Weathering rates of oil components in a bioremediation experiment in estuarine sediments

The influence of the addition of a slow release fertiliser on the biodegradation rate of crude oil in experimental plots set up in the mid-tide sediments of an estuarine environment in the bay of Brest, France, was studied during a 9 month experiment. The weathering of total oil and fractions was monitored relative to the internal conservative biomarker 17α(H), 21β(H)-30-norhopane by computerised capillary gas-chromatography. At the end of the experiment, the biodegradation rates for total oil, aliphatics, cycloalkanes and aromatics were respectively 40±7, 83±6, 49±10 and 55±18%. The resins and asphaltenes were not degraded. No significant difference in biodegradation rates was observed between fertilised and non-fertilised plots, which was attributed to the high background level of N and P in the site under study. It is thought that if background level of N in the interstitial pore water of the sediment is ≥100 μmoles litre−1 then bioremediation through fertilisation may be of limited use only.