부산대학교 도서관

Biodesulfurization is a promising method to desulfurize sulfur-containing compounds in oil with its unique advantages, such as environment-friendly treatments and moderate reaction conditions. In this study, a thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius W-2 was reported to show nearly 40% and 55% desulfurization rates on heavy oil with 2.81% and 0.46% initial total sulfur content, respectively. Subsequently, comparative transcriptome analysis indicated that several possible key desulfurization-related genes of this strain were found to be differentially up-regulated induced by benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene, respectively. These desulfurization-related genes were considered to conduct key step to convert organic sulfur to inorganic sulfur. Moreover, the characterization of thermophilic alkanesulfonate monooxygenase systems SsuD 1 /SsuE 1 and SsuD 2 /SsuE 2 revealed that the enzymes exhibit considerable thermal and pH stability and wide substrates applicability. These enzymes probably endowed the strain W-2 with the ability to desulfurize oil and eliminate the sulfur-containing surfactants. Thus, this study provides novel alkanesulfonate monooxygenase systems that have the application potential for heavy oil biodesulfurization, oil demulsification and other biocatalytic processes. Unlabelled Image • Thermophilic strain W-2 can remove sulfur from various organic species in oil. • Comparative transcriptome revealed intracellular changes in response to DBT and BT. • Key genes potentially involved in the desulfurization pathway were identified. • SsuD/Es conduct key step in the conversion of organic sulfur to inorganic sulfur. • SsuD/Es show high thermostability, wide substrate range and good stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]