Abstract
Biodesulfurization is a promising approach, capable of reducing the sulfur content of recalcitrant sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds such as dibenzothiophene and their alkylated derivatives. The performance of bio-desulfurization is undoubtfully dependent on different operating parameters. The effect of different process parameters on the growth rate and desulfurization capability of the bacterial consortium IQMJ-5 have been examined. The parameters that were optimized include the temperature of incubation, initial pH of the medium, and DBT concentration. In addition, the effect of several carbon and sulfur compounds on the growth of bacterial consortia IQMJ-5 was also analyzed. Moreover, the concentration of the most effective carbon compound was also examined in shake flask fermentation. The results showed that 25 ? temperature, 7.6 pH, and 0.3 mM DBT were the optimum conditions for the highest growth and desulfurization of the DBT. In addition, glycerol and Na2SO4 were the bioavailable carbon and sulfur sources respectively, at which the consortium IQMJ-5 showed maximum growth. Moreover, 2gL-1 glycerol appeared as the carbon concentration at which the consortium IQMJ-5 showed the highest activity. An enhanced rate of desulfurization was encountered when a medium with optimized conditions was employed, compared to non-optimized conditions. The current research study uncovered the potential of the bacterial consortium IQMJ-5 to desulfurize sulfur-containing organic compounds at the optimized conditions of different process parameters.