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Biodesulfurization of Model Compounds and De-asphalted Bunker Oil by Mixed Culture

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Abstract

In this study, complicated model sulfur compounds in bunker oil and de-asphalted bunker oil were biodesulfurized in a batch process by microbial consortium enriched from oil sludge. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene (BNT1) were selected as model sulfur compounds. The results show that the mixed culture was able to grow by utilizing DBT and BNT1 as the sole sulfur source, while the cell density was higher using DBT than BNT1 as the sulfur source. GC-MS analysis of their desulfurized metabolites indicates that both DBT and BNT1 could be desulfurized through the sulfur-specific degradation pathway with the selective cleavage of carbon–sulfur bonds. When DBT and BNT1 coexisted, the biodesulfurization efficiency of BNT1 decreased significantly as the DBT concentrations increased (>0.1 mmol/L). BNT1 desulfurization efficiency also decreased along with the increase of 2-hydroxybiphenyl as the end product of DBT desulfurization. For real bunker oil, only 2.8 % of sulfur was removed without de-asphalting after 7 days of biotreatment. After de-asphalting, the biodesulfurization efficiency was significantly improved (26.2–36.5 %), which is mainly attributed to fully mixing of the oil and water due to the decreased viscosity of bunker oil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 24, South Section 1, First Ring Road, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Xia Jiang & Senlin Yang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Wangling Li

  3. Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 63772, Singapore

    Xia Jiang & Wangling Li

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  1. Xia Jiang
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  2. Senlin Yang
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Correspondence to Wangling Li.

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Jiang, X., Yang, S. & Li, W. Biodesulfurization of Model Compounds and De-asphalted Bunker Oil by Mixed Culture. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 172, 62–72 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-013-0494-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-013-0494-6

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