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Evaluating microbial contaminations of alternative heating oils
Maximilian J Surger1, Katharina Mayer2, Karthik Shivaram1
1Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB) Aachen Biology and Biotechnology (ABBt) RWTH Aachen University Aachen Germany.
Engineering in Life Sciences
|June 5, 2023
Summary
Novel non-fossil heating oils show varied microbial resistance. Oxymethylene ethers (OME) exhibit antimicrobial effects, while biodiesel promotes contamination, unlike paraffinic and biogenic hydrogenation products which are resistant.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Legislative initiatives promote biofuels as CO2-reduced heating oil alternatives.
- Biodiesel use led to accelerated microbial contamination issues during storage.
- New fuel alternatives like HVOs, GtL, and OMEs have been developed.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the microbial contamination potential of novel fuel alternatives during storage.
- Compare the resistance of non-fossil fuels against microbial contamination.
- Identify fuel properties influencing microbial growth.
Main Methods:
- Online monitoring of microbial CO2 production.
- Simulation of microbial contamination onset.
- Analysis using mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and microbial sequencing.
Main Results:
- Biodiesel blends promoted microbial activity compared to fossil heating oil.
- Oxymethylene ethers (OME) demonstrated a significant antimicrobial effect.
- Paraffinic Fischer-Tropsch and biogenic hydrogenation products showed resistance comparable to fossil heating oil.
Conclusions:
- Non-fossil heating oils exhibit distinct microbial resistance profiles.
- OME offers antimicrobial properties for fuel storage.
- Fuel formulation can be optimized for intrinsic resistance to microbial contamination.
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