Steffanie Kollatos | Contributor
Featured image courtesy of yFile
An oil-eating bacteria called Alcanivorax borkumensis has been discovered in the depths of the ocean. This bacteria is able to digest oil by breaking down the petroleum using special enzymes, which up until now has not been found in other bacteria.
York’s Dr. Satinder Kaur Brar got to speak on CBC’s docuseries, The Nature of Things, about her plans for this mighty bacteria.
Alcanivorax works in an interesting way by reducing the oil into hydrogen and carbon for energy, leaving behind only carbon dioxide and water.
The bacteria has the ability to break down large amounts of petroleum into non-toxic by-products that can be reabsorbed into the earth safely. An incredible discovery for ecosystems, biodiversity, in areas affected by oil contamination.
Dr. Brar, an environmental engineer at York, wants to use Alcanivorax to clean up contaminated soil and oil spills. Cleaning up oil spills is currently quite a difficult task with options being toxic chemicals or moving the soil elsewhere.
With her team, she has been able to successfully test the bacteria on a former gas station and petroleum storage site. In two weeks, most of the petroleum had been broken down.
When asked about the importance of her research for future impact Dr. Brar explains that, “the benefits of using Alcanivorax as a bioremediation method include lowered costs and less disruption of the contaminated environment, when compared to other clean-up methods. That’s why I call it a clean, green and lean method.”
Dr. Brar also describes how York helped push her research further, ultimately allowing her and her team to get the necessary resources for their project.
“The community at York and its environment gives me the opportunity for discussion and planning with my research team, and my colleagues in different fields of science and engineering.”
“There seems to be a room for improving the process,” says Dr. Brar when it comes to the next steps in her research. While there is still work to be done, this tiny bacteria may have a giant impact on the way we treat natural disasters and oil spills.
Dr. Brar’s findings could provide a more earth-friendly, non-toxic, and cost-effective alternative to the current chemicals used in oil spill clean up.
Dr. Brar’s episode of The Nature of Things can be found on the CBC website.
