Consequently, attention has focused on processes for desulfurization, especially alternatives to traditional high-pressure hydrodesulfurization. One such alternative technology is microbial desulfurization. Bacterial strains have recently been identified which can degrade dibenzothiophene, the major organic sulfur component in fuels, reducing the sulfur to sulfate with no net loss in fuel value. The long term goal is to establish a system for genetic engineering of these enzymes ideally suited for large-scale high temperature desulfurization processes which can prove to be significantly more cost efficient than other microbial approaches. Mutagenicity is strongly correlated with cancers in humans.
Mutagenic wastes require stringent detoxification.
Application of this technology will aid in pollution prevention by allowing easier and faster identification of mutagenic wastes and by improving process control for minimization of mutagenic waste production. This type of convenient measurement would facilitate effective economical compliance with environmental regulations. EIH support last year allowed UH researchers to test the assay they had proposed. Early experiments indicated that the process works quite well, detecting active mutagens at concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion by weight. Like the well-known Ames test, the assay uses bacterial cells lacking a function because of previous, deliberate DNA mutations.