Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System
The microbial community response to petroleum seepage was investigated in a whole round sediment core (16 cm length) collected nearby natural hydrocarbon seepage structures in the Caspian Sea, using a newly developed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through (SOFT) system. Distinct redox zones established and migra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00763/full |
| _version_ | 1819273981364011008 |
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| author | Tina Treude Tina Treude Tina Treude Sonakshi Mishra Peggy Wefers Mark Schmidt Katrin Knittel Martin Krüger Marion H. Stagars |
| author_facet | Tina Treude Tina Treude Tina Treude Sonakshi Mishra Peggy Wefers Mark Schmidt Katrin Knittel Martin Krüger Marion H. Stagars |
| author_sort | Tina Treude |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The microbial community response to petroleum seepage was investigated in a whole round sediment core (16 cm length) collected nearby natural hydrocarbon seepage structures in the Caspian Sea, using a newly developed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through (SOFT) system. Distinct redox zones established and migrated vertically in the core during the 190 days-long simulated petroleum seepage. Methanogenic petroleum degradation was indicated by an increase in methane concentration from 8 μM in an untreated core compared to 2300 μM in the lower sulfate-free zone of the SOFT core at the end of the experiment, accompanied by a respective decrease in the δ13C signal of methane from -33.7 to -49.5‰. The involvement of methanogens in petroleum degradation was further confirmed by methane production in enrichment cultures from SOFT sediment after the addition of hexadecane, methylnapthalene, toluene, and ethylbenzene. Petroleum degradation coupled to sulfate reduction was indicated by the increase of integrated sulfate reduction rates from 2.8 SO42-m-2 day-1 in untreated cores to 5.7 mmol SO42-m-2 day-1 in the SOFT core at the end of the experiment, accompanied by a respective accumulation of sulfide from 30 to 447 μM. Volatile hydrocarbons (C2–C6 n-alkanes) passed through the methanogenic zone mostly unchanged and were depleted within the sulfate-reducing zone. The amount of heavier n-alkanes (C10–C38) decreased step-wise toward the top of the sediment core and a preferential degradation of shorter (<C14) and longer chain n-alkanes (>C30) was seen during the seepage. This study illustrates, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time the development of methanogenic petroleum degradation and the succession of benthic microbial processes during petroleum passage in a whole round sediment core. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:01:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2729c957521a4d1db8f34b855d600f91 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:01:10Z |
| publishDate | 2017-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2729c957521a4d1db8f34b855d600f912022-12-21T17:26:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2017-04-01810.3389/fmicb.2017.00763236965Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through SystemTina Treude0Tina Treude1Tina Treude2Sonakshi Mishra3Peggy Wefers4Mark Schmidt5Katrin Knittel6Martin Krüger7Marion H. Stagars8GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research KielKiel, GermanyDepartment of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los AngelesCA, USADepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los AngelesCA, USAGEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research KielKiel, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research KielKiel, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research KielKiel, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyBremen, GermanyFederal Institute for Geosciences and Natural ResourcesHannover, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyBremen, GermanyThe microbial community response to petroleum seepage was investigated in a whole round sediment core (16 cm length) collected nearby natural hydrocarbon seepage structures in the Caspian Sea, using a newly developed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through (SOFT) system. Distinct redox zones established and migrated vertically in the core during the 190 days-long simulated petroleum seepage. Methanogenic petroleum degradation was indicated by an increase in methane concentration from 8 μM in an untreated core compared to 2300 μM in the lower sulfate-free zone of the SOFT core at the end of the experiment, accompanied by a respective decrease in the δ13C signal of methane from -33.7 to -49.5‰. The involvement of methanogens in petroleum degradation was further confirmed by methane production in enrichment cultures from SOFT sediment after the addition of hexadecane, methylnapthalene, toluene, and ethylbenzene. Petroleum degradation coupled to sulfate reduction was indicated by the increase of integrated sulfate reduction rates from 2.8 SO42-m-2 day-1 in untreated cores to 5.7 mmol SO42-m-2 day-1 in the SOFT core at the end of the experiment, accompanied by a respective accumulation of sulfide from 30 to 447 μM. Volatile hydrocarbons (C2–C6 n-alkanes) passed through the methanogenic zone mostly unchanged and were depleted within the sulfate-reducing zone. The amount of heavier n-alkanes (C10–C38) decreased step-wise toward the top of the sediment core and a preferential degradation of shorter (<C14) and longer chain n-alkanes (>C30) was seen during the seepage. This study illustrates, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time the development of methanogenic petroleum degradation and the succession of benthic microbial processes during petroleum passage in a whole round sediment core.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00763/fullcrude oilsulfate reductionmethanogenesisoxygen consumptionn-alkanessulfide |
| spellingShingle | Tina Treude Tina Treude Tina Treude Sonakshi Mishra Peggy Wefers Mark Schmidt Katrin Knittel Martin Krüger Marion H. Stagars Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System Frontiers in Microbiology crude oil sulfate reduction methanogenesis oxygen consumption n-alkanes sulfide |
| title | Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System |
| title_full | Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System |
| title_fullStr | Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System |
| title_short | Hydrocarbon Degradation in Caspian Sea Sediment Cores Subjected to Simulated Petroleum Seepage in a Newly Designed Sediment-Oil-Flow-Through System |
| title_sort | hydrocarbon degradation in caspian sea sediment cores subjected to simulated petroleum seepage in a newly designed sediment oil flow through system |
| topic | crude oil sulfate reduction methanogenesis oxygen consumption n-alkanes sulfide |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00763/full |
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