Microbial contamination of diesel-biodiesel blends in storage tank; an analysis of colony morphology

Abstract

Fuel contamination is a major issue that comes with the utilization of biodiesel. Microbial growth is one of the primary causes of contamination during fuel handling and storage. This work attempts to identify the types, shapes, and growth profiles of microorganisms on fuel samples. The morphology of microbial colonies is presented in order to analyze the potential of fuel contamination. The diesel, biodiesel, and blends are stored in stainless steel (SS) and glass tanks, where each is placed indoors and outdoors during the 90 days of storage time. The morphology of microbial colonies is observed through a microscope with a magnification of 1000× and the quantity is calculated by a digital colony counter. Microbial contamination in all samples is considered as high contamination where the Colony Forming Unit (CFU) is greater than 105 L−1. Colony forms are far more assorted in blends than in pure diesel (B0) and neat biodiesel (B100). The transformation of microbial colonies accelerates after 60 days of storage time. The results reveal that the number of bacterial colonies that grow in B20 is higher and more varied, nevertheless, the contamination in B100 is significantly higher. This is indicated by a 1.5-fold rise in B20 acidity and a 2.5-fold increase in water content compared to the initial condition.

Keywords

• Biodiesel
• Colony forming unit
• Contamination
• Microbial growth
• Storage tank