Petroleum Crude Oil Research Articles

Discriminating crude oil grades using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The analysis of crude oil using laser-based analytical techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has become of great interest to various specialists in different fields such as geology, petro-chemistry and environmental science. In this work, a detailed study is presented wherein the implementation of an efficient and simple LIBS technique to identify the elemental constituents of crude oil and to distinguish between different grades of petroleum crude oil is discussed.Laser-induced plasma (LIP) technique has been used in this work for direct measurements of atomic, ionic and molecular species in dry crude oil samples with API gravities ranging between 18 and 36. The technique was implemented using the first harmonic of a pulsed Nd-YAG laser source. Atomic and molecular emission bands were observed, consisting of characteristic spectral lines of atoms and diatomic molecular bands, namely from C, H, Si, Na, Ca, Mg, AL, Fe, Ti, Mo, C2 and CN. The intensities of high-resolution spectral lines for some atoms and molecules of elements such as Ca, Na, Fe, Mo, C2 and CN were evaluated at different wavelengths along the obtained spectra. The molecular bands and the elemental spectral lines were used to assess the possibility of adopting the LIBS technique in differentiating between crude oil samples with different American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity values. The results indicate the presence of a distinct correlation between the API gravity values of the various oil samples and the spectral line intensities of the elements and some molecular radical constituents. In addition, the possibility of identifying the API gravity values of unknown oil samples is also indicated.

Analysis of railroad tank car releases using a generalized binomial model

The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in shale oil production, leading to a dramatic growth in petroleum crude oil traffic by rail. In 2014, U.S. railroads carried over 500,000 tank carloads of petroleum crude oil, up from 9500 in 2008 (a 5300% increase). In light of continual growth in crude oil by rail, there is an urgent national need to manage this emerging risk. This need has been underscored in the wake of several recent crude oil release incidents. In contrast to highway transport, which usually involves a tank trailer, a crude oil train can carry a large number of tank cars, having the potential for a large, multiple-tank-car release incident. Previous studies exclusively assumed that railroad tank car releases in the same train accident are mutually independent, thereby estimating the number of tank cars releasing given the total number of tank cars derailed based on a binomial model. This paper specifically accounts for dependent tank car releases within a train accident. We estimate the number of tank cars releasing given the number of tank cars derailed based on a generalized binomial model. The generalized binomial model provides a significantly better description for the empirical tank car accident data through our numerical case study. This research aims to provide a new methodology and new insights regarding the further development of risk management strategies for improving railroad crude oil transportation safety.

Bubble Nucleation and Growth of Dissolved Gas in Solution Flowing across a Cavitating Nozzle

Computational modelling of dissolved gas bubble formation and growth in supersaturated solution is essential for various engineering applications, including flash vaporisation of petroleum crude oil. The common mathematical modelling of bubbly flow only caters for single liquid and its vapour, which is known as cavitation. This work aims to simulate the bubble nucleation and growth of dissolved CO2 in water across a cavitating nozzle. The dynamics of bubble nucleation and growth phenomenon will be predicted based on the hydrodynamics in the computational domain. The complex interrelated bubble dynamics, mass transfer and hydrodynamics was coupled by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and bubble nucleation and growth model. Generally, the bubbles nucleate at the throat of the nozzle and grow along with the flow. Therefore, only the region after the throat of the nozzle has bubbles. This approach is expected to be useful for various types of bubbly flow modelling in supersaturated condition.

Optimization of basic catalyst with ammoniated polyethylene glycol for the removal of naphthenic acid from petroleum crude oil by Box–Behnken design

Naphthenic acid (NA) removal from petroleum crude oil was investigated and optimized through the utilization of a formulated basic chemical and a basic catalyst. The response surface method (RSM) by Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed for this purpose. Ammoniated polyethylene glycol (NH3-PEG) and cerium oxide supported on alumina were selected as the basic chemical and basic catalyst, respectively. Synthesizing of the catalyst was conducted through the wet impregnation method, and calcination was performed at temperatures of 400, 700, and 1000 °C. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (FESEM-EDX), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) were employed for characterizing the catalyst. A preliminary study revealed that the finest catalytic activity was achieved with the calcination of the Ce/Al2O3 catalyst at 1000 °C with a NH3-PEG concentration of 1000 mg/L and a percentage of NH3-PEG/oil mass ratio of 0.40. The optimization of the parameters, which comprise catalyst calcination temperature, concentration of NH3-PEG, and the percentage of NH3-PEG/oil mass ratio on the deacidification of NA, was achieved through the utilization of the response surface method (RSM) by BBD. The optimal conditions were realized at a catalyst calcination temperature of 1,050.54 °C, a NH3-PEG concentration of 853.10 mg/L, and a percentage of NH3-PEG/oil mass ratio of 0.47. With a 0.41 % margin of error, the results from RSM were deemed in good agreement with the experimental values.

