Chromatographic methods applied in the monitoring of biodesulfurization processes--state of the art.

Analytical methodologies employed in biodesulfurization processes have been reviewed; attention is primarily focused on the use of analytical techniques in the identification of degradation products and on the monitoring of degradation processes in which microbial sulphur-specific transformations take place. This is the first review of analytical techniques applied to biodesulfurization processes. Methodologies based on gas chromatography (GC) are the most frequently employed, in tandem with various detectors, mainly with the mass spectrometry (MS) detector, and the flame ionization detector (FID). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultra violet (UV) detection has also been widely employed. Different sulphurated compounds are used as model in biodesulphurization processes, naphtothiophene (NTH), benzothiophene (BTH), alkylated BTH, dibenzothiophene (DBT), alkylated DBT and their transformation products has been reviewed. DBT is the most frequently employed.