FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE GULF OIL SPILL?

A Obviously, stopping the flow at all costs, and remediation of the Gulf and contaminated areas using a method called Biofermentation.

There are also many other viable environmentally sound solutions that I can go into. What’s really needed here overall? Someone put in charge who understands the viability of all these solutions and can harness and deploy every one of them. We cannot continue to fiddle while the Gulf burns.

Q WHAT IS BIOFERMENTATION?

A Biofermentation is a patented process whereby the desired microbes – in this case oil-eating microbes — to achieve bioremediation are grown at the site of contamination and injected into the contaminated site as 100% viable microbes. Biofermentation uses environmentally friendly, safe microbes (bacteria) as the clean-up process, applying no nitrogen or phosphorus compounds, as these compounds will later cause harmful algae blooms – a sudden growth of algae in any aquatic ecosystem — that can kill the fish. The microbes are grown in a controlled environment at the site of contamination and then applied directly to the leaking oil or contaminated areas.

Biofermentation is the next generation of bioremediation.

Q WHAT IS BIOREMEDIATION?

A A process that uses microorganisms, green plants, and fungus materials, or their enzymes, to return a contaminated environment back to its original condition. At http://cleanthegulfnow.org/archives/tag/bioremediation/ there is a video explaining bioremediation. However, this is old-generation bioremediation where rehydrated, powdered microbes was the method used.

Q WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MICROBES?

A Over time the microbes convert the hydrocarbons in the crude oil into carbon dioxide and water, while the bacteria are safely eaten by other life forms in the ocean, resulting in harmless end products. From a scientific point of view you get carbon dioxide, water and more oil-eating microbes. Again, these dissipate into the environment and natural food chain as a harmless end product.

Q WHERE DO YOU GET THE MICROBES?

A ABS, Advanced Biofermentation Services, www.onsiteferm.com, has an affiliate company called ZYMO International, Inc (www.zymo.com) that has 40 + world-wide patents on a parts-washing technology that uses oil-eating microbes. ZYMO has customers such as Airbus, Eriks (UK), Dairy Crest (UK), United States Postal Office, and National Parks. The technology is approved by the U.S. Military, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). All cleaners and microbes are NFS International-certified for use in food facilities.

Q WILL ZYMO MICROBES WORK IN SALT WATER?

A Yes. ZYMO microbes will work in the marshes and around the shore, although better results could be obtained using halophilic (salt-loving) bacteria on the oil leak at its source. ABS is currently seeking cultures from researchers in this area to offer BP an alternative. These alternatives can be evaluated using treatability techniques available through third parties.

Q ARE THESE MICROBES DANGEROUS?

A No. The microbes used by ZYMO are NSF International-certified as harmless, non-pathogenic microbes capable of being used in food-processing plants. For centuries yeast has been used to make bread, wine and beer; not every microbe will make people or animals ill.

Q HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE MICROBES TO START BREAKING DOWN THE OIL?

A Oil is made up of small and big molecules. Smaller molecules within the oil will dissipate over days; then over weeks you will be left with the larger molecules. When you look at the oil on the surface it will go from black to brown, and then as the oil surface starts to open up, what you get is an opaque wax. It looks like candle wax floating on the surface, which will dissipate several days later.

Q HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE FOR THE MICROBES TO BE EATEN BY OTHER ORGANISMS OR DIE?

A That is unknown as microbes are growing and dying constantly.

Q WHAT ORGANISMS EAT THE MICROBES?

A Various and numerous organisms in the food chain, as well as higher life forms such as protozoa and fish.

Q IS BIOFERMENTATION A PROVEN TECHNOLOGY?

A. Yes. Biofermentation is not just a concept; it has been used specifically in the pulp and paper industry for the last decade and in more recent years by municipalities. Biofermentation is used to treat wastewater from these facilities ranging from 0.2 – 36 million gallons per day (MGD). Biofermentation has been proven to eliminate the need for nutrient addition for treatment of a paper mill wastewater.

Q IS BIOFERMENTATION EXPENSIVE?

A No. Biofermentation is MUCH less expensive than physical removal or chemical treatments. It’s also less expensive than traditional bioremediation methods.

Q WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE OF BIOFERMENTATION?

A. None. Biofermentation is environmentally safe, cost-effective, and quick — 5 – 10 times faster than natural attenuation or traditional bioremediation.

Q WHY IS BP NOT USING BIOREMEDIATION, LET ALONE BIOFERMENTATION?

A Only BP knows the answer to this. Interestingly, BP actually uses bioremediation on soil and groundwater sites currently – see http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9013611&contentId=7021426

Perhaps it is because conventional methods of bioremediation, natural attenuation or bioaugmentation are slow, taking 6-9 months to biodegrade crude oil. Or perhaps because such techniques were relatively ineffective in the Exxon Valdez disaster. But that was because of the cold water temperatures (<50ºF), which are not conducive to traditional bioremediation techniques.

