Abstract
Ethanol, added as a de-emulsifier to separate oil and biocatalyst (or bacterial cells) from a three-phase (oil/biocatalyst/aqueous phase) emulsion, formed in diesel biodesulfurization employing Gordonia nitida, improved oil recovery by centrifugation from about 50% in its absence to almost 100% at 3% (v/v). The biocatalyst recovered with ethanol addition showed similar specific growth rates (0.03 h−1) and dibenzothiophene desulfurization rates (6–7.2 mol l−1 h−1) to those (0.03 h−1 and 7.1 mol l−1, respectively) of the biocatalyst recovered with no ethanol addition. The desulfurization activity significantly increased as the number of the repeated recovery and reuse of the biocatalyst.
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Choi, O.K., Cho, K.S., Ryu, H.W. et al. Enhancement of phase separation by the addition of de-emulsifiers to three-phase (diesel oil/biocatalyst/aqueous phase) emulsion in diesel biodesulfurization. Biotechnology Letters 25, 73–77 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021750719337
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021750719337