克/升）。这些有毒废水在其毒性降低到可接受的水平之前，在大池塘中储存多年（通常是几十年）。NAs还会堵塞或腐蚀管道和石油加工设备，造成进一步的污染和数十亿美元的损失。在石油中发现的高NA浓度也降低了石油产品的销售价值。因此，去除NA污染对全球经济、环境和人类健康具有重要意义。微生物处理NAs具有明显的成本-环境优势。然而，有机化合物的转化是复杂的，受到微生物活动/相互作用、生物地球化学因素和化合物的物理化学性质的综合影响。我们的目的和目标将是确定负责NA生物降解的主要生物，研究它们之间的相互作用，获得并优化NA降解纯培养物和混合群落，并验证NA污染废水的降解/解毒速度。我们将跟踪降解过程、代谢物积累、毒性、生物表面活性剂生产和微生物群落组成。我们将根据环境中发现的主要微生物的分子分析设计基因探针，以及我们的新分离物。然而，对dna降解微生物的代谢途径几乎一无所知（因此我们缺乏合适的基因探针）。埃塞克斯大学（UoE）处于污染微生物学研究的前沿，并且已经大大提高了我们对NA生物降解的理解，并且已经开始阐明NA分解代谢途径，我们将在现有知识的基础上开发合适的基因探针。这项研究有两个潜在的应用和好处。答：它将使我们更好地了解微生物和从环境中快速去除这些顽固的有毒化合物所需的特定条件。B：它将提供对新型微生物相互作用和降解途径的更好理解。这项研究也会有几个有益的结果，它将：1)为严重NA污染的生态系统提供具有成本效益的快速生物修复策略2)开发更清洁更可销售的燃料3)鉴定新的微生物和分解代谢途径，在更清洁的生物技术过程中具有潜在的应用4)它将允许开发基因探针来确定其他NA污染地点的降解潜力5)开发新的燃料资源6)它可能会有新的发现，例如揭示新的生物表面活性剂用于生物技术开发，如生物降解和微生物提高采收率，防腐，石油升级等。

With worldwide production of light crude oil reserves expected to last ~50 years, there is a need to exploit alternative fuel resources e.g. oil sands. Vast oil-sand resources are already being exploited, resulting in large-scale pollution. They contain complex mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic acids known as 'naphthenic acids' (NAs) that are highly toxic to humans and the environment. During refining, over 1 billion m3 of wastewaters are generated containing high NA concentrations (40-120 mg/L). These toxic wastewaters are stored in large ponds for many years (often decades) before their toxicity is reduced to acceptable levels. NAs can also block or corrode pipes and oil-processing equipment causing further pollution and billion-dollar losses to the industry. High NA concentrations found in oil also reduce the saleable value of petroleum products. Thus, removing NA contamination is of great importance to the global economy, environment and human health. Microbial treatment of NAs has clear cost-environmental advantages. However, the transformation of organic compounds is complex and influenced by a combination of microbial activities/ interactions, biogeochemical factors and the physical-chemical properties of the compound. Our aims and objectives will be to identify the main organisms responsible for NA biodegradation, investigate their interactions, obtain and optimize NA-degrading pure cultures and mixed communities, and validate the rapidity of degradation/ detoxification of NA-contaminated wastewaters. We will follow the degradation process, metabolite accumulation, toxicity, biosurfactant production and microbial community composition. We will design gene probes based on molecular analysis of the main microbes found in the environment, and our new isolates. However, almost nothing is known about the metabolic pathways of NA-degrading microbes (and thus we lack suitable gene probes). The University of Essex (UoE), is at the forefront of research into pollution microbiology, and has significantly advanced of our understanding of NA biodegradation and already begun to elucidate NA catabolic pathways and we will build on our existing knowledge in order to develop suitable gene probes. This study has two potential applications and benefits. A: It will provide a better understanding of the microbes and specific conditions required for the rapid removal of these recalcitrant, toxic compounds from the environment. B: It will provide a better understanding of novel microbial interactions and degradation pathways involved. This study will also have several beneficial outcomes, it will: 1) Provide a cost-effective rapid bioremediation strategy for ecosystems with severe NA contamination 2) Develop cleaner more saleable fuels 3) Identify novel microbes and catabolic pathways with potential applications in cleaner biotechnological processes 4) It will allow gene probes to be developed to determine the degradative potential of other NA-contaminated sites elsewhere 5) Exploit novel fuel resources 6) It may allow possible new discoveries to be made e.g. reveal novel biosurfactants for biotechnological exploitation e.g. biodegradation & microbial enhanced oil recovery, anti-corrosion, oil up-grade etc.