DESULFURIZATION USING MICROORGANISM CAPABLE OF DEGRADING ALKYLBENZOTHIOPHENE AND ALKYLDIBENZOTHIOPHENE

• Main Authors: HIRASAWA KAZUAKI, KURANE RYUICHIRO, MATSUI TORU, SUZUKI MASANORI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.02.2001
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MINERAL WAXES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PROCESSES USING MICROORGANISMS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SPIRITS; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; VINEGAR; WINE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To create microorganism capable of degrading (di)benzothiphenes by transferring a gene involved in the degradation of the (di)benzothiphenes into microorganisms caapble of degrading benzothiophnes so as to efficiently diminish the sulfur content of hydrocarbon fuels. SOLUTION: The microorganisms capable of degrading both benzothiphenes and dibenzothiophenes (e.g. Rhodococcus pRKPP/T09 strain or Rhodococcus pRKPPR/T09 strain) are obtained by transferring a gene involved in the degradation of dibenzothiophenes including 2-methyldibenzothiophene into microorganisms having the ability to degrade benzothiophenes including 2- methylbenzothiophene such as Rhodococcus T09 strain (FERM P-17268) or a variant thereof, wherein it is preferable that the above gene is derived from Rhodococcus erythropolis KA2-5-1 strain (FERM P-16277), or the like.