Crude oil is obtained from layers of sedimentary rock that are formed by materials which are eroded and carried away from the land surface by flowing water bodies. The water flows and drains into oceans, depositing sedimentary rocks in the ocean beds. Pools of crude oil, are present underground, trapped between layers of sedimentary rocks. Crude oil and natural gas are organic hydrocarbons. Petroleum in particular, is a complex mix of organic compound and contains traces of porphyrin. The structure of porphyrin is similar to that of chlorophyll and hemoglobin of plant and animal origin respectively. While natural porphyrin is easily degraded by oxidation, the reason for the presence of porphyrin in crude oil is still unknown. According to researchers, a majority of the organic molecules, including porphyrin, seen in crude oil is of plant origin, which includes diatoms as well. Traces of porphyrin in crude oil, also point to the fact that the oil is formed under reducing conditions. Unlike previously thought, it does not take a long time for crude oil to form. Today, animal wastes from slaughter houses are converted into high quality crude oil in just 2 hours! Thus disproving the claim that crude oil was formed over period of million years, from fossils deposited in the rocks. (Answers in Genesis, 2016)
Photosynthesis is the process of converting energy from the sun into chemical bonds and storing them as organic compounds made up of C, H and O. In plants, this function is performed by the porphyrin rich chlorophyll. When living organisms that are made of rich organic content, die, they decay and degrade. However, when these photosynthesizing organisms are trapped between sedimentary rocks, under the ocean beds where there is no oxygen, they do not degrade the normal way. Instead, they are squeezed together under the high pressure and temperature that exist under the sedimentary rocks. As more and more rocks are deposited, the pressure underneath builds up, causing the breakdown of complex organic matter to small hydrocarbons, like the one noticed in petrol. As the petrol formed is lighter is weight, it travels up and in the process, is trapped in porous rocks. (Diffen.com, 2016)
According to biologists, crude oil from ocean bed are formed from dead diatoms and other organic remains present in the ocean. Living organisms are divided into heterotrophs and autotrophs based on their ability to use organic and inorganic carbon. Autotrophs like plants and certain microorganism, use inorganic carbon for producing organic molecules through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Photoautotrophs are able to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to organic molecules like glucose, using light as an energy source. Certain bacteria, plants, algae and phytoplankton, utilize energy through this process. Chemoautotrophs utilize methane and hydrogen sulfide as an energy source for metabolic pathways. They can utilize carbon dioxide as well. Many chemotropic microorganisms were identified from ocean beds and hot springs. Heterotrophs use organic carbon as an energy source. Most animals and some bacteria are heterotrophs. (Sciencenetlinks.com, 2016)
Nitrification is a process by which organism, especially autotrophs, oxidative converts nitrogen in ammonia, to nitric oxide and nitrous oxide. Decaying organic matter is rich in organic nitrogen like proteins and amino acids. Heterotopic bacteria degrade protein and amino acid in organic wastes to ammonia. Autotrophic microorganisms then convert inorganic ammonia to nitrous and nitric oxide. Temperature has an important influence on nitrification rate. It is slower in lower temperature and faster at higher temperature, with a Tmax around 50oC. Likewise, nitrification bacteria are also pH sensitive. The most efficient pH of the process is 8.0 to 8.5. Waste water management plants, achieve this pH using sodium bicarbonates. (Physicalgeography.net, 2016)
The oxidation of ammonia with oxygen to form nitric oxide and water is called ammonia oxidation. The reaction can be carried out in the laboratory, using a micro-reactor and is used for the production of nitric acid. In nature, it occurs with the help of microorganism and is an important part of the global nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen is an important nutrient and required by all organisms on this planet and thus the nitrogen cycle is important. Nitrogen is required for the synthesis of biomolecules like DNA, protein and fewer carbohydrate. Through all the nitrogen in the living organisms originated from the atmospheric nitrogen, the decomposers play an important role in converting the nitrogen stored in dead organic matter to a form that can be consumed by living organisms. (Diffen.com, 2016)
Photosynthesis and nitrogen cycle, have many features in common. While photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide in the air to form organic compound, nitrogen cycle enables formation of nitrogen containing organic compounds from nitrous and nitric oxides. Both cycles require sunlight as an energy source and are essential for all life on the planet. In both cycles, the exchange of carbon or nitrogen gases, take place between the organism and the atmosphere. The cycles begin and end with the release of gases. (Diffen.com, 2016)
Ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea convert nitrogen in organic molecules to ammonia gas. This gas can be used as a measure of their activity. In an event of marine spill, the activity of ammonia oxidizing organism like Nitrosopumilus maritimus is inhibited, and ammonia accumulates. This is an indirect measure of the nitrification ability. The decrease in nitrification, will affect the availability of nitrogen to organisms that live in these water. The bioassay that is based on this principle, is used to test the persistence of the adverse effect on nitrification during an event of soil spills in the ocean. (Urakawa, Garcia, Barreto, Molina & Barreto, 2012)
References:
Answers in Genesis,. (2016). The Origin of Oil. Retrieved 31 January 2016, from https://answersingenesis.org/geology/the-origin-of-oil/
Diffen.com,. (2016). Autotroph vs Heterotroph - Difference and Comparison | Diffen. Retrieved 31 January 2016, from http://www.diffen.com/difference/Autotroph_vs_Heterotroph
Physicalgeography.net,. (2016). 9(s) The Nitrogen Cycle. Retrieved 31 January 2016, from http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9s.html
Sciencenetlinks.com,. (2016). Understanding Crude Oil Teacher Sheet - Science NetLinks. Retrieved 31 January 2016, from http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/understanding-crude-oil-teacher-sheet/
Urakawa, H., Garcia, J., Barreto, P., Molina, G., & Barreto, J. (2012). A sensitive crude oil bioassay indicates that oil spills potentially induce a change of major nitrifying prokaryotes from the Archaea to the Bacteria. Environmental Pollution, 164, 42-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2012.01.009
