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US 2014/0273124 A1Published application
Method for production of n-propanol and/or ethanol by fermentation of multiple substrates in a symbiotic manner
OwnerMichael Enzien, Robert Hickey +2inventors
InventorsMichael Enzien, Robert Hickey, William Levinson, Walter Vermeiren
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Abstract
This invention provides methods and systems for the production of n-propanol and ethanol. Specifically, the methods and systems of the present invention use symbiotic co-cultures for the production of propanol from syngas.
Claims16
A method for the production of alcohols, including at least one of ethanol and n-propanol comprising:
- a. feeding an exogenous stream of carboxylate salts containing at least one of propionate salts and acetate salts and feeding a gaseous mixture containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen to a first fermentation zone containing acetogenic microorganisms;
- b. fermenting at least one of polyols, carbohydrates and proteins in a second fermentation zone containing a second fermentation zone to produce the exogenous stream of carboxylate salts containing at least one of propionate salts and acetate salts in an aqueous solution;
- c. producing acetate and ethanol from the carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the first fermentation zone by contact with the acetogenic microorganisms;
- d. simultaneously with step c, reducing carboxylates containing at least acetate and propionate to produce the corresponding alcohol containing at least one of n-propanol or ethanol by contact with the acetogenic microorganisms;
- and,
- e. recovering the corresponding alcohol containing at least one of n-propanol or ethanol from a fermentation broth recovered from the first fermentation zone.
3 more elements
A method for the production of alcohols, containing at least one of ethanol and n-propanol comprising the following steps:
- a. fermenting at least one of polyols, carbohydrates and proteins in a fermentation broth contained within a bioreactor to produce carboxylates, containing at least one of propionate salts and acetate salts;
- b. feeding a gaseous mixture containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen to the bioreactor, wherein the fermentation broth contains at least one species of acetogenic microorganisms having the Acetyl-CoA pathway;
- c. producing acetate and ethanol from the carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen by contact with the acetogenic microorganisms;
- d. simultaneously with step c, reducing the carboxylates, containing at least propionate and/or acetate into the corresponding alcohols, containing at least n-propanol and/or ethanol by the at least one acetogenic microorganisms having the Acetyl-CoA pathway;
- e. recovering at least one of n-propanol and ethanol from the fermentation broth.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.