Microbes to the Rescue!
Microbes At Work
to Assist in Cleaning Huge Oil Spill
You may remember that in April of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, there was a huge oil spill after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. Tragically, eleven men were killed and seventeen were injured. Over 210 million gallons of crude oil spread throughout the waters. What is particularly fascinating is that just five days before that terrible event, an assembly of European scientists made a strangely visionary proclamation. They were planning to begin studying specific microbes (microorganisms) that actually eat and digest crude oil.
German microbiologist and project leader, Dietmar Pieper, stated, "Petroleum-degrading bacterial communities harbor a considerable and hitherto unexploited potential." Absolutely correct! Freelance writer Emily Voigt wrote in her August 2010 article, Tiny Critters That Eat Oil, “The reason our oceans are not black and sludgy is that many microbes eat hydrocarbons.” This process is what is called “enhanced bioremediation," that is, using microorganisms to restore debilitated ecosystems.
You don’t need an ocean-sized oil spill to have microbes go to work for you! Restoration Cleaning Products use specialized formulas of microbes to eat oils, fats, grease, and other organic waste from concrete and other surfaces – indoors or outdoors!
Mr. Surface will eat oils and grease off concrete or metal surfaces without etching! Mr. Fog is the perfect choice for greasy restaurant floors and many other industrial food applications.
“Just like your automobile, these marine-dwelling bacteria and fungi use the hydrocarbons as fuel—and emit the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) as a result,” writes David Biello, contributing editor at Scientific American.
Or, as microbial geochemist Samantha Joye of the UGA puts it, "They're clever, they're tough, they can basically eat nails…. The microbes have to save us again."
