Biodegradation of gas-to-liquids synthetic diesel, biodiesel and their blends

CITATION: Albertus, R. M. C. & Reinecke, A. J. 2015. Biodegradering van sintetiese gas-tot-vloeistof-diesel, biodiesel en hul mengsels. Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie, 34(1), Art. #1302, doi:10.4102/satnt.v34i1.1302.The original publication is available at http://www.satnt.ac.zaVolhoubare en hernubare alternatiewe vir petroleumbrandstowwe word ondersoek vanweë die toenemende aanvraag na brandstof in die vervoerbedryf. Sintetiese brandstowwe soos diesel word van natuurlike gas en steenkool geproduseer, via die Fischer-Tropschsinteseproses. Biodiesel kan ’n aantreklike alternatief vir petroleumgebaseerde diesel wees omdat die fisiese eienskappe daarvan soortgelyk is aan dié van petrodiesel en dit vervoer en gestoor kan word deur van bestaande infrastruktuur gebruik te maak. Die biodegradeerbaarheid van sintetiese diesel en biodieselmengsels is ondersoek deur van respirometrie gebruik te maak. Die doel was om vas te stel of biodiesel die biodegradeerbaarheid van die mengsels kan bevorder in vergelyking met sintetiese petrodiesel. Bykomend is ’n model ontwikkel om die biodegradeerbaarheid van die diesel en diesel-/biodieselmengsels te voorspel deur benutting van die molekulȇre samestelling van die brandstowwe en die BIOWIN V.4.10, EPISuite-voorspellingsagteware. Die byvoeging van biodiesel tot sintetiese diesel het die biodegradeerbaarheid van die mengsels bevorder. Die byvoeging van minder as 1% biodiesel het die biodegraderingsklassifikasie vanaf inherent biodegradeerbaar tot geredelik biodegradeerbaar verbeter. Die byvoeging van biodiesel tot petroleumgebaseerde diesel kan gebruik word om die ontwikkeling van hernubare alternatiewe aan te moedig, aangesien die mengsels beter biodegradeer as petroleumdiesel. Die voordele van biodiesel om die remediëring van koolwaterstofkontaminasie te bevorder, is ook bevestig.Sustainable renewable alternatives to petroleum fuels are being investigated because of the growing demand for transportation fuel. Synthetic fuels like diesel are produced from natural gas and coal feed stocks, via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process. Biodiesel can be an attractive alternative to petroleum-derived diesel because its physical properties are similar to those of petrodiesel and it can be transported by and stored in existing infrastructure. The biodegradability of synthetic diesel and biodiesel blends were determined, using respirometry to establish whether the biodiesel could enhance the biodegradability of the blends when compared to the synthetic petroleum diesel. In addition, a model was developed to estimate the biodegradability of the diesel and diesel/biodiesel blends using the molecular composition of the fuels and a prediction software program. The addition of biodiesel to synthetic diesel enhanced the biodegradability of the blends. Less than 1% biodiesel addition improved the degradability classification from inherently biodegradable to readily biodegradable. The addition of biodiesel to petroleumderived diesel could promote the use of renewable alternatives because the blends have superior biodegradability compared to petroleum diesel. The benefit of using biodiesel to enhance the remediation of hydrocarbon contamination was also confirmed.http://www.satnt.ac.za/index.php/satnt/article/view/1302Publisher's versio