Effect of Various Isolated Microbial Consortiums on the Biodegradation Process of Precipitated Asphaltenes from Crude Oil
Yasaman Shahebrahimi, Alireza Fazlali, Hossein Motamedi, Shahin Kord, Amir H. Mohammadi
Abstract
initial asphaltene concentration. Also, it was observed that the negative or positive impacts of culture media conditions such as temperature and salinity on asphaltene degradation depended on the type of the available bacterial consortium. The carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen-sulfur analysis showed that carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and in some cases, the sulfur in biodegraded samples are less than in control samples. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared analysis indicated that the alkyne groups were less resistant to biodegradation and were eliminated thoroughly after 2 months of incubation. In addition, alkane components were partially removed in treated asphaltene fraction. The parameters of culture medium were optimized by RSM, and besides, their effects on the performance of bacteria in the asphaltene biodegradation process were discussed. The validity of some available kinetic models to describe the behavior of the studied bacteria consortium was investigated, and it was observed that Tessier, Moser, and Contois models accurately predict the values of asphaltenes and biomass concentration at 30, 45, and 60 °C, respectively.