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Interaction between Illite and a Pseudomonas stutzeri-Heavy Oil Biodegradation Complex
Lei Li1, Yun Yang Wan1, Hong Mei Mu1
1State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Unconventional Petroleum Research Institute, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China.
Abstract:
Illite is a widely distributed clay mineral with huge reserves in Earth's crust, but its effect on heavy oil biodegradation is rarely reported. This study made an investigation of the interactions between illite and a Pseudomonas stutzeri-heavy oil complex (PstHO). Results showed that, although illite exerted a negative effect on P. stutzeri degrading heavy oil by inhibiting the biodegradation of 64 saturated hydrocarbons (SHs) and 50 aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs), it selectively stimulated the biodegradation of 45 AHs with a specific structure, and its biogenic kaolinization at room temperature (35 °C) and pressure (1 atm) was observed in PstHO for the first time. The finding points out for the first time that, in PstHO, illite may change the quasi-sequential of AHs biodegradation of heavy oil, as well as its kaolinization without clay intermediate.
