Biocatalysis in Oil Refining focuses on petroleum refining bioprocesses, establishing a connection between science and technology.The micro organisms and biomolecules examined for biocatalytic purposes for oil refining processes are thoroughly detailed. Terminology used by biologists, chemists and engineers is brought into a common language, aiding the understanding of complex biological-chemical-engineering issues. Problems to be addressed by the future R&D activities and by new technologies are described and summarized in the last chapter. * Updated references * Studying bioprocessing problems, looking at opportunities for improvements and technology developments

From basic tenets to the latest advances, this is the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the process of biodesulfurization in the petroleum refining industry. Petroleum refining and process engineering is constantly changing. No new refineries are being built, but companies all over the world are still expanding or re-purposing huge percentages of their refineries every year, year after year. Rather than building entirely new plants, companies are spending billions of dollars in the research and development of new processes that can save time and money by being more efficient and environmentally safer. Biodesulfurization is one of those processes, and nowhere else it is covered more thoroughly or with more up-to-date research of the new advances than in this new volume from Wiley-Scrivener. Besides the obvious benefits to biodesulfurization, there are new regulations in place within the industry with which companies will, over the next decade or longer, spend literally tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars to comply. Whether for the veteran engineer needing to update his or her library, the beginning engineer just learning about biodesulfurization, or even the student in a chemical engineering class, this outstanding new volume is a must-have. Especially it covers also the bioupgrading of crude oil and its fractions, biodenitrogenation technology and application of nanotechnology on both biodesulfurization and biodenitrogenation technologies.

This book is one of a kind in the field of petroleum biorefining and biological upgrade of petroleum; it presents a critical review as well as an integrated overview of the potential biochemical processes, bridging the gap between academia and industry. It addresses today's demanding production challenges, taking into account energy efficient and environmentally friendly processes, and also looks at the future possibility of implementing new refinery systems. Suitable for those practitioners the petroleum industry, students and researchers interested in petroleum biotechnology.* Covers a new application field for biotechnology* Looks at innovative processes for the petroleum industry* Presents examples of modern environmental processes

Marine bioprospecting is a highly topical subject - in both applied and basic research - but, as yet, the marine ecosystem is a relatively unexplored source of natural bioactive substances with potential therapeutic activity. This book addresses the use of marine enzymes in biocatalysis through a series of chapters from leading scientists within academic and industrial fields. Biocatalytic processes can take advantage of the habitat-related properties of marine enzymes, such as salt tolerance, hyperthermostability, barophilicity, cold adaptivity, and so on, whilst also taking into consideration substrate specificity and affinity. These evolved properties are linked to the metabolic functions of the enzymes and to the ecological aspects of the natural source. New properties can also be discovered at the molecular level of catalysis, particularly concerning the stereochemical characteristics of products.Marine enzymes for biocatalysis initially examines the nature and level of interest in marine biological diversity, and outlines the fundamentals of biocatalysis. It goes on to detail sources of marine enzymes, and to analyse examples from both chemical and stereochemical viewpoints of catalysis, including microbial enzymes and animal or plant sources. The book goes on to explore the future potential of marine bioprospecting in biocatalysis. - Compiles studies from leading scientists in a direct and accessible format. Includes practical descriptions of results, adding further details not often covered in formal articles - Takes a molecular view which fully explains the enzymatic aspects of reactions, particularly regarding biocatalytic characteristics and descriptions of bioprocesses - Selects examples of chemical and stereochemical aspects of enzymatic action with respect to known terrestrial counterparts

Petroleum hydrocarbons are both a product of, and rich substrate for, microorganisms from across all Domains of life. Rooted deeply in the history of microbiology, hydrocarbons have been studied as sources of carbon and energy for microorganisms for over a century. As global demand for petroleum and its refined products continues to rise, so do challenges associated with environmental pollution, oil well souring, infrastructure corrosion, oil recovery, transport, refining, and upgrading of heavy crude oils and bitumens. Advances in genomics, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering has invigorated interest in petroleum microbial biotechnology as interest grows in technologies for in situ methane production, biodesulfurization and biodenitrogenation, bio-upgrading of heavy crudes, microbial enhanced oil recovery, corrosion control, and biocatalysts for generating value-added products. Given the complexity of the global petroleum industry and the harsh conditions in which it operates, a deeper understanding of the ecophysiology of aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities that have associations with petroleum hydrocarbons is needed if robust technologies are to be deployed successfully. This research topic highlights recent advances in microbial enhanced oil recovery, methanogenic hydrocarbon metabolism and carbon dioxide sequestration, bioremediation, microbiologically influenced corrosion, biodesulfurization, and the application of metagenomics to better understand microbial communities associated with petroleum hydrocarbons.

Faced with the steady rise in energy costs, dwindling fossil fuel supplies, and the need to maintain a healthy environment - exploration of alternative energy sources is essential for meeting energy needs. Biological systems employ a variety of efficient ways to collect, store, use, and produce energy. By understanding the basic processes of biological models, scientists may be able to create systems that mimic biomolecules and produce energy in an efficient and cost effective manner. On May 14-15, 2007 a group of chemists, chemical engineers, and others from academia, government, and industry participated in a workshop sponsored by the Chemical Sciences Roundtable to explore how bioinspired chemistry can help solve some of the important energy issues the world faces today. The workshop featured presentations and discussions on the current energy challenges and how to address them, with emphasis on both the fundamental aspects and the robust implementation of bioinspired chemistry for energy.

The edited volume presents the progress of first and second generation biofuel production technology in selected countries. Possibility of producing alternative fuels containing biocomponents and selected research methods of biofuels exploitation characteristics (also aviation fuels) was characterized. The book shows also some aspects of the environmental impact of the production and biofuels using, and describes perspectives of biofuel production technology development. It provides the review of biorefinery processes with a particular focus on pretreatment methods of selected primary and secondary raw materials. The discussion includes also a possibility of sustainable development of presented advanced biorefinery processes.

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.

This book, The Science and Technology of Unconventional Oils: Finding Refining Opportunities, intends to report the collective physical and chemical knowledge of unconventional oils (heavy, extra-heavy, sour/acid, and shale oil) and the issues associated with their refining for the production of transportation fuels. It will focus on the discussion of the scientific results and technology activities of the refining of unconventional oils. The presence of reactive and refractory compounds and components that negatively impact refining processing (the "bad actors") are discussed and analyzed. The commercially available technologies, with their reported improvements and emerging ideas, concepts, and technologies, are described. This comprehensive overview constitutes the basis for establishing technology gaps, and in return sets the science and technology needs to be addressed in the future. In summary, this book incorporates the relevant knowledge of processing unconventional crude oils and of the "Bottom-of-the-Barrel" fraction, describing the related commercially available and emerging technologies to contribute to the identification of existing gaps. - Relates physicochemical properties and phenomenological behavior of unconventional oils to refining challenges - Describes commercially available technologies and the problems they solve - Lists recent improvements in various processes and identifies technology gaps - Explains emerging new refining technologies and the problems they solve - Discusses future needs and challenges, and suggests further research and development needs