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Genetics of coal bioliquefaction by Neurospora Crassa: Progress report
N.C. Mishra
Department of Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, U.S.A.
Herein yet another progress report on the development, at the U of SC, under sponsorship of the USDOE, on the use of micro-organisms to convert coal, and associated organic material, into liquids that can be further processed into useful compounds - such as liquid fuels.
The summary:
| "Conditions for liquefaction of coal by Neurospora have been optimized. An electrophoretic method has been developed to separate the different components of the liquefied coal. A number of mutants deficient in coal liquefaction have been isolated and analyzed to reveal the genetic control of this process. The Neurospora enzyme capable of bioliquefaction of coal, when examined by DEAE cellulose chromatography, yielded two peaks of enzyme activity. These enzymes are heat stable and more active at acid and neutral pH than at alkaline pH. An autonomously replicating plasmid has been isolated and characterized from Neurospora; this plasmid offers opportunity for the development of replicating vector useful for cloning and mobilization of genes including the genes controlling bioliquefacation of coal." Pretty detailed stuff. We can, it seems, convert our coal and coal mine wastes into commercial liquid fuels and chemical processing raw materials through a variety of technologies. |
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The research cited herein is part of an ongoing, longer-term DOE research project to which, we believe, we've earlier referred.
It's just more evidence confirming some inherent validity in Joe's WVU research, in the 1970's, that biological systems can be employed to "solubilize" organic matter in coal mine wastes, and thereby make them available for "harvesting" and subsequent processing into value-added materials.
Again, this is, or was, a longer-term research project, sponsored by the USDOE, - at the University of SC, oddly, not WVU - and other progress reports exist.
But, perhaps it would be informative to contact Professor Mishra directly to get the full story.
The excerpt:
"Large scale solubilization of coal and bioconversion to utilizable energy. Fifth quarterly technical report, January 1, 1995--March 31, 1995
South Carolina Univ., Columbia, SC (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences
Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
In order to develop a system for a large scale coal solubilization and its bioconversion to utilizable fuel, we plan to clone the genes encoding Neurospora protein that facilitate depolymerization of coal. We also plan to use desulfurizing bacteria to remove the sulfur in situ and use other microorganisms to convert biosolubilized coal into utilizable energy following an approach utilizing several microorganisms. In addition the product of coal solubilized by fungus will be characterized to determine their chemical nature and the mechanism of reaction catalyzed by fungal product during in vivo and in vitro solubilization by the fungus or purified fungal protein."
Note the term; "Large scale" in the title. This work is not intended to result in some novel laboratory demonstration for entertainment purposes. The target must be commercialization.
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We've noted the potential for converting coal, and, as per Joe's WVU research in the 1970's, some coal mine wastes, into useful hydrocarbons, including potential fuels, through biological processes.
Herein is more documentation attesting to the reality of that potential.
"Biological production of methane from bituminous coal
J.C. Volkwein, A.L. Schoeneman, E.G. Clausen, J.L. Gaddy, E.R. Johnson, R. Basu, N. Ju and K.T. Klasson
United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0070, USA
University of Arkansas, Department of Chemical Engineering, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
Abstract
Biogasification of coal offers significant economic and environmental benefits for the continued utilization of coal resources. Several consortia from various natural sources associated with coal have been shown to produce methane from media containing only coal as the organic carbon source. Methane production of these samples has continued to increase with time. The cultures have remained viable and have continued to produce methane after 5 successive transfers to media containing coal as the sole carbon source. Methane quantities of 4 and 5 volume percent methane (0.03 and 0.04 mmol per tube) have been observed from Pittsburgh and Wyodak coals. Serum tube experiments were scaled to larger column experiments that also indicated that methane is produced from medium containing coal as the only carbon source."
The yields in this report don't seem that high, but other work is underway which indicates much higher efficiencies can be attained. And, the end product reported herein is methane. As we will attempt to document in other dispatches, more complex hydrocarbons, closer to our actual fuel needs, can be biologically synthesized, from coal, and coal mine wastes, as well.
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We have reported on the potential of enhancing the coal liquefaction process - making the conversion of coal into liquid fuels more efficient and productive - by adding scrapped, waste automobile tires, as a co-feed, to the raw coal being processed.
In addition to the other researchers we have cited, West Virginia University has discovered the coal-tire synergy, as well, and researchers there have studied it.
The excerpt:
"Free radical monitoring of the coprocessing of coal with chemical components of waste tires
Manjula M. Ibrahim and Mohindar S. Seehra
Department of Physics, P.O. Box 6315, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6315, USA
Abstract
The effects of a Michelin tire tread and its various chemical components (butadiene rubber, aromatic oil, carbon, sulfur, ZnO) on the free radical intensities N of Blind Canyon coal using in-situ electron spin resonance spectroscopy are reported from ambient to 500°C. These experiments show that the tire tread and its components lower the temperature of thermal cracking of the coal and promote enhanced cracking as evidenced by increased magnitudes of N for temperatures below 440°C. These results support the reported improved liquefaction of the coal with waste tire polymers."
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Herein a seemingly new approach to coal extraction and Carbon Dioxide recycling - through the use of microbes.
We submit this not only because it mentions CO2 recycling, but because it mentions the use of "bugs" to break down coal. The concept is at least thirty years old. Back in the mid-1970's, while a WVU Geology grad student, roughly coincident with his joining the UMWA, Joe worked on what was presumed to be a Federally-sponsored research project, coordinated by one of our national laboratories (specific one long forgotten), to identify microbial species, and to qualify/quantify their effect on organic and inorganic compounds, in coal mine waste accumulations and their effluents.
He says he interpreted the work as preliminary to developing biological systems for both the amelioration of waste, and the extraction of residual organic fuel values. Melissa
Some excerpts:
"Craig Venter, the controversial American scientist who helped decode the human genome, has announced the discovery of ancient bacteria that can turn coal into methane, suggesting they may help to solve the world’s energy crisis."
"The bugs, discovered a mile underground by one of Venter’s microbial prospecting teams, are said to have unique enzymes that can break down coal. Venter said he was already working with BP on how to exploit the find."
Venter is also developing some other wonder bugs:
“We see CO2 as raw material. We have been engineering cells to use CO2 driven by sunlight to make biopolymers, methane and sugars."
“One of the most exciting breakthroughs is that we have engineered algal cells to pump out lipids in a pure form into the growing medium. You can literally skim the cream off the top and isolate it like a biocrude and we are not too far away from scaling this up on a very substantial scale."
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