Deacidification of Acidic Petroleum Crude Oil Utilizing a Formulated Basic Chemical

An increasing interest in acidic fractions in crude oil was prompted by the corrosion problems that these compounds caused during oil refining process. This corrosion is associated with the total acid number (TAN). With the anticipated growth of acidic crudes in the market, a new technology for removal of the acidic fractions was introduced. Petronas Penapisan Melaka Light Crude (B) with TAN values of 2.52 was studied. The ammoniated polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as the deacidifying agent in this study with a concentration range of 100-2500 mg/L. Data indicated that the optimal content of ammoniated polyethylene glycol in crude B was 1500 mg/L, and PEG with molecular weight of 2000 was the most promising co-solvent with the reagent/oil ratio being 0.4:1 (wt/wt). A reaction time of 5 min with a suitable reaction temperature of 40°C and optimal stirring time of 5 min were sufficient to achieve the goal for crude oil B. The TAN was lowered to 0.28 for crude oil B. The percentage of acid removal for crude B was 78. An increase in the concentration of basic chemical reduced the TAN value for crude oil B to less than 1.

Functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles as oil spill collector.

In the present study, a new magnetic powder based on magnetite can be used as a petroleum crude oil collector. Amidoximes based on rosin as a natural product can be prepared from a reaction between hydroxylamine and rosin/acrylonitrile adducts. The produced rosin amidoximes were used as capping agents for magnetite nanoparticles to prepare hydrophobic coated magnetic powders. A new class of monodisperse hydrophobic magnetite nanoparticles was prepared by a simple and inexpensive co-precipitation method. Iron ions and iodine were prepared by the reaction between ferric chloride and potassium iodide. The structure and morphology of magnetite capped with rosin amidoxime were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The magnetic properties were determined from vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analyses. These prepared magnetite nanoparticles were tested as bioactive nanosystems and their antimicrobial effects were investigated. The prepared nanomaterials were examined as a crude oil collector using magnetic fields. The results show promising data for the separation of the petroleum crude oil from aqueous solution in environmental pollution cleanup.

English

Petroleum crude oil biodegrading fungi were isolated from Treculia africana seeds in the presence and absence of petroleum fumes. An assessment of the relative ability of each fungus to biodegrade petroleum crude oil, kerosene, diesel, unspent engine oil, spent engine oil and extracted oil from T. africana seeds on minimal salt solution was investigated using changes in optical density read on a spectrophotometer and gas chromatographic analyses. Ten fungi were isolated from T. africana seeds in the presence and absence of petroleum fumes. These included one species each of Mucor, Paecilomyces, Rhizopus and Syncephalastrum, four species of Aspergillus and two species of Penicillium. It was evident that the fungi used in this research work were capable of biodegrading the petroleum and extracted T. africana seed oil hydrocarbon, though at different rates. Rhizopus had the highest degrading ability in kerosene, unspent engine oil, crude oil and the extracted oil from the seed, while Penicillium pinophyllum had the lowest ability to degrade the oil. The gas chromatogram (GC) showed that Paecilomyces biodegraded the hydrocarbons in the crude oil compared to the control (crude without fungi) using up some carbon atoms (C12-C24) after the 40 days of incubation, suggesting n-alkane biodegradation. Also the GC analysis of the seed oil of T. africana, after 40 days of incubation, showed a reduction in the seed oil hydrocarbons, removing C10- C15. Key words: Hydrocarbon utilization, Treculia Africana, seeds, petroleum crude oil, fungi.

