Biodegradation of Alkylnaphthalenes in Sediments Adjacent to an Off-Shore Petroleum Production Platform

Abstract

Sediments adjacent to an off-shore petroleum production platform in North Western Australia contain kerosene-like hydrocarbons from oil-based drilling mud. The hydrocarbons in these sediments were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and direct deposition gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (GC-FTIR). As distance from the platform increased, the hydrocarbons exhibited an increasingly biodegraded signature. The relative susceptibility to biodegradation for the individual dimethylnaphthalene (DMN), trimethylnaphthalene (TMN) and tetramethylnaphthalene (TeMN) isomers present in the samples were determined using GC-MS and GC-FTIR as complementary analytical techniques.

Key words::

• marine sediments
• aromatic hydrocarbons
• biodegradation
• alkylnaphthalenes
• GC-FTIR analysis