Fuel and Bio-fuel

Monitoring of bio-contamination in fuel: from storage tanks to service stations 

Clogging, corrosion, fuel instability…

Fuel bio-contamination has existed for many years. This contamination causes filter clogging, microbial induced corrosion (MIC), system fouling and changes in fuel properties (accelerated instability and increased corrosivity). These problems are due to a wide diversity of microorganisms: bacteria, protozoa, yeasts and moulds which are equally hazardous. Because of this, all of them should be taken into account and properly quantified in order to efficiently fight fuel contamination. This phenomenon is also amplified since bio-fuels are developed and added in common fuels, because bio-fuels are a better environment for microorganisms than fossil fuels.

A complex microbial contamination…

Control of bio-contamination needs to be performed in fuel, water and biofilm. The fuel-water interface is nutrient rich. Microbes growing at this interface can draw nutrients from the fuel, while remaining in an aqueous environment. Not surprisingly, the population density of microbes at the interface can be 100,000 times greater than that in the overlying fuel and 10,000 times that in the underlying water. The aqueous phase generally contains 10 times more microbes than the fuel phase. When contamination is high, biofilm is developing on the tank surface, and gives a good environment to the microbes. Release of biofilm increases fuel bio-contamination and spreads the biofilm all over the system.

… easily and efficiently quantified using QGO-M™ kit

QGO-M™ is the perfect tool to control all kinds of fuel contamination and provides an early warning of microbial growth. Used as a routine test, it enables to determine “Warning” and “Action” levels to act before contamination becomes harmful for terminal tanks, retail sites tanks and engines.
Conventional microbiological analyses measure only a fraction of total microbes and require few days for feedback. Contrary to the conventional culture tests, QGO-M™ reveals all organisms including dormant microbes, in a few minutes. When culture tests only provide a vague and late overview of the contamination, ATP tests enable taking a quick action (less than 5 minutes) before the apparition of danger for the system.
QGO-M™, an unique tool for:

1. Preventing  microbial corrosion (MIC)
2. Carrying out in real time quality controls, in fuel, organic fuel, the lines of lubricant, the storage tanks and the distribution network...
3. Controlling the microbial growth in water, in biofilm and deposits
4. Controlling the microbial contamination from the raw material (crude oil) to the finished product (fuel…)  
5. Early detecting the degradation of oil storage and transport facilities, localizing critical zones for bacteria proliferation in production, distribution and storage systems
6. Identifying the origins of microbial contamination - raw materials (crude oil, fuel…) ; distribution and production equipments (extraction and distribution pipes)
7. Preventing material breakdowns
8. Optimizing the concentration, the frequency, and injection points of biocides, and monitoring treatment effectiveness in water and oil phase
9. Validating the effectiveness of the treatments on cultivable and non cultivable microorganisms

QGO-M™ can be used in oil, gas-oil, lubricants, kerosene, gasoline, bio-esthers, bio-fuels… all along production, distribution and storage.