ABSTRACT
Removal of sulfur compounds from coal has become a promising area of research in recent years due to acid rain problems. Among various methods of desulfurization of coal, biological methods offer unique advantages over physical and chemical methods. Sulfolobus-type organisms have been used for pyritic sulfur removal from coal by Detz and Barvinchak. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, originally isolated by Brock, was used extensively by the author for pyritic sulfur removal from bituminous coal. Kinetics of this oxidation, effect of process variables, and environmental parameters on the rate and extent of pyritic sulfur removal have been investigated and conditions were optimized. A mathematical model was developed and kinetic parameters were determined. S. acidocaldarius was also proven to be able to oxidize dibenzothiophene in a specially designed carbon-free nutrient medium.
