新型生物分散剂在近海溢油处理中的应用基础研究

Offshore oil spills are acquiring the growing attention of the public, governments and industries in China. Conoco Phillips oil spill in 2011 has sounded an alarm bell and become a call to reformation on oil spill countermeasures. Oil dispersion has been proven to be a promising approach for offshore oil spill cleanup. However, dispersant usage may cause some degree of environmental harm due to the toxicity and non-biodegradability of some chemical dispersants (chemical surfactants and solvents) and inadequate systematic R&D activities. Novel, environmental friendly and cost-effective dispersants and their reaction mechanisms are much desired to adequately address the associated safety and environmental concerns. . The proposed research thus attempts to take on the challenge and fill the gaps in knowledge through developing a set of advanced experimental approaches for facilitating production of biosurfactant-based biodispersants and investigation of relevant oil dispersion mechanisms. Comparing to the chemical equivalences, biosurfactants are less toxic, biodegradable, resistant to environmental changes, and can be biologically produced from industrial wastes or by-products. It entails the following objectives: (i) to screen for the superior biosurfactant-producing microbes from oil-contaminated samples with marine sources; (ii) to try refinery oil waste as the substrate to economically produce biosurfactants through using the newly-lab-obtained biosurfactant microbial strains; (iii) to characterize the newly-produced biosurfactants and optimize their combination with solvents to generate advanced biodispersants; (iv) to investigate the oil dispersion mechanisms of newly-produced biodispersants, including exploring the influencing factors and the optimum treatment conditions, examining the toxicity, considering the biodegradability of dispersed oil droplets, and comparing the results with those of an existing widely used chemical dispersant. . The proposed research will comprehensively take into account a number of concerns arising from oil dispersion and lead to generating more effective alternatives, which would represent a unique contribution to the knowledge of offshore oil spill control. The proposed research will also provide a better understanding of biodispersant behaviors in offshore environments, and thus contribute to knowledge of mechanism exploration. The research will benefit governments and industries in China and beyond by improving their effectiveness and capabilities in solving challenging offshore oil spill problems. In addition, students will be involved and trained in the research program within a multidisciplinary research setting. The trained graduates will fill a pressing need for environmental engineering professionals and contribute to China competitiveness and advancement.

本项目着眼于困扰科研和环保领域并日益严重的近海溢油污染问题进行有针对性和挑战性的创新型研究，探索基于生物表面活性剂的新型生物分散剂的制备方法以及其在近海溢油处理中的作用机理。项目通过选取海洋污染物作为生物表面活性剂菌株的筛选来源，研究获得具有高产率的生物表面活性剂生产菌株的方法；同时，利用工业废料（如炼油厂废油）作为营养源，开发新型且经济的生物培养基，进行生物表面活性剂的制备，并检验生成的生物表面活性剂的结构和功效，从而制备出基于生物表面活性剂的新型生物分散剂；进而探讨新型生物分散剂在溢油处理中的分散作用机理，明确生物分散剂在处理石油污染物过程中的重要影响因素、最佳处理条件以及毒性，并研究其应用在后续生物修复过程中的增效作用。本项目的研究成果将极大地促进可应用于实践的、环境友善的、高效快速的近海溢油分散处理技术开发，为提高我国溢油处理研究水平、完善溢油处理方法体系以及培养创新人才作出贡献。

在过去的三年里，本项目着眼于困扰科研和环保领域并日益严重的近海溢油污染问题进行了有针对性和挑战性的创新型研究，并探索了基于生物表面活性剂的新型生物分散剂的制备方法以及其在近海溢油处理中的作用机理。项目通过选取海洋污染物作为生物表面活性剂菌株的筛选来源，获得了五十株具有生物表面活性剂生产能力的菌株，并选取两个具有代表性的菌株进行深入研究。同时，利用废料作为营养源，开发新型且经济的生物培养基，进行了生物表面活性剂的制备，并检验了生成的生物表面活性剂的结构和功效，从而制备出了基于生物表面活性剂的新型生物分散剂；进而探讨新型生物分散剂在溢油处理中的分散作用机理，明确生物分散剂在处理石油污染物过程中的重要影响因素、最佳处理条件以及毒性，并研究其应用在后续生物修复过程中的增效作用。本项目完成了既定目标，研究成果可极大地促进可应用于实践的、环境友善的、高效快速的近海溢油分散处理技术开发，并为提高我国溢油处理研究水平、完善溢油处理方法体系以及培养创新人才作出贡献。