Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Biodegradation. 2012 Nov;23(6):865-80. doi: 10.1007/s10532-012-9577-2. Epub 2012 Jul 25.
Petroleum refining is traditionally based on the use of physicochemical processes such as distillation and chemical catalysis that operate under high temperatures and pressures conditions, which are energy intensive and costly. Biotechnology has become an important tool for providing new approaches in petroleum industry during oil production, refining and processing as well as managing environmentally safe pollutant remediation and disposal practices. Earlier biotechnology applications in the petroleum industry were limited to microbial enhanced oil recovery, applications of bioremediation to contaminated marine shorelines, soils and sludges. The potential role of bioprocess technology in this industry has now expanded further into the areas of biorefining and upgrading of fuels, production of fine chemicals, control of souring during production and air VOC biofiltration. In this paper we provide an overview of the major applications of bioprocesses and technology development in the petroleum industry both in upstream and downstream areas and highlight future challenges and opportunities.
石油炼制传统上基于使用物理化学过程，如蒸馏和化学催化，这些过程在高温高压条件下进行，能源密集且成本高。生物技术已成为在石油生产、精炼和加工以及管理环境安全的污染物修复和处置实践中提供新方法的重要工具。早期生物技术在石油工业中的应用仅限于微生物强化采油、生物修复受污染的海洋海岸线、土壤和污泥的应用。生物加工技术在该行业的潜在作用现已进一步扩展到生物炼制和燃料升级、精细化学品生产、生产过程中防腐蚀以及空气挥发性有机化合物生物过滤等领域。本文综述了生物过程和技术在石油工业上下游领域的主要应用，并强调了未来的挑战和机遇。
