Identity of micro organisms and enzymes that bio-degrade the surfactants, required to disperse heavy petroleum oil, in a model environment

可生物降解的表面活性剂可用于清洁被石油污染的水或土壤。Green On在这项研究提案中提出的问题是，需要了解其专利表面活性剂(包含两亲性分子和带电的螯合剂)在环境中降解的机理。了解表面活性剂是否以及如何可生物降解可能对Green On具有巨大的商业价值。含有表面活性剂的土壤、水或其他来源的微生物培养物将通过GC-MS、GC-FID进行分析，以确定产品在模型环境中的降解率。用LC-ESI-MS/MS对细菌或真菌微生物进行分析，可以揭示可能降解表面活性物质的特定物种和酶系。有充分的理由支持这种方法的可行性。这项研究将对石油分散剂产品DXR在土壤和水中的降解率进行分析测量。该油分散剂含有Triton x-100、Triton-45、Tall Oil、二甲苯砜、EDTA和其他没有一般测试的两亲性分子。为了定量测定模型环境中DXR分散剂的量，必须开发气相色谱-质谱仪(GC-MS)、GC-FID(火焰电离检测)和LC-ESI-MS/MS等仪器分析方法。在某些情况下，LC-ESI-MS/MS可用于显示与GC技术的一致性。迫在眉睫的研究挑战将是确定在模拟环境中分散石油所需的DXR浓度的工作范围，以及测试从土壤、湖泊或下水道中获得的降解DXR的细菌。主要的技术挑战将是使用气相色谱-质谱仪(GC-MS)和火焰电离检测(GC-FID)来测量在模拟环境中存在土壤、水和微生物的情况下产品的降解率。表征从表面活性剂衍生的细菌种群中鉴定出的细菌物种的蛋白质将是该研究项目的长期目标。

A biodegradable surfactant might be used to clean water or soil contaminated with oil. The problem Green On has raised in this research proposal is the need to understand the mechanisms by which its proprietary surfactant that contains amphipathic molecules, and charged chelating agents will degrade in the environment. Understanding whether and how the surfactant is biodegradable may have tremendous commercial value for Green On. Cultures of micro organisms from soil, water or other sources with the surfactant will be analyzed by GC-MS, GC-FID to determine the rate at which the product degrades in a model environment. Analyzing the bacteria or fungal micro organisms by LC-ESI-MS/MS will reveal the specific species and enzyme systems that may degrade the surfactant. There is good reason to support the feasibility of this approach. This research will produce analytical measurements of the rate of degradation of the oil dispersant product DXR in soil and water. The oil dispersant contains the polymeric detergents triton x-100, triton-45, tall oil, xylene sulfone, EDTA and other amphipathic molecules for which there is no general test. Instrumental analysis methods such as Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-FID (Flame Ionization Detection) and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) will have to be developed to quantify the amount of the DXR dispersant in the model environment over time. In some instances LC-ESI-MS/MS may be used to show agreement with GC techniques. The immediate research challenges will be to determine the working range of DXR concentrations required to disperse oil in a model environment and to test bacteria obtained from the soil, lakes or sewers to degrade DXR. The main technical challenge will be to measure the rate of degradation of the product in the presence of soil, water and micro-organisms within a model environment using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-FID (Flame Ionization Detection). Characterizing the proteins of the bacteria species identified in the bacterial population derived from the surfactant will be a long term goal of this research project.