Explaining
OBT®
Oil
Degradation
Treatment
Bioremediation
and
OBT®
- The
Product
and
Technology
OBT®
contains
compounds
of naturally
occurring
bacteria
and
enzymes
coupled
with
adapted
microbial
nutrients
used
to bioremediate
hydrocarbons.
Bioremediation
is the
process
of using
microbial
agents
to convert
or degrade
organic
compounds
such
as crude
oil
and
gasoline
into
non-toxic
substances
such
as carbon
dioxide
and
water.
While
the
term
bioremediation
implies
a process
used
to treat
or remedy
effluents,
that
is,
waste
material
which
has
been
discharged
into
the
environment,
applications
of these
products
include
use
in a
controlled,
typically
industrial,
environment.
Potential
applications
thus
include:
- Clean-up
of
massive
environmental
disasters
such
as
open
water
oil
spills
and
oil
tanker
break-ups.
- Soil
and
groundwater
hydrocarbon
contamination.
- Breakdown
of
diesel
range
organics
and
gasoline
range
organics
in
a
bioremediation
system.
The
efficiency
of bioremediation
is demonstrated
most
dramatically
by nature
itself.
Through
the
process
commonly
known
as the
"carbon
cycle"
nature
recycles
organic
compounds.
For
example,
while
millions
of dollars
have
been
spent
on the
clean-up
of the
Prince
William
Sound,
site
of the
Exxon
Valdez
oil
spill,
by many
reports
the
current
surprisingly
good
state
of the
area
is attributable
in not
insignificant
part
to natural
causes,
including
bioremediation.
Many
thousands
of different
species
of bacteria
exist
in the
world,
and
most
sustain
bacterial
digestion
in some
way.
Any
given
bacteria,
however,
may
occur
naturally
in only
a limited
environment,
require
specialized
food
sources
or have
a unique
biological
role.
In most
cases
naturally
occurring
organisms
are
not
in sufficient
concentrations
to produce
a complete
or prompt
result.
Thus,
there
exists
an opportunity
to enhance
and
accelerate
the
natural
process
by the
introduction
of additional
microbes
and
nutrients.
The
art
in the
development
of bioremediation
products
is in
the
selection
and
combination
of microbes
and
nutrients.
The
goal
is to
identify
a compound
which
produces
a sustained
chemical
reaction,
breaking
down
in stages
the
complex
and
harmful
contaminant
into
simple
and
harmless
molecules
and
base
elements.
For
reasons
of both
principle
and
pragmatism
only
naturally
occurring,
non-genetically
manipulated
microorganisms
were
considered
for
inclusion
in the
OBT®
formula.
Initially,
a selection
of microbes
were
isolated
and
evaluated
in the
laboratory
to identify
their
respective
abilities
to degrade
specific
chemical
structures.
Further
experimentation
was
conducted
to test
the
interaction
of the
microbes
with
environmental
variables.
Finally
(in
a process
not
nearly
as sequential
as it
sounds)
additional
efforts
were
made
to identify
both
the
strains
of microbes
which
produced
the
best
result
at various
points
in the
process
(for
differing
complex
molecules
need
to be
broken
down
at various
junctures)
and
the
energy
sources
from
which
the
microbes
could
feed
to sustain
that
process.
The
results
are
bioaugmentation
compounds
containing
microorganisms
which
work
in concert,
possessing
the
bacteriological
and
enzymatic
systems
necessary
to degrade
targeted
contaminants
in a
manner
both
effective
and
cost
efficient
in a
number
of applications.
These
products
take
the
form
of a
free-flowing
powder
activated
by the
introduction
of warm
water.
In dry-form,
the
products
remain
stable
for
a period
of at
least
two
(2)
years
when
stored
in a
cool
and
dry
place.
Test
results
indicate
that
the
products
are
efficacious
in remediating
contamination
of soil
and
water
(both
fresh
and
salt).
Normative
treatment
of contaminated
soils
can
be ex
situ,
in earthen
dikes
or through
use
of bioreactor
equipment
and
in situ,
treatment
is done
through
land
farming
or direct
spray
application.
OBT®
will:
- Resist
toxic
shocks
(including
sudden
influx
of
hydrocarbons
and
limited
concentrations
of
heavy
metals).
- Be
effective
across
a
broad
range
of
pH
levels
and
temperature
ranges.
- Have
an
extremely
high
residual
bacterial
count.
- Not
generate
hydrogen
sulfide,
thereby
minimizing
noxious
odors.
- Be
equally
effective
in
salt
and
fresh
water.
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