Effects of Dispersant Addition on Diesel Oil Biodegradation in Marine Environment

To evaluate the influence of the dispersant GM that was widely used in China on the biodegradation of diesel oil spilled in seawater, experiments were done under laboratory conditions at different salinities, temperatures with varied dispersant concentration .The results indicate that the concentration of dispersant added in seawater, seawater salinity and temperature are important factors affecting diesel oil biodegradation. The addition of dispersant in seawater is optimal when it was added in the ratio of 2:10(v/v), and the biodegradation rate reach the maximum value when the salinity is 33 g/l and the temperature is 30degC. However, because our tests were conducted in laboratory, considerable caution should be used in extrapolating these laboratory studies to field conditions.