Phytoremediation of soils polluted with crude petroleum oil using Bassia scoparia and its associated rhizosphere microorganisms

The ability of Bassia scoparia (L.) A. J. Scott to remediate petroleum-contaminated arid land sandy soil was studied with natural and sterilized soils, and with supplemental nutrients and water. The species showed good tolerance of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) in soils reaching 2–3% (oil:soil by mass) pollution levels. After five months of phytoremediation, the average degradation rate of petroleum hydrocarbons ranged between 31.2 ± 1.15–57.7 ± 1.29% for natural soil and 28.7 ± 1.04–51.1 ± 1.53% for pre-sterilized soil. The highest breakdown of PHs for both saturated and poly-aromatic fractions was achieved when plants were present. Changes in saturated and aromatic fractions were monitored and measured using gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. Moderate concentrations of PHs activated specialized oil-degrading microorganisms which in turn promoted the efficiency of phytoremediation. Polluted soils planted with B. scoparia also showed a significant reduction in sulfur levels. The potential demonstrated for remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons and sulfur by B. scoparia suggests it may be a useful tool for remediation of arid land soils contaminated with crude oil.

Modeling of Sand and Crude Oil Flow in Horizontal Pipes during Crude Oil Transportation

Some oil and gas reservoirs are often weakly consolidated making them liable to sand intrusion. During upstream petroleum production operations, crude oil and sand eroded from formation zones are often transported as a mixture through horizontal pipes up to the well heads and between well heads and flow stations. The sand transported through the pipes poses serious problems ranging from blockage, corrosion, abrasion, and reduction in pipe efficiency to loss of pipe integrity. A mathematical description of the transport process of crude oil and sand in a horizontal pipe is presented in this paper. The model used to obtain the mathematical description is the modified form of Doan et al. (1996 and 2000) models. Based on the necessity to introduce a sand deposit concentration term in the mass conservation equation, an additional equation for solid phase was derived. Difference formulae were generated having applied Fick’s equation for diffusion to the mass conservation equations since diffusion is one of the transport mechanisms. Mass and volume flow rates of oil were estimated. The new model, when tested with field data, gave 85% accuracy at the pipe inlet and 97% accuracy at the exit of the pipe.

Characterization of Petroleum Crude Oils using Laser Induced Fluorescence

The use of laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy to characterize crude oil has privileges compared to conventional techniques in terms of reducing the size of sample, rapidity of measurements, high sensitivity and simplicity of sample handling and possibility of in situ measurements. The fluorescence radiation emitted from crude oil is the result of the interaction between the aromatic compounds and the electromagnetic radiation. The fluorescence spectra and their intensities are directly affected by the chemical composition and physical properties of the investigated samples. Important fluorescent information might be lost with the use of a single excitation wavelength, but might be obtained using other excitation wavelengths and thus enhancing the technique’s discrimination capability between different crude oil samples. For this reason, fluorescence spectra in the present work were obtained using four types of CW lasers as excitation sources. Five dry crude oil samples with American Petroleum Institute (API) gravities between 18 and 44 were diluted to 5 mg/l using chlorinated solvent. The excitation of the samples was performed using diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSS) emitting at 266 nm, 405 nm, 532 nm and an argon ion laser at 488 nm. The present work introduces for the first time the usage of laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy in the characterization of Egyptian crude oils. The results revealed the dependence of the emitted fluorescence on the physical and chemical properties of the oil samples including the API gravity, viscosity, sulphur and asphaltene contents. Thus, it is feasible to make use of LIF as a simple and fast spectrochemical analytical technique in differentiating between different types of crude oil.

Evaluation of Enzyme Expression in a Macrophytic Treated Crude Oil Soil Habitat: Implication for Enhanced Phytoremediation Potential Using Transgenic Botanicals

