Biodegradation of Naphthenic Acids by Microorganisms Originating from Alberta's Oil Sands Surface Mining Operations

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dc.contributor.advisorGieg, Lisa Marie
dc.contributor.authorPaulssen, Julie Maria
dc.contributor.committeememberMuench, Douglas G.
dc.contributor.committeememberChua, Gordon
dc.date2021-06
dc.date.accessioned2021-01-28T16:34:16Z
dc.date.available2021-01-28T16:34:16Z
dc.date.issued2021-01
dc.description.abstractBillions of liters of tailings water are produced from oil sands surface mining operations each year. Reclamation of tailings ponds is now a legislated process that must occur within 10 years after the end of an oil sands mining operation. To reclaim these waste ponds back to a natural landscape, toxic compounds must first be removed, including naphthenic acids (NAs), which are the primary toxic components. I investigated the biodegradation ability of three different microbial culture sets - photosynthetic algal-bacterial communities, aerobic bacterial communities, and a nitrate-reducing bacterial community - for their ability to metabolize the two model NAs cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CHCA) and 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid (1-ADCA). Using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry, DNA stable isotope probing, and 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing techniques, the work in this thesis illustrates the metabolism and organisms responsible for the biodegradation of the model NAs studied. All three microbial culture sets successfully biodegraded CHCA, while the structurally more complex 1-ADCA could only be biodegraded by the algal-bacterial communities, suggesting the potential value of such consortia for treating NA in oil sands tailings ponds. The DNA stable isotope probing experiments revealed that of the algae, members of the family Scenedesmaceae and the class Trebouxiophyceae both contribute to the biodegradation of CHCA. Brevundimonas and Rhodococcus were the two primary genera found associated with the biodegradation of CHCA in the aerobic bacterial communities. Sequencing results revealed that the nitrate-reducing bacterial community was primarily composed of known sulfate-reducing microorganisms, an intriguing result that warrants additional study.en_US
dc.identifier.citationPaulssen, J. M. (2021). Biodegradation of Naphthenic Acids by Microorganisms Originating from Alberta's Oil Sands Surface Mining Operations (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38603
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/113036
dc.publisher.facultyScienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectoil sands tailings ponden_US
dc.subjectbiodegradationen_US
dc.subjectnaphthenic aciden_US
dc.subjectalgaeen_US
dc.subjectbacteriaen_US
dc.subjectcyclohexanecarboxylic aciden_US
dc.subject1-adamantanecarboxylic aciden_US
dc.subjectbioremediationen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationMicrobiologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEnvironmental Sciencesen_US
dc.titleBiodegradation of Naphthenic Acids by Microorganisms Originating from Alberta's Oil Sands Surface Mining Operationsen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineBiological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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