Applications of micellar enzymology to clean coal technology

Technical Report · Tue Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6939005· OSTI ID:6939005

Walsh, C T

This project is designed to develop methods for precombustion 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 of 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. Studies by several groups (Martinek et al., 1981; Kabanov et al., 1988; Martinek, 1989; Verhaert et al., 1990) have shown that the surfactant AOT over a broad concentration range in organic solvents produces micelles, comparatively uniform in diameter, which incorporate hydrophilic enzymes. The activity (kcat) of certain enzymes in this system is higher than in aqueous solution. This surfactant is therefore being examined as a vehicle for enhancement of sulfoxidation reactions.

• Research Organization: Boston Univ., MA (United States). School of Medicine
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-89PC89772
• OSTI ID: 6939005
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/89772-T15; ON: DE93011637
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
COAL
BIODEGRADATION
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
DESULFURIZATION
BIOTECHNOLOGY
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
ENZYMES
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
OXIDATION
PROGRESS REPORT
SURFACTANTS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
SOLVENTS
010300* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Preparation- (1987-)
550700 - Microbiology