Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Beckler, Jordon

Abstract

Harmful organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons, are ubiquitous in coastal marine ecosystems around the world, a problem that will only be exacerbated with rising sea level and increased inundation of coastal urban areas. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the fate of these contaminants following their deposition on marine sediment, where they can potentially persist for long periods of time. As organic carbon remineralization rates depend on the respiration process employed by the bacteria in the sediment, it was the goal of this study to determine how the sediment redox environment, with an emphasis on Fe redox chemistry, affects the biodegradation of recalcitrant petroleum hydrocarbon compounds. While amendment of natural sediment with Fe minerals that are commonly transported to coastal areas following erosion from continental crust did successfully catalyze Fe reduction and inhibit sulfate reduction, the effect on the hydrocarbon biodegradation rate was negligible. However, inoculation of the sediment with Shewanella oneidensis, an exoelectrogenic, Fe reducing bacteria known to catalyze the degradation of hydrocarbon compounds found in crude oil, did significantly affect the redox environment and sediment microbial communities and alter the pattern of hydrocarbon loss in the sediment over time.

Extent

129 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013801

Format

pdf

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