Lipophilic bacteria – water decontamination

In long-term studies, the MicroPro GmbH succeeded in isolating specific hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria (e.g. Gordonia) from natural sites which do not - as usual - develop in the aqueous phase, but directly in the oil phase. In a water-oil emulsion these bacteria penetrate into oil droplets and get there for mass development. The oil is heavily emulsified by the formation of surface-active substances and rapidly degraded. Specific applications include aquatic systems (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans) and riparian zones with corresponding oil contamination. When entering this special bacterial cultures in a water-oil mixture, the bacteria go directly into the oil phase (contamination) above and thus will not be diluted out by the water.