Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Recently, microbial processes applied to petroleum industry are gaining increasing interest. Potential applications include wax degradation, improvement of oil recovery, upgrading of petroleum products and treatment of petroleum waste streams. Due to involvement of high densities of actively growing microbial cells, immobilized cell bioreactors allow for a close control of cultural and operational variables involved, rendering significantly better performances and higher productivities. Over the last two decades, our research group has been involved in development of Vertical Rotating Immobilized Cell Reactors (VRICRs) to be used for several biotechnological processes. In the present review, design and operation of VRICR for biodesulfurization of petroleum fuels and biosurfactant production are discussed. Special attention is given to internal configuration of the bioreactors, mass ratio of free cells to immobilized cells, rotation speed, aeration and influence of biosurfactant present in the system. A twostage bioreactor for simultaneous surfactin production and biodesulfurization of petroleum products is also considered.

Biography

Gamil Abd El-Fattah Amin is a Microbiologist graduated from microbiology department, Cairo University, Egypt in 1972. He worked for Cairo University as a demonstrator in 1974, Assistant Lecturer in 1978, lecturer in 1984, Associate Professor in 1984 and Professor in 1995. In 1985, he joined biotechnology unit at Queensland University, Australia for three years and at Gainesville University, Florida in 1993 (6 months) as Senior Researcher. He worked as consultant in Begium company (Cairo branch) named ?Seghers Better Technology for Water? over the period from 1994- 1998. From 1999 till 2005, he was a member of a National Egyptian Committee for Organic and Environmental Affairs at both Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment. He involved actively in the establishment of department of biotechnology, faculty of science, Taif University, KSA in 2005. Since 2008, he became the Head of the department. Now he has published more than 70 research articles and 4 text books in the field of microbial biotechnology and supervised 40 M.Sc. and Ph.D. Egyptian students who obtained their degree under his supervision.