Bunker oil biocracking for heavy fuel upgrading using microbial seed from soil

• Main Author: See, Huiyu.
• Other Authors: Yan Rong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Environmental pollution; DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Ecomaterials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/35519
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study is to explore a potentially more economical and environment-friendly method of biorefinery to achieve desulfurization, denitrogenation, demetallization and cracking of heavy fuel oil altogether. With their versatility, microorganisms which grow at ambient conditions are believed to have the potential in achieving a multiple refinery system at lower processing costs. In this study, microorganisms were extracted from oil-contaminated soils which were obtained from a regular residential car park. Bunker oil and a buffered mineral salts medium were used to enrich the microorganisms. Biocracking was conducted for three cycles and analyses were done on the oil and water phases to evaluate the effect of microorganisms and their activities. For the oil phase, analysis was based on asphaltene content, heavy metals content, elemental compositions and gas chromatography profile. These four analytical tests examined the effect of microorganisms on long carbon chains, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds and metals which were present in bunker oil. Results from the four tests showed no significant change in the oil properties after biocracking.