Research

In Cooperation with A Research Team From GCC

An Academic at UOB Uses Microbes for Diesel Desulphurization

The Dutch scientific journal “Biotechnology Reports” published an applied environmental study, in which the Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bahrain (UOB), Dr. Maison Nizam Awadh participated as part of a team that included a group of researchers and experts from the GCC universities. The study aims to use types of biological microbes that work to desulphurize diesel fuel in petroleum refineries since Sulphur causes environmental and health problems, as it affects the tissues of the upper respiratory tract, eyes, and skin.

The researcher Dr. Awadh, worked on separating a mixed-strains bacterial farm from Galali Lake in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and then studied its ability to bio-remove Sulphur from diesel fuel. Furthermore, Dr. Awadh confirmed that the study revealed that the reason for the lake’s pink color is caused by the presence of Sulphur-reducing bacteria using inorganic sulphur present in the surrounding medium to produce food, as the bacteria use natural pigments with bright colors found in their cells to do photosynthesis and make their own food. It is noteworthy that Galali Lake, which has a distinctive pink color, appeared in an area prone to marine fill, as the first salty lake of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Also, Dr. Awadh explained that what distinguishes this study is the use of advanced OMEX techniques to study the biological and functional diversity of the bacterial communities present in the different environmental samples, as the OMEX techniques are mainly based on the direct extraction of the genetic material of the microbes present in the environmental samples, which prevents 99% of the defects of the traditional method that is based on microbial farming using food cultures.

The research and study team included professors from different Gulf universities, led by Professor Wael Al-Muslimani, a specialist in microbiology and environmental biotechnology at the Arabian Gulf University, Dr. Huda Mahmoud, a specialist in marine environmental sciences and microorganisms at the University of Kuwait, and Professor Raed Abed, a specialist in marine environmental sciences and microorganism at Sultan Qaboos University.

It’s worth mentioning that the Dutch scientific journal Biotechnology Reports is the most prestigious scientific journal with a high scientific index in the field of biotechnology research and falls under the umbrella of the international publishing house (Elsevier).

Sustainable Development Goals:

3 Good health and well-being

4 Quality education.

7 Affordable and clean energy

13 Climate Action

14 Life below water

15 Life on land

17 Partnerships for the goals

Key Words:

Research, diesel fuel, microbes, Gulf universities, scientific journals, University of Bahrain, environment, diesel fuel desulphurization, petroleum refineries, OMEX technologies, microbial farming