Process for separation of renewable materials from m icroorganisms
AssigneeBP Biofuels UK Limited
InventorsMartin J. Sellers, David Jeffers, Jean-Charles Dumenil, Vidya Pai, Jacob Borden
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Abstract
Methods of separating renewable materials, such as lipids, from microorganisms, such as oleaginous yeasts, may include conditioning cell walls of the microorganisms to form, open or enlarge pores, and removing at least a portion of the renewable material through the pores. These methods may result in delipidated microorganisms with cell walls that are substantially intact and with mesopores. These delipidated microorganisms may be used to produce biofuels.
Claims20
A process for separation of renewable materials from microorganisms, the process comprising:
- conditioning cell walls of microorganisms containing a renewable material to form, open or enlarge pores;
- and
- removing at least a portion of renewable material through the pores.
A process for extraction of lipids from oleaginous yeasts, the process comprising:
- conditioning oleaginous yeast by a thermal treatment to increase cell wall porosity;
- and
- removing lipids from the oleaginous yeast with cell walls substantially intact.
Delipidated yeast with cell walls substantially intact and with mesopores.
A process for production of biofuels, the process comprising:
- culturing yeast on sugar to accumulate lipids within cell walls of the yeast;
- conditioning the yeast to form or enlarge pores in the cell walls;
- removing the lipids through the pores in the cell walls;
- separating the lipids from the yeast;
- and
- converting the lipids into a biofuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.