SBIR Phase I: Biocatalytic Coatings for the Desulfurization of Petroleum Products

This SBIR project proposes to develop a novel bioreactor that will contain biocatalytic coatings for the desulfurization of petroleum products. A biodesulfurization microorganism will be immobilized at the interface of a two-phase membrane with a biocatalytic coating. Biodesufurization technology also has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The broader/commercial impact of the proposed project will be a decrease in the levels of sulfur from petroleum products. The petroleum being used is increasingly ?sour,? high sulfur crude. The proposed process can also be used for other industrial processes that rely on mass transfer limited biological reactions.