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the success of phytoremediation and its advantages over conventional physical and biochemical (even engineered transgenics) methods, resulting in its use on many contaminated sites. A direct method for enhancing the effectiveness of phytoremediation is to over express the genes in transgenic plants that are involved in metabolism, uptake and/or transport of specific pollutants. Objective: A screen-house ecological study was carried out to evaluate the remediation potentials of three species of the Fabaceae Family (Peltophorum pterocarpum, Leucaena leucocephala and Crotolaria retusa) for cleaning up soils contaminated with crude oil petroleum hydrocarbons. Result: Enzymatic analysis and hydrocarbon index assessment of the species and the vegetated and non-vegetated soils showed that P. pterocarpum recorded significant (p<0.05) performance over C. retusa and L. leucocephala in the uptake of hydrocarbons (oil and Grease (OG), Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC), organic carbon and organic matter content]. Results showed significant (p<0.05) reduction in enzyme expression and soil hydrocarbon index. C. retusa recorded significant (p<0.05) increase over P. pterocarpum and L. leucocephala in enzyme expression and reduction in foliar hydrocarbon index, with significant (p<0.05) increase in soil hydrocarbon index. Conclusion: Crotolaria retusa can thus be recommended as an integral component of any bioremediation technology package for hydrocarbon polluted terrestrial environment and by it transgenic enhancement of indigenous enzymes.

Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Agricultural Soil Contaminated with Crude Oil from Nigeria Refinery using leurotus sajor-caju

Contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons has rendered soil from oil exploring areas in Nigeria unwholesome for agricultural practices. Because of the carcinogenic properties of the contaminant, its removal from soil is therefore an absolute necessity to promote a sustainable development for society and sound human health. Thus, a rapid cost effective method of biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) using Pleurotus sajor-caju was employed. Soil samples were collected from agricultural sites in Akpan town near Nigerian refineries and were analysed for sixteen PAHs by Gas Chromatography (GC). The total PAHs concentrations ranged from 56.8 to 112 mg kg-1. Using the ratios of phenanthrene to anthracene (Phe/Ant) and fluoranthene to pyrene (Flu/Pyr) to identify sources of contamination, PAHs concentrations in Akpan soils possibly had pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. These sources included crude oil petroleum combustion and spills. Pleurotus Sajor-Cajor offered significant reduction in PAHs concentrations after 6 weeks of incubation.

Baseline for PAHs and metals in NW Gulf of Mexico related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

As a rapid response to the massive oil spill caused by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Platform in the northern Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, a baseline study was initiated. The study focused on determining the concentration of crude oil petroleum hydrocarbons and trace metals (Cr, Ni and V) in water and surface sediments from Mexico's EZZ, in the NW Gulf of Mexico. A total of 60 samples obtained from the shelf-slope regions were analyzed by GC/FID for 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and ICP/MS for Cr, Ni and V. The concentrations of PAHs in the surface water were below detection limits (<0.003–0.03 μg L−1) while in sediments, ranged from 0.01 to 0.070 μg g−1. International sedimentary quality guidelines (ERL-ERM) indicated a low probability of harmful effects to benthic organisms. Similarly, metal concentrations in sediments exhibited low concentrations (Cr 25.2–117, Ni 9.6–50.8, V 42.9–150.8 μg g−1). These metals were traced to a lithogenic source related to the heavy sediment load contributed by local rivers; no traces of anthropogenic inputs from oil related operations were identified. Significant enrichment of Ni and V was recorded in deep sediments whose ERL limits did not represent adverse conditions to benthic communities except for few sites on the upper continental slope. During the first two years of environmental monitoring of Mexico's EZZ in the NW Gulf of Mexico, no evidence of the DWH oil spill have been detected.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae SHSY detoxifies petroleum n-alkanes by an induced CYP52A58 and an enhanced order in cell surface hydrophobicity

Environmental hydrocarbon contamination has a serious hazard to human health. Alkanes, the major component of hydrocarbons, can be consumed by various species of yeast. We previously identified a new strain SHSY of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a remarkable ability to utilize the petroleum crude-oil (PCO) in aqueous solution. The current study demonstrated that the n-alkanes-assimilation activity of S. cerevisiae SHSY was related to an induced microsomal protein of 59kDa approximately. The identified ORF encoded a protein of 517 amino acids and shared 93% sequence identity with an alkane-inducible hydroxylase CYP52A53 isolated from Scheffersomyces stipitis CBS. It was therefore referred as CYP52A58. The catalytic activity of the recombinant CYP52A58 was confirmed by the hydroxylation of n-alkanes, it showed an optimal mono-terminal hydroxylation activity toward n-hexadecane. Moreover, the ability of the yeast to use n-alkanes was accompanied with an increasing level in cell wall mannoproteins. Two differential protein bands were detected in the mannoproteins extracted from PCO-grown yeast. In parallel, a significant increase in the fatty acids content with a high degree of unsaturation was subsequently detected in the PCO-grown yeast. This study characterizes a safe and potential microorganism to remove n-alkanes from the aquatic environment.

