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Open Access Green as soon as Postprint is submitted to ZB.
Water droplets in oil are microhabitats for microbial life.
Science 345, 673-676 (2014)
Anaerobic microbial degradation of hydrocarbons, typically occurring at the oil-water transition zone, influences the quality of oil reservoirs. In Pitch Lake, Trinidad and Tobago—the world’s largest asphalt lake—we found that microorganisms are metabolically active in minuscule water droplets (1 to 3 microliters) entrapped in oil. Pyrotag sequencing of individual droplet microbiomes revealed complex methanogenic microbial communities actively degrading the oil into a diverse range of metabolites, as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. High salinity and water-stable isotopes of the droplets indicate a deep subsurface origin. The 13.5% water content and the large surface area of the droplets represent an underestimated potential for biodegradation of oil away from the oil-water transition zone.
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Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
Keywords
Deep Subsurface; Anaerobic Degradation; Petroleum Reservoirs
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0036-8075
e-ISSN
1095-9203
Journal
Science
Quellenangaben
Volume: 345,
Issue: 6197,
Pages: 673-676
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publishing Place
Washington
Non-patent literature
Publications
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed