VLADIVOSTOK, April 10 Scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) have discovered frost-resistant destructor bacteria in the Sea of Japan that have shown the ability to absorb oil: in the future, this will help create a biological product for water purification from oil pollution , according to FEFU.
«In the course of a large-scale study, scientists from the Institute of the World Ocean of FEFU discovered <…> in the Sea of Japan <…> bacteria, which for the first time showed the ability to destroy oil. <…> In addition to studying species diversity hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms, scientists conducted a study in which they found a high ability of the resulting bacteria to degrade various oil compounds at low temperatures,» the release says.
Atypical «taste preferences» were found in 12 species of bacteria, including Idiomarina maritima, Gracilibacillus massiliensis, Lechevaleria flava, Jeotgalibacillus marinus and others. Deciphering the genome of the isolated bacteria will make it possible to more accurately understand the mechanisms of operation of genes and enzymes involved in the decomposition of oil in the seas of the Far East region.
“At this stage of the study, we do not aim to edit the genome, our task is to identify the most active natural oil decomposers and further develop a biological product for cleaning the waters of the Sea of Japan from oil pollution,” said the research project executor, master student of the FEFU Institute of the World Ocean , Angelina Medvedeva, her words are given in the message.
Based on the results obtained, effective technologies for monitoring oil pollution of sea waters can be developed, and in the future, technologies for their purification.