Spectral signature of Egyptian crude oils

Crude petroleum oils are complex mixtures of diverse hydrocarbons, in widely varying compositions, that originate from a variety of geological sources. Fluorescence emission spectra have been measured for two types of Egyptian crude petroleum oil, its light and heavy products over a broad range of excitation and emission wavelengths. Both types of crude oil products are characterized by spectral signatures with a differing topography: the number of fluorescent peaks, their coordinates (λex, λem) on the plane of the three dimensions spectrum, and the shape of the bands formed by the contour line density, changeable in either direction. The refined light oil shows emission spectra at λmax between 350 and 500 nm according to the excitation wavelength. The refined heavy oil shows very broad unstructured emission spectra with λmax > 400 nm. As a group, they could certainly be distinguished from the light oil samples and most of the crude oil.

Catalytic deacidification optimization of Korean crude oil based on response surface methodology

The presence of naphthenic acids in petroleum crude oil caused serious corrosion problem to the equipment used in the petroleum refinery industry. The acidity level in the petroleum crude oil is determined from the total acid number (TAN) values. In this study, Korean crude oil sample was obtained from PETRONAS Malacca Refinery with an initial TAN of 8.32 mg KOH/g. A catalytic deacidification technique using ammonia–ethylene glycol (NH3–EG) and KOH solution was applied on this crude oil sample with the aid of an alkaline earth metal oxide catalyst. Parameters investigated in this study were concentration of NH3–EG, concentration of KOH, catalyst calcination temperature, type of metal oxide catalysts, and percentage of NH3 in EG. Response surface methodology (RSM) with the central composite design (CCD) was employed to study the optimum condition capable of lowering the TAN in the Korean crude to less than one. The parameters used in the RSM were NH3–EG concentration, KOH concentration, and percentage of NH3 in EG. The results showed an 89.9 % reduction of TAN in the Korean crude using 1,000 mg/L of 1 % of 10 M KOH + 4 % NH3 in EG solution with the aid of Cu/Ca (10:90)/Al2O3 catalyst calcined at 1,000 °C. The application of a designed experiment using RSM with CCD confirmed the results obtained experimentally were in good agreement with each other for limited experimental runs.

Transmission Geometry Laser Desorption Atmospheric Pressure Photochemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Complex Organic Mixtures

We present laser desorption atmospheric pressure photochemical ionization mass spectrometry (LD/APPCI MS) for rapid throughput analysis of complex organic mixtures, without the need for matrix, electric discharge, secondary electrospray, or solvents/vaporizers. Analytes dried on a microscope slide are vaporized in transmission geometry by a laser beam aligned with the atmospheric pressure inlet of the mass spectrometer. The laser beam initiates a cascade of reactions in the region between the glass slide and MS inlet, leading to generation of reagent ions for chemical ionization of vaporized analyte. Positive analyte ions are generated predominantly by proton transfer, charge exchange, and hydride abstraction, whereas negative ions are generated by electron capture or proton transfer reactions, enabling simultaneous analysis of saturated, unsaturated, and heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons. The absence of matrix interference renders LD/APPCI MS particularly useful for analysis of small molecules (<2000 Da) such as those present in petroleum crude oil and petroleum deposits. [M + H](+) and M(+•) dominate the positive-ion mass spectra for olefins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, whereas saturated hydrocarbons are observed mainly as [M - H](+) and/or M(+•). Heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons are observed predominantly as [M + H](+). [M - H](-) and M(-•) are the dominant negative ions observed for analytes of lower gas-phase basicity or higher electron affinity than O2. The source was coupled with a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICR MS) to resolve and identify thousands of peaks from Athabasca bitumen heavy vacuum gas oil distillates (400-425 and 500-538 °C), enabling simultaneous characterization of their polar and nonpolar composition. We also applied LD/APPCI FTICR MS for rapid analysis of sodium and calcium naphthenate deposits with little to no sample pretreatment to provide mass spectral fingerprints that enable reliable compositional characterization.

