Could bacteria clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill?

Oil-munching microbes are often used to break down oil spills and other contaminates in soil, but they are only effective once the oil reaches the shore, says Professor Andrew Ball , Foundation Chair of Environmental Biotechnology at Flinders University.

"You get as much of the oil removed physically from the sea, and then you start treating the coastal damage by using these organisms. That proved very effective in the Exxon Valdez clean up," says Ball.

Microbes of various kinds have been around for millions of years, some have grown up in oil environments, so they developed ways to use the oil as a food source.


"If you use them properly and sometimes give them extra nutrients, they will completely eat up all the oil and produce harmless chemicals at the end," says Ball.

And, unlike cyanobacteria and algae responsible for algal blooms, bacteria used to clean up oil spills are non-photosynthetic and pose no threat to delicate environments.

"Once the oil is used up the organisms lose their advantage and die off."

Could bacteria clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill? › Ask an Expert (ABC Science)