Denitrifying and sulfate reducing bacteria are being developed as additional isolates capable of removing sulfur and nitrogen from coal liquids and the model compound naphtha. Both types of bacteria are anaerobic, which during heteroatom removal, should result in less destruction of the carbon in the coal liquids. Denitrifying bacteria grow on alternative carbon sources and should use the sulfur in coal liquids as their sole source of nitrogen. It is estimated that the bacterial cells contain

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... proximately 1 percent sulfur and 15 percent nitrogen. Thus, it seems feasible to use these anaerobic bacteria to incorporate heteroatom compounds into cell mass. This report summarizes the results of isolation, growth and heteroatom utilization experiments on coal liquids and the model compound naphtha.