Method and Apparatus for Growing Microbial Cultures that Require Gaseous Electron Donors, Electron Acceptors, Carbon Sources, or Other Nutrients
AssigneeKiverdi, Inc.
InventorsPeter Dalla-Betta, John S. Reed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Compositions and methods and apparatus for growth and maintenance of microorganisms and/or bioprocesses using one or more gases as electron donors, electron acceptors, carbon sources, or other nutrients, and for a bioprocess that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide, or syngas, or producer gas into lipid products, bio-based oils, or other biochemical products.
Claims20
A method for growth and maintenance of microorganisms and/or bioprocesses using one or more gases as electron donors, and/or electron acceptors, and/or carbon sources, and/or other nutrients, comprising:
- introducing a culture of microorganisms and/or extracts of microorganisms into an environment suitable for growing or maintaining the culture and/or extracts;
- introducing an inorganic or organic carbon compound into the environment so that microorganisms and/or extracts utilize the carbon compound as a carbon source for growth, biosynthesis, or fermentation, or otherwise convert the carbon source to at least one other organic carbon compound, wherein the biological utilization and/or conversion of the carbon source by the microorganisms and/or extracts involves at least one of:
- uptake of a carbon source utilized by the microorganisms and/or extracts from a gaseous phase;
- and/or
- provision of a gaseous electron donor for the purpose of generating intracellular reducing equivalents or intracellular energy;
- and/or
- provision of a gaseous electron acceptor for the purpose of generating intracellular energy;
- and/or
- provision of some other nutrient that occurs as a gaseous phase under room temperature and atmospheric pressure;
- wherein
- at least one of the gaseous carbon source, electron donor, electron acceptor, or nutrient is generated chemically and/or thermochemically and/or electrochemically and/or is taken or derived from an industrial, agricultural, forestry, mining, oil and gas drilling, or municipal waste stream or pollutant and/or is a gas that naturally occurs or occurs as a pollutant in the earth's atmosphere.
An apparatus for containing a microbial culture and controlling the environmental conditions to which the culture is exposed, comprising:
- a reactor vessel for containing the microbial culture;
- a gas feed manifold configured for connection to a supply for feeding a gas to the reactor vessel, wherein the gas feed manifold comprises an inlet valve for controlling hydrogen gas feed flow to the reactor vessel, and at least one in-line sensor;
- a pressure-relief valve configured to permit gas to exit the reactor vessel;
- wherein the reactor vessel is configured to, during operation when containing the microbial culture, contain both a liquid phase and gas phase or headspace, and comprises:
- an eductor fluidly connected to the reactor vessel and configured and positioned to permit mixing and flow of a liquid and gas from the gas phase or headspace back into the liquid phase contained in the reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.