MCB 410

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MCB 410 – PETROLEUM

MICROBIOLOGY
Introduction
• Petroleum Microbiology is the branch of
microbiology concerned with the activities of
microorganisms in the formation, recovery
and uses of petroleum.
• It entails using microorganisms to increase
available fuel supply through enhanced oil
recovery.
• Hydrocarbon metabolism and bioremediation
of petroleum spills.
The importance of microorganisms in
petroleum.
1. The use of microorganisms to produce fuels such as
methane and higher molecular weight
hydrocarbons.
2. The use of microorganisms to increase the
efficiency of the recovery of petroleum
hydrocarbons from existing wells (tertiary oil
recovery).
3. To also aid in the extraction of hydrocarbons from
oil sands and shales (a dark fine-grained
sedimentary rock composed of clay, silt and mud).
4. Microorganisms are useful for clean-up of oil spills
in bioremediation programme
Types of Microorganisms
Microorganisms of concern are Prokaryotes –
• Bacteria, Methanogenic bacteria (archae) e.g
Pseudomonas spp., Serratia marcescens,
Desulfotomaculum spp., Methanosarcinia barkeri
Methanococcus capsulatus
and
• Fungi e.g Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp.,
Phanerochaete sp. Yeast, Cercospora spp. etc
Carbon cycle
All living things are made up of carbon. Carbon
is part of ocean, air, rocks.
Carbon is of particular importance because it is
the route by which useful energy from the sun is
stored in the biosphere.
The carbon cycle is the biological pathway
through which carbon is transferred from non-
living substances to living organisms and from
one living organism to another.
Carbon cycle
• The entire cycle begins with plants,
photosynthetic prokaryotes, protist (algae) in
the presence of CO2 + H 2 O
• Through photosynthesis carbon dioxide is first
absorbed by many different plants and
microbial producers to form cellular
substances, later it is released to the
atmosphere by consumers.
Carbon cycle
• The consumers which are mainly animals
utilise the organic molecules and by
respiration, generate heat and return some
carbon dioxide to air or water
• A small amount may be trapped in ice caps or
groundwater or form bicarbonate ion.
The carbon cycle
Carbon cycle
• Complex series of processes through which all of
the carbon atoms in existence rotate.
• Carbon in the form of CO2 gas is converted into
food by producers
• producers→ herbivores→ carnivores→
Waste/Dead material (Decomposers)
• One of the world’s fastest recycling process.
• Each carbon atom has been recycled numerous
times. For this reason, the carbon cycle has no
specific beginning or ending point.
Sources of Carbon
The decomposition of organic material-
Carbon dioxide is captured by plants throughout
their lives and heterotrophic organisms in turn
obtain a part of this carbon.
The element is transferred from organism to
organism when plants are eaten by herbivores
which are in turn eaten by carnivores along the
food chain.
All these organisms go through respiration, excrete
organic waste, and eventually die and decompose
which releases carbon into the soil either as
carbonates or fossil fuels.
Sources of Atmospheric Carbon
1. A major source of atmospheric CO2 is
degassing from volcanic activity which acts as
a release of carbon dioxide.
2. Cellular- respiration.
3. Burning of fossil fuels.
4. Decomposition of organic materials.
Carbon cycle
Atmospheric carbon consists mostly of carbon dioxide
and has two major sinks.
1. Terrestrial ecosystems
2. Marine ecosystems
Both of which deal with photosynthesis as a part of
assimilation and respiration as a part of release.
A minor carbon sink is the weathering of mountains and
other rock formations formed mainly by silicate
weathering. Carbon dioxide is consumed
from silicate weathering as seen in this equation:
CaSiO3 + 2CO2 + 2H2O => CaCO3 + SiO2 + CO2 + 2H2O
Two major sinks of the carbon cycle
• Tt
Terrestrial ecosystem
• Terrestrial ecosystems draw carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and use it in photosynthesis. The
equation shows how carbon dioxide is broken
down and used to produce glucose for the plants
and oxygen as a by-product.
• CO2 + H2O + light => C6H12O6 + O2 + energy,
• All plants act as a sink for carbon dioxide because
it is a necessary gas for photosynthesis. Of the
terrestrial ecosystems, forests have the highest
rates of productivity.
Marine ecosystem
• Marine ecosystems are separated into two areas: coastal
ecosystems and the open ocean. Coastal ecosystems
include estuaries, wetlands, and continental shelves. All
areas beyond the shelves are considered as Open oceans.
Both have the capacity to store significant amounts of
carbon in sediments and also are able to sequester carbon
in photosynthesis such as prokaryotes and protist
(cyanobacteria, prochlorococcus, synechococcus and
diatoms or chemosynthesis (chemolithoautotrophic
microbes) through phytoplankton, seaweeds, and other
marine algae.
• Most storage of carbon is in marine sediments and rocks,
although some carbon is used by marine life in the
formation of calcium carbonate.
Carbon cycle
The carbon dioxide drawn into marine
ecosystems is eventually released through
oceanic respiration.
Through time and pressure, the organic material
buried in soil and sediments may eventually
become fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which
then become additional sources of carbon.
When these are burned, they emit tremendous
amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere.
Petroleum
• Petroleum coined from
• Greek word Pétra = rock
• Latin word meaning oleum = oil.
• Petroleum one of the most widely distributed
substances in nature.
• Hydrocarbons occur in liquid form (petroleum) or
gaseous form referred to as natural gas or solid form.
• It consist of complex mixture of hydrocarbons with
various molecular weights and organometallo
constituents such as nickel, copper, iron and vanadium.
Petroleum
Petroleum covers both naturally occurring
unprocessed crude oils and petroleum
products.
They have different lengths of H-C and can
be separated by distillation and treated to
produce other useful products.
Oil reserves in sedimentary rocks are
source of H-C for energy.
Hydrocarbons
• The majority of hydrocarbons found naturally
occur in crude oil, where decomposed organic
matter provides an abundance of carbon and
hydrogen when bonded can catenate (to form
atoms of the same chemical element into a
chain held together by chemical bonds) to
form seemingly limitless chains.
Hydrocarbons
Any class of compound comprising H and C.
They can be straight/ branched/ cyclic molecules
H-C can be saturated or unsaturated.
Alkane is a saturated H-C. Unsaturated H-C
include alkenes, alkynes, cycloalkanes and
aromatic H-C.
Saturated H-C (CnH 2n+2) alkanes are the basis of
petroleum fuels.
Schematic Diagram of H-Cs
Types of H-C
Alkanes are composed entirely of single bonds are
saturated with H e.g Methane (CH 4 )
Unsaturated H-C are either found as linear or
branched with double/triple bonds between carbon
atoms.
Alkenes (CnH 2n) are double bond H-C while Alkynes
contain triple bond (CnH 2n-2).
Cycloalkanes contain one/more carbon rings to
which hydrogen atom is attached.
Aromatic H-C has at least one aromatic ring.
Composition of elements

