Heating with energy saving alternatives to prevent biodeterioration of marine fuel oil

This study examined how alternative handling practices, including heat shock, can facilitate the prevention of biodeterioration of fuel oil onboard ships. At temperatures exceeding 50 °C, no microbes were observed after incubation for 2 days. Under 30 °C incubation, the total number of viable aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas maltophilia, decreased gradually during the incubation period. Conversely, most fungi were destroyed after incubation for 5 days. Fungi generally had a better tolerance in marine fuel than E. coli after heat shock treatment. After incubation starting at ⩽45 °C, followed by different heat shock patterns, the total number of viable fungi and E. coli increased steadily during the 10-h incubation period. In contrast to fungi, heat shock effectively controlled E. coli growth. Heat shock treatment can control the growth of certain types of microbes at temperatures of up to 10 °C lower than commonly used.