Microbial Deterioration of Petroleum Products and their Prevention by Toxic Inhibitors

Abstract

Summary One of the great problems in keeping petroleum products is their degradation by microorganism, particularly fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria. In the presence of these microorganisms, in combination with organic materials and other impurities, are formed sludges. Petroleum products, especially those used in jet fuels, are required to be completely free from water and microbial sludges. The preferable microbial inhibitors, used in keeping petroleum products, are: 2,4-dimethoxy benzaldehyde, bromoacetic acid, dimethylamine borane, ethyldidene diacetate, tri-n-butyl borate, sodium tetraborate, sulphanilamide, iso-butyl, resorcinol, amyl resorcinol, hexyl resorcinol, octyl resorcinol p-chloro-m-cresol, salicylanilide, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 3-methoxy propionaldehyde, 2-bromo-ethyl-l,2-propanediol or mixtures of these microbial inhibitors. Beside the addition of microbial inhibitors, tanks used in keeping petroleum products must be clean and furnished iniside with an inert material. Tanks are preferably kept in places of low relative humidity in order to avoid water.