Isolation and Characterization of Microorganisms capable of Asphaltene Bioupgrading

The properties of heavy crude oil present serious operational problems in heavy crude oil production and downstream processing. Heavy crude oil is extremely viscous and contains high concentration of asphaltene. In this research microorganisms capable of growing on asphaltene and using asphaltene as sole carbon and energy source were isolated and characterized. For this propose, oil contaminated soil from waste water treatment plant of Tehran Refinery as source of microorganisms was used. After adaptation of microorganisms with asphaltene, microorganisms were isolated and purified by cultivation and dilution. Subsequently microorganisms were characterized by PCR method. Isolated microbes are Bacillus Sp. PBCC13, Brevibacillus sp. PBCC14 and Serratia sp. PBCC12. They could be used for bioupgrading of crude oil and asphaltene.