Long-term repeated biodesulfurization by immobilized Rhodococcus erythropolis KA2-5-1 cells.
In this study, biodesulfurization (BDS) was carried out using immobilized Rhodococcus erythropolis KA2-5-1 in n-tetradecane containing dibenzothiophene (DBT) as a model oil (n-tetradecane/immobilized cell biphasic system). The cells were immobilized by entrapping them with calcium alginate, agar, photo-crosslinkable resin prepolymers (ENT-4000 and ENTP-4000), and urethane prepolymers (PU-3 and PU-6); and it was found that ENT-4000-immobilized cells had the highest DBT desulfurization activity in the model oil system without leakage of cells from the support. Furthermore, ENT4000-immobilized cells could catalyze BDS repeatedly in this system for more than 900 h with reactivation; and recovery of both the biocatalyst and the desulfurized model oil was easy. This study would give a solution to the problems in BDS, such as the troublesome process of recovering desulfurized oil and the short life of BDS biocatalysts.
Naito
M
M
Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan.
Kawamoto
T
T
Fujino
K
K
Kobayashi
M
M
Maruhashi
K
K
Tanaka
A
A
D000362:Agar; D000464:Alginates; D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018914:Cells, Immobilized / Q000378:metabolism*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D011108:Polymers; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000378:metabolism*; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D000464:Alginates; D000473:Alkanes; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D011108:Polymers; D013457:Sulfur Compounds; D013876:Thiophenes; C024713:n-tetradecane; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D000362:Agar; C016366:dibenzothiophene