(727e) Anaerobic Biodegradation of Used Motor Oil for Safe Disposal

The problems posed by used oils in general and motor oils in particular open the way to the search for different inexpensive management or recovery methods. The mechanical separation and recycling of used oil has been One possible option, But the environmental load visa mechanical treatment cannot be reduced significantly, hence a biological treatment method is another viable treatment option. In this particular study, anaerobic bacteria from effluent treatment digesters were placed in a batch reactor in the presence of used motor oil. The whole reaction mixture was incubated at distinct temperatures of 35 ° C, 25 ° C and 45 ° C with continuous shaking. Culture samples were taken from the reactor at various time periods. The organic compounds (C₁₀ to C₁₈) present in the residual oil were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography in order to determine their concentrations. After 19 days of incubation at a temperature of 35 ° C; 100% degradation was recorded for C₁₀, C₁₂ and C₁₄ while C₁₆ to C₁₈ are completely degraded after 26 days of incubation. The percentage of biodegradation of certain organic compounds present in used motor oil incubated at a temperature of 35 ° C were compared to those found at 25 ° C. Thus, this study has shown that the anaerobic biodegradation of organic molecules contained in motor oil is possible. The results of the kinetic parameters, based on the simple Michaelis-Menten or Monod model were calculated. The results of this study can be used to design appropriate bioreactor intended for the biological treatment of used motor oil.