Use of marine algae for co-producing alkenones, alkenone derivatives, and co-products
AssigneesWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Western Washington University, Marine Biological Laboratory
InventorsCHRISTOPHER M. REDDY, GREGORY W. O'NEIL, SCOTT R. LINDELL
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Abstract
A method comprising a series of selective extraction techniques for the parallel production of biodiesel and isolation of several valuable co-products including an alkenone hydrocarbon mixture of the kerosene/jet fuel range (primarily C10-, C12-, and C17-hydrocarbons) and fucoxanthin, a high-valued carotenoid, from the marine alkenone-producing microalgae Isochrysis.
Claims19
A method of isolating at least one product from algae, the method comprising:
- (a) growing an algal mariculture capable of producing alkenones;
- (b) extracting the algal mariculture with a non-polar liquid solvent to produce an extraction mixture;
- (c) separating the extraction mixture into at least a first and second fraction, wherein the first fraction comprises alkenones;
- and
- (d) isolating alkenones from the first fraction.
A method of producing alkenone derivatives from algae, the method comprising:
- (a) growing an algal mariculture capable of producing alkenones;
- (b) extracting lipids and alkenones from the algal mariculture to produce an alkenone-containing extract;
- (c) chemically modifying the alkenones after one of step (a) and step (b) to produce alkenone derivatives;
- (d) recovering the alkenone derivatives.
A lipid-containing mixture comprising:
- at least one fatty acid methyl ester in an amount of less than 50% (w/v);
- at least one alkenone in an amount of at least 10% (w/v);
- and
- at least one neutral lipid in an amount from 20% to 40% (w/v).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.