The Gulf, however, is an ideal environment for bioremediation with temperatures exceeding greater than 80ºF – see http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/egof_tmap.html.

Q IS BIOREMEDIATION EPA-APPROVED?

A Yes, it is.

Q SO, AGAIN, WHY ISN’T THE EPA INSISTING ON USING BIOREMEDIATION, LET ALONE BIOFERMENTATION, WHICH IS A STEP UP FROM TRADITIONAL BIOREMEDIATION?

A I would repeat what I said about BP; only the EPA knows the answer to this. In fact the EPA did a 61-page study on the efficacy of bioremediation, stating on Page 44:

Bioremediation products have been applied to clean up petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in various ecosystems and under a wide range of environmental conditions. Their applications include in-situ remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated marine shorelines, soil environments, surface water, groundwater, and water, and ex-situ treatment of hydrocarbon contaminated soil (e.g., use of land treatment units or other types of reactor systems such as compost piles, biopiles, slurry reactors, etc.) and water (e.g., in a bioreactor).

Q WHAT IS NATURAL ATTENUATION?

A Natural Attenuation is the process of allowing indigenous microbes to biodegrade organic contamination. This method has been adopted by the U.S. EPA for clean-up of contaminated groundwater sites, however, the resultant clean-up has often taken decades. The downside with this technology is it assumes the correct or desired microbes are present to achieve bioremediation. Currently, the EPA expects natural bacteria to biodegrade the oil contaminants; this is a slow and often unreliable process as per the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

It also depends on growth of these microbes in sufficient number to remediate the contamination in-situ. Usually, environmental conditions are not conducive to growth, such as insufficient nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen or too low of a temperature. Remediation is slow, often taking months or years, depending on the contamination.

Q WHAT IS BIOAUGMENTATION?

A Bioaugmentation is the addition of exogenous – meaning not currently in that environment – microbes to a contaminated site.

Q WHAT IS BIOSTIMULATION, OR NUTRIENT STIMULATION?

A These are the same thing. It is the addition of nitrogen and phosphorus and/or organic compounds to stimulate indigenous bacteria to biodegrade the contaminants.

Q HOW ARE ALL THESE METHODS — NATURAL ATTENUATION, BIOAUGMENTATION AND BIOSTIMULATION/NUTRIENT STIMULATION — DIFFERENT FROM BIOFERMENTATION?

A Natural Attenuation, biostimulation/nutrient stimulation and bioaugmentation all depend on trying to grow the correct microbes in the contamination. For example, we have been told on news media that the “natural microbes” to biodegrade the oil already exist in the ocean. Well, nothing seems to be happening, or if so it’s very slow. The advantage of Biofermentation is that it can take any microbe, including the naturally occurring ones, grow them up in huge numbers and reintroduce these back into the oil, therefore avoiding the need for growing under non-ideal conditions.

Biofermentation technology overcomes all the inherent downsides of conventional bioremediation methods. Microbes are grown in “Biofermentors” at the site of contamination, allowing injection of 100% viable cultures of the desired microbes, avoiding the need for concentrating, preserving and packaging the microbes on bran – just like your bran cereal –carriers, as per traditional bioaugmentation.

Growing the desired microbes on site allows injection of at least 1000 times more than traditional bioaugmentation technology — known as “bugs-in-a-bucket” — that grows the microbes in a factory, which then must be transported to the area, taking time and money.

By growing the microbes in the “Biofermentors” there is no need to add nitrogen or phosphorus to the oil clean-up, which become polluters on their own by fertilizing the water so that a multitude of unwanted and undesirable growths take hold.

Any microbe can be grown in the Biofermentor. This means that commercial scale-up from a University or Research Institute is seamless. Also, the Biofermentation systems are skid-mounted, meaning these systems are mobile, so the Biofermentors can be easily moved from one contaminated site to the next.

As I said earlier, Biofermentation is the new generation of bioremediation.

Q WHAT ABOUT THE FRAGILE MARSHES? THE CORAL BEDS? CAN BIOFERMENTATION TAKE CARE OF THE OIL THERE?

A Biofermentation is the absolute, ideal solution for this environment! Some of the methods, i.e. booms and chemical dispersants, are not conducive to getting into the fragile marshes as just stepping on the marshes can damage them. Same with the coral beds — using chemical dispersants can literally wipe out this fragile ecosystem.

This is very important: Dispersants do not eliminate the oil; they disperse it. Hence the name. They just break it up into smaller droplets that then spread into the ocean, compromising the ecosystem and fish, etc.

The answer to pollution is not dilution.

Q WILL THESE MICROBES WORK ON THE ALREADY CHEMICALLY DISPERSED OIL THAT HAS SUNK TO THE OCEAN OR IS SINKING?

A NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has indeed confirmed there are underwater oil plumes, having sampled to depths down to 3,000 feet. We can indeed get them to work in these underwater oil plumes.

Q WOULD YOU BE READY TO DEPLOY IF CALLED UPON?

