(145e) Biological Upgrading of Petroleum – Recent Developments and Research Needs

Biological upgrading of petroleum is a potential alternative for improving quality of crudes which are high in sulfur and nitrogen and potentially for heavy crudes as well. This presentation will give an overview of the current status of various technologies including biodesulfurization, biodenitrogenation, and viscosity reduction. Progress in biodesulfurization will be discussed in detail. Research in biocatalyst development has resulted in identification of several new microbial catalysts with properties different from that of Rhodococcus sp. IGTS8, especially in terms of substrate specificity and thermostability. While most work has been in identifying new strains, a few strategies to improve initial biocatalyst activity and cell density have also been reported. This can result in up to an order of magnitude improvement of initial conversion rates, however, little progress has been made in sustaining biocatalyst activity. What can be done to improve biocatalyst stability? This and other biocatalyst related questions will be addressed. Developments in biocatalyst immobilization, bioreactor design, oil-water-biocatalyst separation can assist in pushing the rates and process efficiency further. Biocatalyst as well as bioprocess issues will be discussed with assessment of potential for commercialization and evaluation of research needs.