Phototrophic purification of hydrogen sulfide containing streams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12115492-B2
Application number	US-202017082166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Jan 20, 2020
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to processes for desulfurizing hydrocarbon feedstocks. The processes may include introducing a feedstock comprising hydrogen sulfide to an absorber comprising a metal chelate to form a reduced metal chelate. The processes may further include introducing the reduced metal chelate to a photobioreactor comprising a phototrophic bacterium. The present disclosure also relates to apparatuses for desulfurizing hydrocarbon feedstock. An apparatus may include and absorber and a photobioreactor fluidly connected to the absorber. The photobioreactor may be an anaerobic vessel with a light source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process comprising:
introducing a feedstock comprising hydrogen sulfide to an absorber comprising a metal chelate to form a reduced metal chelate; and
introducing the reduced metal chelate to a photobioreactor comprising a phototrophic bacterium.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising introducing a fixation gas to one or more of the absorber or the photobioreactor.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock further comprises a fixation gas.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock further comprises a fixation gas and further comprising obtaining a fixation product.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the fixation gas comprises carbon dioxide.

6. The process of claim 4 , wherein the fixation gas comprises carbon dioxide and the fixation product comprises a polysaccharide, a lipid, a biosurfactant, or combination(s) thereof.

7. The process of claim 4 , wherein the fixation gas comprises nitrogen and the fixation product comprises ammonia, an amino acid, or combination(s) thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the phototrophic bacterium is a green sulfur bacterium.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the phototrophic bacterium is a green sulfur bacterium and the green sulfur bacterium is of the genus Chlorobium.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the phototrophic bacterium is a green sulfur bacterium from the genus Chlorobium that is Chlorobium ferrooxidans or Chlorobium tepidum.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the bacterium comprises a 16S ribosomal RNA sequence of 80% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 5.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the bacterium comprises a 16S ribosomal RNA sequence of 90% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 5.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the bacterium comprises a 16S ribosomal RNA sequence of 95% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 5.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the bacterium is from the genus Chlorobium and is free of a bacteriochlorophyll c synthase gene, and wherein the bacteriochlorophyll c synthase gene has a 50% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1.

15. The process of claim 14 , where the bacteriochlorophyll c synthase gene has a 95% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the bacteria is from the genus Chlorobium and is free of a Phytoene synthase gene, and wherein the Phytoene synthase gene has a 50% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 3.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein the Phytoene synthase gene has a 95% or greater sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 3.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Heinnickel Mark L
• Levine Steven W
• Nielsen Robert D
• Liu Yuchen
• Weissman Joseph C

Classifications

• C12P7/64

  Fats; Fatty oils; Ester-type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats · CPC title

• C12P19/04

  Polysaccharides, i.e. compounds containing more than five saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic bonds · CPC title

• C12P13/005

  Amino acids other than alpha- or beta amino acids, e.g. gamma amino acids · CPC title

• C12P3/00

  Preparation of elements or inorganic compounds except carbon dioxide {(recovery of carbon dioxides as by-products C12F3/02)} · CPC title

• C01C1/026

  Preparation of ammonia from inorganic compounds · CPC title