Researchers at Central Michigan University are testing ways to protect the environment against an oil spill in the Great Lakes.
Researchers said they are trying to jumpstart everyday bacteria to clean up oil in the event that Line 5 spills in the Straits of Mackinac.
Line 5 cross rivers, streams, and lakes that could be contaminated if there is an oil spill. Officials said people can debate over the safety of Line 5, but they want to be prepared for the worst.
Researcher, Dr. Don Uzarski, said this method will use bacteria found in the local ecology to clean up oil.
“Microbes naturally decompose organic material. That is how they gain energy and reproduce themselves. And oil is organic material so just as your food would decompose if you didn’t keep it in the refrigerator,cold, knocking back microbes. The same would happen with hydrocarbons or oil.”
Uzarski said microbes will eventually eat the oil and clean the ecosystem but the research will help them find a way to quicken the process.
“We are basically searching for anything that we can do to jump start the microbial community into a degrading or breaking down the hydrocarbons as fast as possible.”
Uzarski said Enbridge has given the project the same oil used in Line 5 to help with the study. He said throughout the summer they will be researching ways to speed up the natural process.