During the 1991 Gulf War, oil wells in the oil fields of Kuwait were set aflame and destroyed. This resulted in severe crude oil pollution of the countries only fresh water aquifers. Here, for the first time the natural attenuation and biodegradation of the persisting groundwater contamination was investigated to assess potential processes in the aquifer. Biodegradation experiments were conducted under aerobic and multiple anaerobic conditions using microcosms of the contaminated groundwater from Kuwait. Under the conditions tested, a portion of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) component was degraded, however there was only a slight change in the bulk concentration of the contaminant measured as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suggesting the presence of a recalcitrant pollutant. Changes in the associated microbial community composition under different reduction–oxidation conditions were observed and known hydrocarbon degraders identified. The results of this study indicate that lingering contaminant still persists in the groundwater and is recalcitrant to further biodegradation, which presents challenges for future remediation plans.

中文翻译：

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海湾战争中遗留原油污染的生物可降解性破坏了科威特北部的地下水井。

1991年的海湾战争期间，科威特油田的油井起火并被摧毁。这导致该国严重的原油污染，仅是淡水含水层。在这里，首次研究了持久性地下水污染的自然衰减和生物降解作用，以评估含水层中的潜在过程。使用来自科威特的被污染地下水的缩影，在需氧和多种厌氧条件下进行了生物降解实验。在测试的条件下，总石油烃（TPH）组分的一部分被降解，但是以溶解的有机碳（DOC）测得的污染物的总浓度只有轻微变化，表明存在顽固性污染物。在不同的还原-氧化条件下，观察到相关微生物群落组成的变化，并鉴定出已知的烃降解剂。这项研究的结果表明，残留的污染物仍然存在于地下水中，并且阻碍了进一步的生物降解，这对未来的修复计划提出了挑战。