Applications of micellar enzymology to clean coal technology. Ninth quarterly report

Technical Report · Wed Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10135424· OSTI ID:10135424

Walsh, C T

This project is designed to develop methods for pre-combustion coal remediation by implementing recent advances in enzyme biochemistry. The novel approach of this study is incorporation of hydrophilic oxidative enzymes in reverse micelles in an organic solvent. Enzymes from commercial sources or microbial extracts are being investigated for their capacity to remove organic sulfur from coal by oxidation of the sulfur groups, splitting of C-S bonds and loss of sulfur as sulfuric acid. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) and ethylphenylsulfide (EPS) are serving as models or organic sulfur-containing components of coal in initial studies. A goal of this project is to define a reverse micelle system that optimizes the catalytic activity of enzymes toward desulfurization of model compounds and ultimately coal samples. Among the variables which will be examined are the surfactant, the solvent, the water:surfactant ratio and the pH and ionic strength of the aqueous phase.

• Research Organization: Boston Univ., MA (United States). School of Medicine
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-89PC89772
• OSTI ID: 10135424
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/89772-T6; ON: DE92010939
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 30 Jan 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
COAL
DESULFURIZATION
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
BIODEGRADATION
ENZYMES
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
SURFACTANTS
QUANTITY RATIO
WATER
PROGRESS REPORT
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
PH VALUE
IONS
SULFURIC ACID
POLYCYCLIC SULFUR HETEROCYCLES
SULFIDES
010402
550700
PURIFICATION AND UPGRADING
MICROBIOLOGY