Brief Summary
The video advocates for the use of microbes to clean up oil spills, presenting it as a more effective and environmentally friendly alternative to current methods like booms, dispersants, and skimmers. It highlights the ability of microbes to consume oil and break it down into harmless byproducts, referencing successful applications in Texas, including the Mega Borg spill and Galveston Bay incident. The video emphasizes the need for wider adoption of bioremediation in oil spill contingency plans.
- Microbes can consume oil spills in days, leaving water clean and safe.
- Microbes break down oil into byproducts that are safe for marine life.
- Bioremediation is more cost-effective than current spill response techniques.
Introduction
The speaker introduces a solution to clean up oil spills effectively before they cause significant harm to wildlife. Current methods like buoys and booms are deemed ineffective, comparing them to using a string against a hurricane. Dispersants are also criticized for being toxic and merely hiding the oil by thinning it out rather than eliminating it. The speaker asserts that microbes offer a proven solution, having been successfully used in real oil spills.
Microbial Solution
The discussion centers on microbes that consume oil, turning it into clean and safe water for wildlife. These microbes eat the oil in days and then die off, becoming harmless. The speaker is seeking help to spread awareness about this solution to the press, BP, and government entities, aiming to implement it and clean up oil spills in approximately six weeks.
Mega Borg Oil Spill
The video references the Mega Borg oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, where 4.6 million gallons of crude oil were released. It highlights a lesser-known aspect: the first open sea application of oil-eating microbes to aid in the cleanup. These microbes, naturally present in the environment, act as nature's recyclers, breaking down toxic oil into byproducts safely consumed by marine life.
Microbe Research and Testing
Researchers have collected and combined microbes from around the world to address various toxins found in oil pollution. These microbes are grown in a catalytic solution to reproduce rapidly, then packaged and stored in powder form for application in sensitive environmental areas. Texas Land Commissioner Gary Morrow supported this research and funded a test in 1989 to assess the efficiency of using microbes to remove oil, particularly from the sea surface.
Controlled Pond Test
In a controlled pond, oil was released, and microbes in powder form were scattered over it. The oil slick began to disappear within minutes as the microbes released byproducts safe for marine life. Shrimp in the tank consumed these byproducts. Once the oil was consumed, the microbes died off, and the water samples were reported to be non-toxic and effective.
Open Sea Testing
Following the Mega Borg fire, Commissioner Morrow secured the opportunity to conduct the first open sea testing of oil-eating microbes. The powdered microbes were mixed with water and applied using standard firefighting equipment at about one-tenth the cost of current spill response techniques. The results were positive, with no harmful side effects observed, leading to the call for bioremediation to be central to oil spill contingency plans.
Galveston Bay Incident
After a barge spill in Galveston Bay threatened sensitive marshes and breeding grounds, microbes were authorized for application. Traditional cleanup methods proved ineffective and harmful to the environment. The microbes were sprayed from boats to minimize damage to the marsh grasses.
Results and Conclusion
Six weeks after the application of microbes, the treated areas showed flourishing grasses, normal mud banks, and the return of small living creatures, with no signs of shoreline discoloration. In contrast, untreated areas had dead marsh grass and absent or endangered wildlife. Commissioner Morrow advocated for bioremediation to be a standard part of oil spill contingency plans for all Texas oil handlers.
