Pakamas Prayuenyong

pp. 493 - 507

Abstract

Sulfur emission from coal combustion presents many environmental problems. It is believed that
the best method to limit the amount of sulfur oxides emitted into the atmosphere is to reduce the amount
of sulfur in coal before combustion. The techniques used include physical, chemical and biological processes.
Biological processes based on degradation of sulfur compounds by microorganisms offer many advantages
over the conventional physical and chemical processes. The processes are performed under mild conditions
with no harmful reaction products and the value of coal is not affected. In this article the progress achieved
to date in coal biodesulfurization processes is reviewed. The barriers for biodesulfurization processes to
scale up to commercial applications are highlighted. In addition, the future needs of research for the development of efficient biodesulfurization processes are included.

Keywords

• coal
• biodesulfurization
• sulfur