Process for the desulfurization and the desalting of a fossil fuel

Abstract

This invention relates to an integrated method for the desulfurization and desalting of a fossil fuel, comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a fossil fuel with; (i) a sufficient amount of an aqueous solution capable of depleting the fossil fuel of forms of water soluble salt contaminants; and (ii) an effective amount of a biocatalyst capable of depleting the fossil fuel of forms of sulfur-bearing organic molecules; (b) incubating the above mixture whereby; (i) the fossil fuel is significantly depleted of forms of water soluble salt contaminants; and (ii) the biocatalytic agent selectively catalyzes carbon-sulfur bonds in sulfur-bearing organic molecules generating a significant amount of water-soluble inorganic sulfur molecules; both reactions occurring without depleting the fossil fuel of combustible organic molecules; and (c) separating the aqueous component from the fossil fuel component, the fossil fuel now being significantly reduced in sulfur and salt contamination and the aqueous component now being significantly enriched with inorganic salts and inorganic sulfur molecules.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.