Oil biodegradation at a simulated depth of 1500m was studied in a high-pressure apparatus at 5°C, using natural seawater with its indigenous microbes, and 3ppm of an oil with dispersant added at a dispersant:oil ratio of 1:15. Biodegradation of the detectable hydrocarbons was prompt and extensive (>70% in 35days), although slower by about a third than under otherwise identical conditions equivalent to the surface. The apparent half-life of biodegradation of the total detectable hydrocarbons at 15MPa was 16days (compared to 13days at atmospheric pressure), although some compounds, such as the four-ring aromatic chrysene, were degraded rather more slowly.
Keywords: Biodegradation; Natural attenuation; Oil well blowouts.
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