Element Percent Range

Carbon 83 – 85%

Hydrogen 10 – 14%

Nitrogen 0.1 – 2 %

Oxygen 0.05 – 1.5%

Sulphur 0.05 – 6%

Metals < 0.1%


Forms of H-C
Carbon tends to form 4 bonds in a tetrahedral
geometry. H-C derivatives are formed when there is a
substitution of a functional group at one or more of
these positions
1. Gases – methane and propane.
2. Liquids – hexane and benzene.
3. Waxes/low melting solids- paraffin wax,
naphthalene.
4. Polymers – polyethylene, polypropylene,
polystyrene.
Composition by weight of H-C
in crude oil
Hydrocarbon Average Percent range

Alkanes (Paraffins) 30% 15 – 60%

Cycloalkanes (Naphthenes) 49% 30 – 60%

Aromatics 15% 3 – 30%

Asphaltics 6% Remainder
Uses of H-C
• H-Cs are one of the earth’s most important
energy sources
• Predominant use is as a combustible fuel
source such as coal, petroleum, natural gas.
• Electric energy and best because of energy
produced when burnt.
• During combustion H-C produce steam, CO2
• and heat bringing about an exothermic
reaction
Exothermic chemical reaction.

Methane:

CH4 + 2O2 → 2H2O + CO2 + Energy
Propane:

C3H8 + 5O2 → 4H2O + 3CO2 + Energy
Petroleum/H-C as fuels
Fractions Boiling point range oC
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - 40
Butane - 12 to -1
Petrol -1 to 110
Jet fuel 150 to 205
Kerosene 205 to 260
Fuel oil 205 to 290

Diesel oil 260 to 315


Derivatives of H-C
• H-C with non H-C to create other non product
• Alkenes (Olefins) for plastics.
• Lubricants (motor oils, greases).
• Paraffin wax
• Bulk tar
• Agriculture- fertilisers and pesticides.
• Sulphuric Acid.
• Pharmaceutics
Upstream and Down stream
operations in the petroleum Industry
• The terms Upstream and downstream refers to an
industry location in the supply chain.
• If the firm is close to the end user then the firm is
said to be downstream. So the closer to the end user
a function or firm is, the further downstream it is
said to be. The refineries represent the downstream
element of the oil and gas supply chain.
• However, raw material extraction or production are
considered to be upstream. In other words the
farther it is said to be e.g the oil and gas industry.
Upstream and Down stream
operations in the petroleum Industry
• The upstream companies identify oil and natural
gas deposits and engage in the extraction (drill
wells) of these resources (raw materials) from
underground. These firms are often called
exploration and production companies.
• This sector also includes related services, such as
rig operations, feasibility studies, machinery
rental and extraction chemical supply.
Midstream operations
• Midstream operations link the upstream and
downstream entities.
• Midstream operations mostly include resource
transportation and storage, such as pipelines
and gathering systems.

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