Kinetic modeling and simulation of a batch biodesulfurization process by Rhodococcus erythropolis HN2

ABSTRACT

Kinetic modeling and simulation, for cell growth and BDS efficiency of Rhodococcus erythropolis HN2, have been performed applying the previously statistically optimized operating conditions (Nassar et al., 2017) over a wide range of initial DBT-concentration. That revealed an increase in the specific degradation rate with initial DBT concentration, recording its maximum at 1000 ppm and regardless of the initial DBT-concentration the maximum desulfurization rate occurred at 72 h incubation period. R. erythropolis HN2 recorded maximum specific growth rate of 0.06667 h⁻¹ with maximum specific DBT-BDS rate of 0.8818 h⁻¹, that promotes its application in petroleum desulfurization process.

KEYWORDS:

• biodesulfurization
• dibenzothiophene
• process time
• initial sulfur concentration
• modeling and simulation