Serial biological conversion of coal to liquid fuels: (Quarterly report) March 15, 1988--June 15, 1988

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6820816

The primary objective of this research project is to isolate and enrich cultures of microorganisms to convert coal into low molecular weight liquid fuels. The approach will be to utilize existing and new cultures to produce and initial liquid product that will subsequently be converted biologically into low molecular weight fuels. Natural inocula and pure cultures will be screened to find the best organisms for the second stage conversion. Serial conversion will be conducted in laboratory reactors to define stoichiometry, yields, reaction rates, and other engineering parameters to demonstrate technical feasibility. This project will also continue the development of a promising bacterial strain that liquefies low or high rank coals without pretreatment. The strain will be identified, mechanisms examined, products quantified and rates for various coals determined. Submerged culture experiments on the solubilization of Arkansas lignite have indicated that 3 days is optimum age for solubility lignite. Culture conditions prior to the 3 days are apparently not sufficient for significant solubilization. Also, new organisms have been isolated from sheep rumen cultures which show excellent ability to degrade solubilized lignite. Work is continuing to identify the products these organisms. 4 figs., 6 refs.

• Research Organization: USDOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, PA
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-87PC79937
• OSTI ID: 6820816
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/79937-T3; ON: DE89001387
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010405* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
BIOCONVERSION
BIODEGRADATION
BROWN COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL BONDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL LIQUEFACTION
CULTURE MEDIA
DECOMPOSITION
DOCUMENT TYPES
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
LIGNITE
LIQUEFACTION
LIQUID FUELS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
PROGRESS REPORT
RUMINANTS
SHEEP
SOLUBILITY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
VERTEBRATES
YIELDS