Composition and activities of microbial communities in Alberta’s oil sands

Fossil fuels will probably be our main source of energy in the foreseeable future. The fossil fuel that is currently receiving the most attention is oil sands. A focus of many companies with oil sands operations is to look for more environmentally friendly and still economically feasible methods to produce this resource. This thesis focuses on determining the microbial communities in Alberta’s oil sands and their activities with the intention of eventually utilizing this information for improved production strategies. The microbial communities from oil sands outcrops, mined oil sands and oil sands cores were assessed in detail. Oil sands at different depths had diverse microbial communities, while the subsamples obtained from the same environment also displayed varied populations. All oil sands microbial communities have thermophilic genera with enhanced potential in bitumen biodegradation. The combination of oxygen, high temperatures and the absence of light was shown to greatly stimulate bitumen biodegradation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biological Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Wong, Man Ling

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Voordouw, Gerrit

• Microbiology
• Biology--Molecular

Statement dc:rights

• University 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.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25386

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/404