Bunker oil biocracking for heavy fuel upgrading : characterization and analysis of heavy fuel

• Main Author: Lim, Joyce Hui Xian.
• 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/10356/38708
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Biocracking of heavy fuel oils such as bunker oil was investigated in this study. Mixed culture systems, namely petrochemical oil sludge and petroleum contaminated soil were selected to serve as microbial sources for biological upgrading of heavy fuels. To evaluate the effectiveness of biocracking, the heavy fuels were subjected to namely; carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur content analysis, heavy metal analysis, asphaltene content determination, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis, water content determination, thermo-gravimetric analysis and viscosity determination before and after each batch of treatment, that included seven days of stirring in a mixture of water, medium and mixed culture system. Demulsification techniques such as heating and solvent extraction were investigated in separating the water-in-oil emulsion formed under agitation. This study focused on the technique and method development for characterization and analysis of heavy fuel in a mixture of water, medium and microbial strains subjected to biocracking.