35-9/Onaka.../Analysis of Biodesulfurization Products...

Published: Journal of Chromatographic Science, Volume 35, Number 9, September 1997, pp. 417–422.

Analysis of Biodesulfurization Products Using Solid-Phase Extraction
T. Onaka, K. Okumura, and M. Suzuki

Alkylated dibenzothiophenes (DBTs) are not efficiently desulfurized by the conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process, and thus they remain targets for deeper desulfurization of HDS-treated oil. Microbial degradation systems are expected to convert these heterocyclic sulfur compounds to inorganic sulfur (sulfate or sulfite). For screening and characterization of the potentially useful desulfurizing microbes, it is very important to analyze microbial metabolites of these DBTs. For this purpose, highly sensitive methods of analysis and efficient concentration are required because there would be only small amounts of the metabolites in microbial culture media.

A sample preparation technique based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) was studied to separate DBT metabolites from an organic matrix such as gas oil. Our results demonstrate that the metabolites with polar functional groups such as 2-hydroxybiphenyl or o,o’-biphenol produced by a desulfurizing microbe (Rodococcus erythropolis) can be efficiently separated from the organic matrix and concentrated quantitatively by SPE. Moreover, it has been proven that the combination of SPE with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry or gas chromatography–atomic emission detection analysis can be successfully used for detailed characterization of gas oil treated by desulfurizing biocatalysts.

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