Development of new immobilised systems for the bio-remediation of oil-spills in sea water

The large physical impact of marine oil-spills, coupled with the toxic effect of some of the crude oil components, has increased the use of innovative bioremediation methods in combination with traditional ones. The gel beads developed in this project aim to provide a method to immobilise and optimise the environmental conditions of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms to increase their effectiveness, in order to offer a rapid response in case of emergency. Lab scale tests on n-dodecane and crude oil revealed the potential of these microorganisms for further application in oil-spills. However, the main drawback seems to lie in the lyophilisation process, where the vitality of the cells is severely diminished.