Microbial Action On Hydrocarbons

The book discusses ways to overcome the side effects of using hydrocarbon-based products as energy sources. Hydrocarbons produce raw crude oil waste of around 600,000 metric tons per annum, with a range of uncertainty of 200,000 metric tons per year. The various chapters in this book focus on approaches to reduce these wastes through the application of potential microbes, in a process called bioremediation. The book is a one-stop reference resource on the methods, mechanisms and application of the bio-composites, in the laboratory and field. Focusing on resolving a very pressing environmental issue, it not only provides details of existing challenges, but also offers deeper insights into the possibility of solving problems using hydrocarbon bioremediation.

In this book international experts discuss the state-of-the-art in the biological degradation of hydrocarbons to meet remedial or disposal goals. The work focuses on practical applications, often on globally important scales including the remediation of some of the world's largest crude oil spills. Other related chapters discuss important implications of microbial transformation of hydrocarbons, including treatment of high fat processing wastes, impacts of microbial biodegradation activity on industrial processes, and the implications of microbial oil degradation in relation to modern oil extraction processes like hydraulic fracturing of shales and extraction of oil sands.

In this volume, experts from universities, government labs and industry share their findings on the microbiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of biodegradation and bioremediation. The text covers numerous topics, including: bioavailability, biodegradation of various pollutants, microbial community dynamics, properties and engineering of important biocatalysts, and methods for monitoring bioremediation processes. Microbial processes are environmentally compatible and can be integrated with non-biological processes to detoxify, degrade and immobilize environmental contaminants.

Hydrocarbons and their derivatives (oxygenated and chlorinated, in particular), both natural and xenobiotic, represent a very large class of compounds whose conversions and degradation by microorganisms cover an extremely rich field, whose concepts are detailed in this book. The fascinating evolution of these concepts over the last twenty years has revealed the extent of the processes implemented in the environment and has multiplied their industrial applications. The resulting achievements and the current developments are described in this book.The English edition of this reference manual is an entirely revised and updated version of the French edition. It is intended for professionals, microbiologists and chemists, as well as scientists, engineers, teachers and post-doctoral researchers, who are interested by the conversions of hydrocarbons and by microbial ecology.The French edition of this book was awarded a special mention for engineering education text book by the Roberval Prize committee in 2007.

This book presents new insights into the development of different aspects of petroleum science and engineering. The book contains 19 chapters divided into two main sections: (i) Exploration and Production and (ii) Environmental Solutions. There are 11 chapters in the first section, and the focus is on the topics related to exploration and production of oil and gas, such as characterization of petroleum source rocks, drilling technology, characterization of reservoir fluids, and enhanced oil recovery. In the second section, the special emphasis is on waste technologies and environmental cleanup in the downstream sector. The book written by numerous prominent scholars clearly shows the necessity of the multidisciplinary approach to sustainable development in the petroleum industry and stresses the most updated topics such as EOR and environmental cleanup of fossil fuel wastes.

This book contains a collection of different research activities where several technologies have been applied to the optimization of biodegradation processes. The book has three main sections: A) Hydrocarbons biodegradation, B) Biodegradation and anaerobic digestion, and C) Biodegradation and sustainability.

With oil spills occurring worldwide, much media and practical attention has been given in recent years to the rapidly maturing field of hydrocarbon bioremediation, particularly with application to marine spills. Hydrocarbon contamination of soil and groundwater, although less visible, is even more widespread and has provided the background for the numerous studies presented in this book, in addition to those devoted to shoreline spills. Chapters address a wide variety of theory and practice and cover important subjects such as biofiltration, natural attenuation, surfactants, and the use of in situ bioventing compared to soil venting. This unique book represents the collective global experience of practitioners and researchers in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It describes experiences in tying laboratory studies to field applications. Nowhere else can anyone involved in hydrocarbon bioremediation find more up-to-date, relevant information on field experience using the various techniques and combinations of techniques in remediating hydrocarbons by biological means.

This volume offers environmentally friendly technical solutions that can be implemented to solve problems throughout the value chain of the fossil fuel industry. This new book presents an up-to date view of hydrocarbon microbiology and biotechnology, presented by experts around the world with interest in how our expanding understanding of hydrocarbonoclast ecology and physiology can translate to better tools for bioremediation, oil recovery, bio-upgrading of unconventional crudes, the development of biorefining technologies, and the production of hydrogen and electricity from hydrocarbon wastes. The common theme across the chapters in this book is an interest in how developing hydrocarbon biotechnologies may reduce our impact on the global environment. Written by eminent scientists from both academia and industry, the book starts with a historical perspective on hydrocarbon chemistry and formation, petroleum microbiology, and biotechnology. This is followed by a review of recent research developments in bioremediation and other biotechnologies for hydrocarbons, the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas.