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Microbial desulphurization of heavy oils and bitumen
A Bhadra1, J M Scharer, M Moo-Young
1Industrial Biotechnology Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Biotechnology Advances
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Biological desulfurization offers a promising, low-energy alternative for removing sulfur from heavy oil and bitumen. Further research into bioreactor design and genetically modified bacteria could lead to commercially viable processes.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Petroleum Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Heavy oil and bitumen reserves are crucial for future energy needs as conventional crude declines.
- These resources contain high sulfur content (3-6%), necessitating removal for refinery feedstock.
- Conventional hydrodesulfurization is costly for high-sulfur oils due to high utility and catalyst expenses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the potential of biological desulfurization for heavy oil and bitumen.
- To examine both aerobic and anaerobic microbial processes for removing organic and inorganic sulfur.
- To assess the current status and future prospects of microbial desulfurization technologies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on microbial desulfurization techniques.
- Analysis of studies focusing on model substrates like dibenzothiophene (DBT).
- Examination of microbial isolation, characterization, and growth media development.
Main Results:
- Most studies have utilized model substrates in synthetic media, with limited application to actual heavy oil.
- While microbial desulfurization shows promise due to low energy requirements, commercially viable processes are yet to emerge.
- Engineering aspects and process scale-up remain significant challenges.
Conclusions:
- Microbial desulfurization presents a potentially economic and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional methods.
- Advancements in genetic engineering of bacteria and bioreactor design are key to commercial viability.
- Further research is needed to address engineering challenges and optimize processes for real heavy oil feedstocks.