Microbially mediated removal of organic sulfur from coal: Final technical report
The goals of this project were to develop a microbial coal cleaning process capable of removing a significant fraction of the organic sulfur from coal by optimization of desulfurization using CB1, development of additional microorganisms capable of removing other organic sulfur forms from coal, and to evaluate combined desulfurization using CB1 and CBX to decrease organic sulfur in coal. Optimization studies defined more precisely the conditions required to achieve maximum desulfurization of coal by CB1. No significant differences in desulfurization were noted when coal was ground in a dry mill or in a stirred (wet) ball mill. Desulfurization increased with decreasing particle size. Solids loadings were not found to be limiting when the optimal particle size, retention time and microorganism-to-coal dose were used. The minimum retention time and microbe-to-coal ratios resulting in maximum sulfur removal were determined. A second microorganism, CB2, was selected and characterized. CB2 is capable of removing sulfur from the aryl sulfide model compound, diphenyl sulfide (DPS). Combining the activity of CB1 and CB2 for desulfurization of coals was investigated. The sulfur removing activity(ies) for each microbe was (were) determined to reside in the chromosomal DNA rather than in extrachromosomal, plasmid DNA. Simultaneous growth of the microorganisms for treatment of coal, simultaneous treatment of coal using microbes grown separately, and sequential treatment of coal were investigated. 11 refs., 13 figs., 57 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- ARCTECH, Inc., Alexandria, VA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-85PC81207
- OSTI ID:
- 6811882
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/PC/81207-T1; ON: DE89001572
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ADDITIVES
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIODEGRADATION
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMOSOMES
COAL
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DESULFURIZATION
DNA
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENZYMES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
MUTANTS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PROGRESS REPORT
SIZE
SULFUR CONTENT
SURFACE AREA
SURFACE PROPERTIES