Thermoacidophilic archaea for pyrite oxidation in coal desulphurization

摘要

The desulfurization of low-sulfur coals has been demonstrated with the thermoacidophilic archaeon Acidianus brierleyi. The results imply that the mechanism behind microbial coal desulfurization and pyrite oxidation is a combination of biotic and abiotic leaching of pyrite. The extent of sulfur removal is dependent on the type of coal and is closely related to he amount of pyritic sulfur in the coal. Studies have shown that neither ash content nor heating value were dramatically affected by the microbial treatment. 133 refs, 18 figs, 3 tabs