I am writing for information. Many years ago I read that some French
scientists had developed a strain of bacteria that could metabolize
petroleum. Their goal was to provide a cheap source of food.
Some years later I met a man who had retired from a laboratory for a
major automobile manufacturer. He had developed bacteria that would
metabolize used oil and expected that they would be used to convert
crank-case drainings from cars to something that could be used or
disposed of in an environmentally safe way.
I have often thought about using such bacteria in cleaning up major
oil spills, such as the disaster near Valdez, Alaska. Does anyone
know about such bacteria?
I suppose also that one would have to be careful that such bacteria
didn't get loose to go to work on some highways and many city streets,
all composed of petroleum by-products.
I am not a biologist. I am merely a retired physicist. This inquiry
is just to satisfy my curiosity.
Sincerely,
Albert J. Saur
<alsaur at igc.org>
