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US 10,208,321 B2Granted
Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products
AssigneesWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Western Washington University
InventorsChristopher M. Reddy, Gregory W. O'Neil
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Abstract
A method comprising a series of selective extraction techniques for the parallel production of biodiesel and isolation of several valuable co-products including an alkenone hydrocarbon mixture of the kerosene/jet fuel range (primarily C10-, C12-, and C17-hydrocarbons) and fucoxanthin, a high-valued carotenoid, from the marine alkenone-producing microalgae Isochrysis.
Claims13
A method of isolating a carotenoid from algae, comprising the steps of
- (a) growing an algal mariculture capable of producing a carotenoid;
- (b) extracting the algal culture with a non-polar liquid hydrocarbon solvent comprising one or more alkanes having from 1 to 22 carbons to produce an extraction mixture consisting of the algal culture and the non-polar liquid hydrocarbon solvent;
- (c) separating the extraction mixture consisting of the algal culture and the non-polar liquid hydrocarbon solvent into an algal biomass fraction and a biofuel oil fraction;
- (d) mixing the algal biomass fraction of step (c) with an organic solvent selected from alcohols, alkanes, ethers, esters, ketones, amines, carboxylates, halogenated hydrocarbons, and surfactants, to extract a carotenoid;
- and
- (e) isolating the carotenoid from the algal biomass fraction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.