A ABS has on standby at this present time enough mobile manufacturing capability to make 40 tons per day at one billion colony-forming units per milliliter. ABS is positioned for rapid ramp-up and delivery of more Biofermentors with the capability of satisfying the demands of the whole gulf within 90 days.

Translation: We are more than ready, capable, and willing to be deployed and contribute to cleaning up this disaster.

Q WHAT WOULD YOUR METHOD COST?

A It is unknown at this point because we do not have a scope of work from BP. However, Biofermentation technology is usually 1/10 the cost of existing techniques. We have sent out mailers to every city and county along the Gulf from Mississippi to the western tip of Florida to assess the scope of work.

Q HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO BP TO ASSIST IN THIS CLEAN-UP?

A ABS submitted its solution to BP’s Horizon’s Alternative Response Technology Team around the middle of May. We received a response back on May 29, 2010, notifying us that “your solution has been escalated for further technical review.” As of today, June 28, 2010, we have not heard back from them.

Q WHAT IS YOUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY IN ORDER TO GET YOUR BIOFERMENTATION TO WORK ON THE GULF OIL SPILL? CAN IT EVER BE TOO LATE?

A On the leak itself, probably within 8 – 20 weeks of the leak stoppage. For the beach and marshes, approximately 12 – 18 months after the leak stoppage.

Q WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO GET STARTED IF BP CONTACTED YOU TO MOVE FORWARD?

A 480-volt, three-phase, and up to 30 amps, power supply, and fresh water (not salt).

Q HOW WOULD YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

A There are three categories. The first is visual. Initially, light to dark brown areas would appear in the oil on the surface indicating biodegradation of the oil. The second is indirect chemical methods, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand, (BOD), and total organic carbon (TOC). The third is direct chemical methods, i.e. BTEX, (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene) PAH, (Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons) and TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons.)

Q WON’T THE NATURAL FORCES TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM?

A Eventually, but it could take decades. And it all depends on the water temperatures, the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), pH, alkalinity and oxygen levels, any one of which could become limiting at any time.

Q SO JUST TO CLARIFY, BIOFERMENTATION IS NOT A TOTAL SOLUTION?

A This leak is simply too massive and has gone on for so long now for one company to supply enough product to make up for all the lost time and oil that is still gushing. As with all solutions, Biofermentation in this situation now is not the whole solution — everything viable should be deployed here.

Physical removal should be applied to remove the most concentrated areas of the oil spill using booms for containment, conventional absorbents, Kevin Costner’s centrifuges, and even hay and hair. Although I understand the EPA has not approved the latter. Unfortunately, I understand that Kevin Costner’s largest machine cleans just 200,000 gallons. And the problem with hay and hair is that once they’ve gathered the oil, these now oil-laden absorbents still need to be disposed of either via incineration, bioremediation or less acceptably, landfills.

Q WOULD BIOFERMENTATION THEN BE VIABLE FOR THE “NOW OIL-LADEN ABSORBENTS” SO THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE BURNED OR BURDEN OUR ALREADY BURDENED LANDFILLS?

A Absolutely! ABS could provide ZYMO oil-eating microbes to then eat the recovered oil from these physical solutions so that it does not end up as hazardous waste.

Q TO PEOPLE WHO SAY, “I DON’T LIVE ANYWHERE NEAR THIS OIL SPILL; WHY SHOULD I CARE?” WHAT DO YOU SAY?

A Besides affecting people’s livelihood, fish, oysters, shrimp, wildlife, and the economy, this event is an environmental tragedy of epic proportions. Eighty percent of all the life on our planet is beneath the ocean waves. This vast global ocean moves around the world driving all the natural forces that preserve life on our planet.

Oceans provide vital sources of protein, energy, minerals and other products of use around the world, and the rolling of bodies of water around the planet creates over half of your and my oxygen, drives weather systems and natural flows of energy and nutrients around the world, transports water masses many times greater than all the rivers on land combined and keeps the earth habitable.

Bottom line? Dead oceans, dead planet.

The above FAQ was produced as a result of lots and lots of questions by me, Kathryn Arons, of Dr. Rob Whiteman, in May and June of 2010. Having accidentally met Dr. Whiteman in early May while traveling, and finding ourselves confined to the waiting area in the Newark Airport, I was fascinated – albeit clueless — by the field of bioremediation itself and especially his own patented, next-generation Biofermentation. Being a resident of Florida I am also personally affected by the Gulf Oil Leak and wanted to see something done already! Hailing originally from Missouri, the show-me state, I embarked upon intensive research not only of bioremediation and all its offshoots, but Dr. Whiteman himself and Biofermentation. I spent weeks contacting and questioning references in lengthy detail, meeting with Dr. Whiteman, and learning about this technology. Every day I have more and more questions; please check back for additional FAQ’s as well as updates as to whether or not we hear back from the Horizon Response Team. Any additional questions can be forwarded to me at Kathryn.Arons@onsiteferm.com