Oxygen scavenging with enzymes
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorDonald O. Hitzman
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Abstract
Removal of ambient oxygen from aqueous liquids is effectively catalyzed by enzymatic deoxygenation systems comprising alcohol oxidase in the presence of alcohol optionally with catalase. Suitable deoxygenation systems described can be used to alleviate corrosion and oxidative degradation in areas such as oil field fluids, circulating water systems, water storage tanks, alcoholic beverages and foodstuffs. As desired, the enzymatic systems can be immobilized on supports or used in solution.
Claims17
The process which comprises treating an aqueous liquid containing dissolved oxygen with sufficient alcohol oxidase and an alcohol, selected from the group consisting of straight-chain alcohols of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, effective to substantially eliminate said dissolved oxygen, wherein said aqueous liquid is an oil field fluid containing a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamide, carboxyalkyl cellulose ethers, biopolysaccharides and starch, thereby stabilizing said polymer solution.
A method of stabilizing the viscosity of an aqueous polyacrylamide solution which comprises treating said aqueous polyacrylamide solution with a sufficient amount of alcohol oxidase and an alcohol, selected from the group consisting of straight-chain alcohols of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, effective to substantially eliminate dissolved oxygen in the aqueous polyacrylamide solution.
The process which comprises treating an aqueous liquid containing dissolved oxygen with sufficient alcohol oxidase and an alcohol, selected from the group consisting of straight-chain alcohols of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, effective to substantially eliminate said dissolved oxygen, wherein said aqueous liquid is a thickened aqueous polyacrylamide solution and said alcohol oxidase stabilizes the viscosity thereof, and wherein said alcohol oxidase is derived from the aqueous aerobic fermentation of methanol-utilizing Pichia yeasts selected from the group consisting of Pichia pastoris, Pichia pinus, Pichia trehalophila, and Pichia molischiana.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.