Olga S Pogrebinsky

US Patent:

57337730, Mar 31, 1998

Filed:

Jun 12, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/662810

Inventors:

Charles H. Squires - The Woodlands TX
Wan Ji - The Woodlands TX
Lei Xi - The Woodlands TX
Beatrice C. Ortego - Spring TX
Olga S. Pogrebinsky - Houston TX
Kevin A. Gray - The Woodlands TX
John D. Childs - The Woodlands TX

Assignee:

Energy BioSystems Corporation - The Woodlands TX

International Classification:

C12N 120

US Classification:

4352523

Abstract:

The invention relates to the discovery that the rate of reaction of the desulfurization of fossil fuels is enhanced by the addition of a flavoprotein to the biocatalyst. The invention is drawn to a method for enhancing the rate of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur compounds, comprising the steps of: a) contacting the fossil fuel with an aqueous phase containing a biocatalyst capable of cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds and a rate-enhancing amount of a flavoprotein, thereby forming a fossil fuel and aqueous phase mixture; b) maintaining the mixture of step (a) under conditions sufficient for cleavage of the carbon-sulfur bonds of the organic sulfur molecules by the biocatalyst, thereby resulting in a fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content; and c) separating the fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content from the resulting aqueous phase. The invention also relates to a recombinant microorganism containing one or more recombinant DNA molecules which encode a biocatalyst capable of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur molecules and which encode a flavoprotein. The invention also relates to a composition comprising (a) a biocatalyst capable of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur molecules and (b) a flavoprotein.

US Patent:

59856505, Nov 16, 1999

Filed:

Feb 18, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/025527

Inventors:

Charles H. Squires - The Woodlands TX
Wan Ji - The Woodlands TX
Lei Xi - The Woodlands TX
Beatrice C. Ortego - Spring TX
Olga S. Pogrebinsky - Houston TX
Kevin A. Gray - The Woodlands TX
John D. Childs - The Woodlands TX

Assignee:

Energy BioSystems Corporation - The Woodlands TX

International Classification:

C12N 902
C10G 3200

US Classification:

435282

Abstract:

The invention relates to the discovery that the rate of reaction of the desulfurization of fossil fuels is enhanced by the addition of a flavoprotein to the biocatalyst. The invention is drawn to a method for enhancing the rate of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur compounds, comprising the steps of: a) contacting the fossil fuel with an aqueous phase containing a biocatalyst capable of cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds and a rate-enhancing amount of a flavoprotein, thereby forming a fossil fuel and aqueous phase mixture; b) maintaining the mixture of step (a) under conditions sufficient for cleavage of the carbon-sulfur bonds of the organic sulfur molecules by the biocatalyst, thereby resulting in a fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content; and c) separating the fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content from the resulting aqueous phase. The invention also relates to a recombinant microorganism containing one or more recombinant DNA molecules which encode a biocatalyst capable of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur molecules and which encode a flavoprotein. The invention also relates to a composition comprising (a) a biocatalyst capable of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organic sulfur molecules and (b) a flavoprotein.