Bio based grease A value added product from renewable resources

Finite resources of crude petroleum oil and growing concern over climate change are driving investment and innovation in the sector of biofuels. Vegetable oils in comparison with mineral oils are renewable, easily available, environmentally friendly, economically cheaper than mineral oil and hence sustainable indeed. This paper presents a series of structural modifications of vegetable oil–Karanja oil using various alcohols to form fatty acid esters. This fatty acid esters were then used as base oil in the formulation of grease. Formulated bio-based grease was then evaluated for its tribological properties against mineral oil based grease.

MICROWAVE DEHYDRATOR: AN ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY STEP TOWARD IMPROVING MICROWAVE DEMULSIFICATION OF PETROLEUM EMULSIONS

In this research introduces a newly improved method of microwave dehydrator. A system consists of modified domestic microwave oven and silicon based chemical demulsifiers was used to dehydrate two types of petroleum crude oils from Middle East. Silicone based additives which claimed to be nontoxic are used in conjunction with the modified microwave oven. The currently available demulsification techniques that consist mainly of chemicals together with mechanical, heating and electrical methods have some drawbacks, since chemicals are costly and harmful to the environment, mechanical techniques such as gravity settling tank, hydro cyclone vessel, centrifugal separators, and steam stripping are large requiring more space, time and cost, electrical techniques almost always work in a very high voltage that can easily cause fire via short circuit. Therefore, the objective of this project is to introduce the Microwave Dehydrator (MD) as a step forward to the commercialization of the microwave treatment of petroleum based emulsions. This is to replace or reduce the use of chemical dehydrators in the oil field. Simulated experimental model emulsions of various crude oils were produced to mimic the real emulsions. From previous articles, the optimal parameters to produce w/o emulsions of heavy crude oils were 0.25% (v/v) emulsifier’s concentration (Span 80) with mixing speed of 1600 rpm for 7 minutes mixing time. In this study, experimental stable emulsion were prepared from two different crude oils namely, Saudi Arabia (SA) and Kuwait, the water content in the emulsion was varied (20-80% and 50-50%), as well as the concentration of the additives (0.05 and 0.1%), results was discussed in terms of temperature, heat generation, and dielectric properties as well as water resolution. The results of the this research showed that, for 50-50% Kuwait oil emulsions, the optimal formulation was 0.1% additive and 2 minutes irradiation time gave the maximum water separation of 87%, while for 20-80% Kuwait oil emulsions, 0.1% additives and 2 minutes irradiation time had given the maximum separation of 52%. Furthermore, for Saudi Arabia crude emulsions, 50-50% w/o emulsions with 0.1% additive and 1.5 irradiation time had given the maximum separation of 85%. While for 20-80% w/o emulsions, 0.1% additive and 2 minutes irradiation time had given the maximum separation of 62%. Fundamentally the basic mechanism behind the effectiveness of microwave demulsification is that the electromagnetic wave that induce the water molecules to move as trying to rearrange themselves with the wave in two distinct mechanisms, known as ionic conduction and dipole rotation that would eventually convert the wave energy into heat generated within the water molecules. These results proved that microwave dehydrator can reduce the usage of chemical demulsifiers, as well as processing time and environmental issues.

Monitoring of oil pollution at Gemsa Bay and bioremediation capacity of bacterial isolates with biosurfactants and nanoparticles

Fifteen crude oil-degrading bacterial isolates were isolated from an oil-polluted area in Gemsa Bay, Red Sea, Egypt. Two bacterial species showed the highest growth rate on crude oil hydrocarbons. From an analysis of 16S rRNA sequences, these isolates were identified as Pseudomonas xanthomarina KMM 1447 and Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588. Gas Chromatographic (GC) analysis of the crude oil remaining in the culture medium after one week at 30°C showed that the optimum biodegradation of crude petroleum oil was demonstrated at 50% in medium containing biosurfactant with two types of nanoparticles separately and two bacterial species. The complete degradation of some different members of polyaromatics and the percentage biodegradation of other polyaromatics increased in microcosm containing two different types of nanoparticles with biosurfactant after 7days. In conclusion, these bacterial strains may be useful for the bioremediation process in the Gemsa Bay, Red Sea decreasing oil pollution in this marine ecosystem.