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US 6,294,351 B1Granted
Biochemical transformation of solid carbonaceous material
AssigneeBrookhaven Science Associates, LLC
InventorsMow S. Lin, Eugene T. Premuzic
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Abstract
A method of biochemically transforming macromolecular compounds found in solid carbonaceous materials, such as coal is provided. The preparation of new microorganisms, metabolically weaned through challenge growth processes to biochemically transform solid carbonaceous materials at extreme temperatures, pressures, pH, salt and toxic metal concentrations is also disclosed.
Claims8
A method of preparing a mixture of modified bacterial strains selected through nutritional stress to upgrade a coal slurry which comprises:
- (i) providing at least a thermophilic bacterial strain which grows on oil;
- (ii) nutritionally stressing said thermophilic bacterial strain through sequential conditions comprising decreasing crude oil concentration and increasing coal concentration until coal is essentially the sole carbon source and increasing salinity and trace metal concentration stepwise until said thermophilic bacterial strain is capable of growing on coal as essentially the sole carbon source at a salinity level between 1.5 weight % to 35 weight %, a trace metal concentration from about 0.01 weight % to about 10 weight %, and pressure from about atmospheric to about 2500 psi;
- (iii) recovering said nutritionally stressed bacterial strain;
- and
- (iv) forming a mixture of said nutritionally stressed thermophilic bacterial strain with other thermophilic bacterial strains which have been nutritionally stressed according to steps (ii) and (iii);
- (v) recovering said mixture of nutritionally stressed thermophilic bacterial strains.
3 more elements
A method of preparing modified bacterial strains selected through nutritional stress to upgrade a coal slurry of coal which comprises:
- (i) providing at least one thermophilic bacterial strain which grows on oil;
- (ii) nutritionally stressing said thermophilic bacterial strain through sequential conditions comprising decreasing crude oil concentration and increasing coal concentration until coal is essentially the sole carbon source and increasing salinity and trace metal concentration stepwise until said thermophilic bacterial strain is capable of growing on coal as essentially the sole carbon source at a salinity level between 1.5 weight % to 35 weight %, a trace metal concentration from about 0.01 weight % to about 10 weight %;
- and a pressure from about atmospheric to about 2500 psi;
- and
- (iii) recovering said nutritionally stressed bacterial strain;
- wherein said at least one thermophilic bacterial strain is selected from the group consisting of Achromobacter sp. BNL-4- 23 (ATCC 55021), Sulfolobus solfataricus BNL-TH-29 (ATCC 55022), Sulfolobus solfataricus BNL-TH-31 (ATCC 55023), Sulfolobus acidocaldarious BNL-TH-1 (ATCC 35091), Pseudomonas sp. BNL-4-24 (ATCC 55024), Leptospirillum ferrooxidans BNL-5-30 (ATCC 53992), Leptospirillum ferrooxidans BNL-5-31 (ATCC 53993), Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BNL-4-21 (ATCC 53996), Arthrobacter sp. BNL-4-22 (ATCC 53997), Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BNL-4-21s (ATCC 55489), Arthrobacter sp. BNL4-22s (ATCC 55490), Achromobacter sp. BNL-4-23s (ATCC 55491), Pseudomonas sp. BNL-4-24s (ATCC 55492), Mixed Culture R.I.-1 (ATCC 55501), Leptospirillum ferrooxidans BNL-5-30s (ATCC 55523), Leptospirillum ferrooxidans BNL-5-31 s (ATCC 55524), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-44s (ATCC 55525), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-45s (ATCC 55526), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-46s (ATCC 55527), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-47s (ATCC 55528), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-48s (ATCC 55529), Thiobacillus ferrooxidans BNL-2-49s (ATCC 55530), Unknown BNL-NZ-3 (ATCC 55488), Mixed Culture R.I.-2 (ATCC 55502), Mixed Culture R.I.-3 (ATCC 55503), Mixed Culture R.I.-4 (ATCC 55504), Mixed Culture R.I.-5 (ATCC 55505), Mixed Culture R.I.-6 (ATCC 55506), Mixed Culture R.I.-7 (ATCC 55507), Mixed Culture R.I.-8 (ATCC 55508), Mixed Culture R.I.-9 (ATCC 55509), Mixed Culture R.I.-10 (ATCC 55510), Mixed Culture R.I.-11 (ATCC 55511), (ATCC 55512), Mixed Culture R.I.-13 (ATCC 55513), Mixed Culture R.I.-14 (ATCC 55514), and mixtures thereof.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.