Belarusian scientists create bacteria that clean up oil spills in 1.5 months

Environmental safety is a key global issue. Water and soil pollution by oil has become a global problem. According to statistics, approximately 6 million tons of petroleum hydrocarbons enter the World Ocean annually.

Belarusian scientists from the Institute of Microbiology of the National Academy of Sciences have found a solution to this problem. They have created bacteria that don't just eat oil, but first convert it into a "convenient breakfast." These microorganisms secrete a natural detergent, which reduces the viscosity of the oil. This transforms it into an easily processed emulsion. As a result, these cleaning bacteria remove the pollution in 1.5 months.

These same bacteria are already cleaning wastewater from meat processing and fat production. In the future, microorganisms may even be useful in cosmetology and medicine.