Oxidation of dibenzothiophene as a model substrate for the removal of organic sulphur from fossil fuels by iron(III) ions generated from pyrite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Abstract

Within this paper a new idea for the removal of organically bonded sulphur from fossil fuels is discussed. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) was used as a model compound of organic molecules containing sulphur. This form of (bio)desulphurization was performed by an indirect mechanism in which iron(III) ions generated from pyrite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans performed the abiotic oxidation. The obtained reaction products, dibenzothiopene sulfoxide and dibenzothiophene sulfone, are more soluble in water than the basic substrate and the obtained results confirmed the basic hypothesis and give the posibility of continuing the experiments related to application of this (bio)desulphurization process.