Microcosm study: Laboratory measurements of biodegradation

In this project, Macondo surrogate and heavy crude oil (bitumen) underwent biodegradation in a microcosm for 0-15 days. Both fractionated to yield structurally defined fractions: saturates, 1-ring, 2-ring, 3-ring, 4-ring, and 5+ring aromatics. The fractions with acceptable yields underwent biodegradation as well, to determine each structural class's contribution to the transformation products. Products were analyzed for DOC (dissolved organic carbon), and by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR MS) for molecular-level changes. This dataset supports the publication: Niles, S. F., Chacón-Patiño, M. L., Chen, H., McKenna, A. M., Blakney, G. T., Rodgers, R. P., & Marshall, A. G. (2019). Molecular-Level Characterization of Oil-Soluble Ketone/Aldehyde Photo-Oxidation Products by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry Reveals Similarity Between Microcosm and Field Samples. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(12), 6887–6894. doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b00908