Bacteria that eat fuel

2004/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

In view of the Prestige disaster, a year ago many researchers from different institutions in the Basque Country began to work actively. Now the first results are presented: bacteria that eat fuel. These bacteria have been extracted from the fuel and in laboratory tests have managed to completely clean the fuel.

Photo: L. Cancio).

Somehow, these bacteria work together. Some eat or fragment large fuel hydrocarbons into shorter carbon chains, and others eat these short chains. Finally, the collaboration of all bacteria makes no fuel remains. In addition, the only residues of this digestion are water and carbon dioxide.

Now the results obtained in the laboratory begin to be tested on the beaches.