Patent ID: 7101410

Claim:
A method for biologically desulfurizing sulfur containing hydrocarbon fuel without an unacceptable loss in fossil fuel value comprising the use of an aqueous biocatalytic agent having the ability to metabolize sulfur compounds without additional nutrients wherein a. said biocatalytic agent has the ability to oxidize pyritic sulfur compounds, the ability to cleave carbon-sulfur bonds, or combinations thereof, and are viable microbial agents selected from the group consisting of non-growing microbes, minimally growing microbes, and combinations thereof; wherein b. said sulfur compounds are selected from the group consisting of pyritic sulfur, and combinations of pyritic sulfur and organic sulfur compounds; wherein c. said microbial agents do not utilize the carbon skeleton of said hydrocarbon fuel for energy and do not utilize said carbon skeleton of said hydrocarbon fuel as a source of carbon.