Ali-Reza Chackoshian Khorasani, Mansur Mashreghi, Soheila Yaghmaei,
Volume 6, Issue 3 (12-2013)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Modelling and specifying mathematical equations to predict and estimate a bioprocess is one of the important applications of bioengineering. Objective of this study was to identify proper and exact equations to describe various changes in biodegradation of heavy fuel oil through investigating kinetic models and third parametric equation of Ch. Materials and Methods: To submit an exact and perfect enough statement, two different experimental conditions were used in which isolated indigenous bacteria from environment were employed. Experiments were carried out during ten days and microbial growth, mazut concentration, pH, and electric potential curves were drawn. Fitting data onto kinetic models and Ch equation resulted accuracy and their constants. Results: We found that kinetic models were not capable to present an accurate and appropriate statement under different conditions. On the other hand, Ch equation by extending very accurate equations could satisfyingly illustrate mazut, pH, and electric potential changes based on time and microbial growth. Conclusion: Ch equation by reason of using two variables for computation of third variable and correctly selecting variables could describe various changes in mazut biodegradation under different conditions via mathematical statements. Moreover, it is possible that this equation can be used to study other various phenomena in future.
Alireza Chackoshian Khorasani, Mansour Mashreghi, Soheila Yaghmaei,
Volume 6, Issue 4 (3-2014)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Optimization of mazut biocracking with different variables is one of the bioengineering applications in petroleum industry. The purpose of this study was to optimize biocracking of mazut by native microorganisms. Materials and Methods: To optimize mazut cracking, using Taguchi method we run 32 experiments using seven factors including amount of microbial inoculation, initial pH, surfactant, glucose, phosphor source, nitrogen source and sea salt each of them with four levels and factor of microorganism type with two levels for design of experiment using that 32 experiments were designed by them. Results: Results showed that microbial mixture, 0.016 OD600 microbial inoculations, pH 8.3, Tween80 concentration of 2 g/L, glucose concentration of 4 g/L, phosphate concentration of 5 g/L, ammonium concentration of 9 g/L and sea salt concentration of 0.5 g/L were optimized conditions for biocracking of mazut process. Conclusion: Optimized level for each factor was not essentially inevitably the highest or the lowest level. Based on the analysis of variance, phosphor source with 15.8% and pH with 14.8% had the highest effect among other factors however overally, error factor with 31.6% had the highest influence. Amount of microbial inoculation with 0.63% had the lowest effect on optimizing biocracking of mazut.
