Electro-biodiesel empowered by co-design of microorganism and electrocatalysis
AssigneeThe Texas A&M University System
InventorsYUAN DAI, SHUHUA YUAN, KAINAN CHEN
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Abstract
The subject invention pertains to environmentally-friendly compositions, methods and systems for the production of diesel biofuels. More specifically, the subject invention integrates electrocatalysis and microbial bioconversion to generate lipids from carbon dioxide in a way that increases energy efficiency over known biomass-derived diesel production and significantly reduces land use.
Claims20
A composition for use in the production of diesel fuel lipid feedstock from CO2, wherein the composition comprises an oleaginous microorganism, an electrocatalyst and a growth medium.
A method for producing a lipid biodiesel feedstock, the method comprising an electrocatalysis step, said electrocatalysis step comprising supplying electricity and CO2 to an electrocatalyst to produce CO2 intermediates via a reduction reaction between the CO2 and the electrocatalyst;
- and
- a bioconversion step, said bioconversion step comprising inoculating a growth medium with an oleaginous microorganism, supplying the growth medium with the CO2 intermediates produced using the electrocatalyst, and allowing the microorganism to grow and synthesize lipids from the CO2 intermediates into the growth medium, wherein oleaginous microorganism that expresses or overexpresses one or more of the following enzymes:
- type 1 fatty acid synthase (FASI), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.
A system for continuous production of lipids from CO2, the system comprising a two-chamber bioconversion unit and a CO2 electrolysis unit containing an electrolyzer and an electrocatalyst.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.