Patent ID: 6274372
Filing Date: 2001-08-14
Classification: C10G,C12N

Abstract:
A method of desulfurizing a fossil fuel containing organosulfur molecules, comprising the steps of:(a) contacting the fossil fuel with an aqueous phase containing a biocatalyst which oxidatively cleaves carbon--sulfur bonds and a rate-enhancing amount of a protein having NADH:FMN oxidoreductase activity and having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 2 or enzymatically active mutant thereof, thereby forming a fossil fuel and aqueous phase mixture;(b) maintaining the mixture under conditions sufficient for cleavage of the carbon--sulfur bonds or the organic sulfur molecules by the biocatalyst, thereby resulting in a fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content; and(c) separating the fossil fuel having a reduced organic sulfur content from the resulting aqueous phase.