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US 12,216,071 B2Granted
Quantitative characterization of algal biomass biomolecules
AssigneeExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
InventorsHao Wang, Chengrong Wang, Amy C Clingenpeel, Kuangnan Qian
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Abstract
A method and system for direct quantification of the concentration of biomolecules in algal biomass. The biomolecules include lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. An algae slurry is cultivated within a cultivation vessel, and algal biomass is harvested therefrom. A portion of biomass is analyzed using solvent-lipid analysis to extract lipids and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is used to quantify the biomolecular concentration of the biomass.
Claims13
A method comprising:
- harvesting algal biomass from a cultivated algae water slurry;
- extracting lipids from a portion of the algal biomass using solvent-lipid extraction, wherein the solvent-lipid extraction produces a lipids-containing fraction and a lipids-free fraction, the lipids-free fraction comprising protein and carbohydrates;
- quantifying a first biomolecular concentration of a first carbon-containing compound in the lipids-free fraction using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy;
- quantifying a second biomolecular concentration of a second carbon-containing compound in the algal biomass using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy;
- determining a total amount of a lipid, protein, and carbohydrate in the algal biomass by comparing, at least, the first biomolecular concentration with the second biomolecular concentration;
- and
- tailoring, based on the total amount of lipid, protein, and carbohydrate in the algal biomass of the cultivated algae water slurry, the total amount of lipid, protein, and carbohydrate of a subsequently cultivated algae water slurry by adjusting a predetermined cultivation time of the subsequently cultivated algae water slurry.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- harvesting algal biomass from a cultivated algae water slurry;
- extracting lipids from a portion of the algal biomass using solvent-lipid extraction, wherein the solvent-lipid extraction produces a lipids-containing fraction and a lipids-free fraction, the lipids-free fraction comprising protein and carbohydrates;
- analyzing an original sample of the algal biomass using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to generate a first spectral plot;
- analyzing a sample of the lipids-free fraction portion using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to generate a second spectral plot;
- determining a percent concentration for each of total lipid, protein, and carbohydrate in the algal biomass by generating, at least a spectral difference between the first spectral plot and the second spectral plot;
- and
- tailoring, based on the percent concentration for each of total lipid, protein, and carbohydrate in the algal biomass of the cultivated algae water slurry, the percent concentration of each of total lipid, protein, and carbohydrate in a subsequently cultivated algae water slurry by any one or more of:
- adjusting a predetermined cultivation time of the subsequently cultivated algae water slurry, adjusting an amount of a nutrient within the subsequently cultivated algae water slurry, or adjusting a concentration of algae cells during cultivation at one or more times.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.