Biodegradation of petroleum refining industry oil sludge by microbial-assisted biocarrier matrix: process...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Petroleum oil sludge poses environmental risks due to persistent long-chain hydrocarbons.
• Effective and safe disposal methods for oil sludge from refineries are urgently needed.
• Current treatment methods often fall short in completely remediating hydrocarbon contaminants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a modified bioremediation process for efficient treatment of petroleum industrial oily sludge.
• To utilize a hydrocarbonoclastic microbial-assisted biocarrier matrix (MABC) enhanced with biosurfactants and biocatalysts.
• To optimize treatment conditions for maximizing total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal.

Main Methods:

• Development and characterization of the microbial-assisted biocarrier matrix (MABC) using scanning electron microscopy.
• Quantification of biocatalysts (lipase, laccase, esterase) and biosurfactant produced by the MABC system.
• Optimization of treatment parameters (Time, pH, biocarrier mass, sludge amount) using response surface methodology.
• Analysis of TPH degradation using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Main Results:

• The MABC system demonstrated the production of significant levels of lipase (40 U/mg), laccase (18 U/mg), esterase (36 U/mg), and biosurfactant (220 mg/g).
• Optimized conditions led to an 88.78% degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH).
• Optimal treatment was achieved at a Hydraulic Retention Time of 7 days.

Conclusions:

• The modified bioremediation process using MABC is a highly effective method for treating petroleum oil sludge.
• This approach offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for managing industrial petroleum waste.
• The study validates the potential of microbial consortia and enzymatic treatments in petroleum sludge remediation.