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US 2010/0167339 A1Published application
Process for microalgae conditioning and concentration
AssigneeEastman Chemical Company
InventorsRobert L. Clayton, Stephen N. Falling, Jeffrey S. Kanel
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Abstract
Conditioning and concentration of microalgae are accomplished by the process steps of grinding a dilute aqueous dispersion of microalgae in the presence of grinding media and then applying adsorptive bubble separation. This process is amenable to the use of dilute feed microalgal dispersions such as are encountered in the production of algal biomass for biofuel applications.
Claims16
A continuous process for recovering and concentrating valuable components from microalgae, the process comprising:
- a. obtaining microalgae from a source thereof,
- b. disrupting the microalgae by agitation in the presence of solid particles to give a conditioned microalgal slurry, and
- c. treating the resulting conditioned microalgal slurry with an adsorptive bubble separation process to form a stream rich in algal biomass and a stream depleted in algal biomass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.