Technical Information

The Louisiana Bio-Environmental microbes have a wide range of metabolic functions and possess an increased salt and temperature tolerance. It has been highly effective in recycling oils, sewage, grease and chlorinated compounds in water and soil over a wide range of environments. These mixed cultures are capable of oxidizing almost simultaneously the wide variety of the potential 300,000 natural hydrocarbon molecules that may have up to 60 carbon atoms. It is only when the hydrocarbons reach 5 to 6 rings that the microbial activity curve starts to decline.

The formula essentially consists of a multitude of naturally occurring communities of aerobic and microaerophilic microorganisms that have been selected from worldwide soil and water sources. This highly concentrated proprietary mixture is composed of single cells ranging in size from 1 to 10 microns. These microbes have been selected for their affinity for hydrocarbons – both biochemically and physically. These communities of microbes have the ability to effectively recycle a wide range of compounds and hydrocarbons by converting them into non-toxic components.

Our microbes employ the concept of aerobic cometabolism by multiple strains of microorganisms, primarily the Archibacteria, selected from the natural environment for their collective ability to degrade hydrocarbon molecules. They are not genetically altered in any way.

These microorganisms are active in normal soil and water biogeochemical cycling of both inorganic and organic compounds – specifically hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons – back to their primary elements, carbon dioxide and water through an intermediary of organic acids and pyruvic acid cycle.

The microorganisms in our product – via cometabolism – utilize hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons in known metabolic pathways where chlorine is released as ions and the hydrocarbons are oxidized to respective fatty acids.

In other words, hydrocarbons are degraded to same carbon number fatty acids, which can be used as food by water and soil organisms, and then into environmentally benign components like carbon, carbon dioxide, base elements and water. Once the hydrocarbon contamination is degraded the microbes die and can be used as a food source by aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

The conditions required for biological activity of the GBS Microbes are normal environmental parameters for microorganism growth. For biodegradation to occur in the subsurface environment, the following basic requirements must be met:

• Energy source and carbon source – organic carbon is utilized both as an energy source by releasing electrons during transformation and it is used by the cell for maintenance and growth.
• Electron acceptor – the electrons released by the carbon transformation must be taken up by some other chemical.
• Nutrients – for bacterial growth to occur, certain nutrients are needed (e.g., nitrogen,
  phosphorous, potassium, and many trace elements).
• Appropriate environmental conditions – microbial activity is dependent upon many environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, salinity, pressure, concentration of pollutants, and presence of inhibitors, such as: Space, salinity (<25%), carbon, oxygen (>3), pH (5-10), temperature (32F-120F), and water (>10%). Any of the aforementioned can be limiting as well as any oxidizing agent that might be present in the environment.

Our microorganisms were selected by their ability to stay with hydrocarbons. As the hydrocarbon move in soil and water, the product will move as well. It will move on water surfaces and be diffused in water. Aquifer movement will spread the microorganisms. However, when nutrients and substrate (e.g., hydrocarbons) are depleted, the product will reduce in number following normal soil population sequences where byproducts of substrates elicit successions of specific organisms. As the product consists of natural soil and water organisms, they will naturally return to background numbers.

Some movement may be increased by the microbial hydrocarbon degradation to fatty acids that act as a weak dispersant. Normally this would be towards the contaminant. Movement is thus controlled by the pollution substrate so widespread movement to other areas would not be anticipated. In practice, no environmental impact has been identified over 19 years of use in a wide variety of environments throughout several countries.

The environments of origin and application are interchangeable. Bioremediation deals with soils and water. Samples have been collected from a wide range of soil types ranging from clays to saturated sands. These collection sites were, in general, similar to project bioremediation sites. Microorganisms are ubiquitous being transported in the air, water, and by living organisms. Therefore, the Louisiana Bio-Environmental microbes of natural origins are potentially similar to biodegradation sites where they will be introduced.

Cultivating the microbes in a proprietary process and using oil as the sole carbon source exclude potential pathogens to man and plants. For enhanced activity related to microbial-substrate contact, only hydrophobic cells are selected. The cultures are routinely analyzed by an independent laboratory for potentially dangerous microorganisms and are certified to be human, plant and animal pathogen free.

The cells are dried by a proprietary process and concentrated in an inert powder base, providing a concentrate that is easy to handle and ship. In this state the microbes are dormant. At the site of introduction the powder is mixed with water, which activates the microbes, allowing them to be introduced to the system by a variety of means. These are not genetically engineered or modified microbes or freeze dried microbes.

Production Information

• Highly concentrated – 100 billion cells per gram
• 5-year shelf life
• Aerobic/Facultative
• Dry, gray powder
• Activated either fresh or salt water (<25%)
• Temperature range 29F-130F
• PH tolerance 5.5-10.0
• Non-toxic/Non-corrosive

Listed below is a partial list of different products/contaminants that have been successfully treated with Louisiana Bio-Environmental’s microbial products:

The Formula is on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s NCP Product Schedule. This listing does NOT mean that EPA approves, recommends, licenses, certifies, or authorizes the use of The Formula on an oil discharge. This listing means only that data have been submitted to EPA as required by subpart J of the National Contingency Plan, Sec. 300.915