US 4,395,354 A · .alpha.Emulsans

Abstract

Growth of Acinetobacter Sp. ATCC 31012 on various substrates and under varying conditions has been used to produce two classes of extracellular microbial protein-associated lipopolysaccharides (the "emulsans") which, on a weight-for-weight basis, are probably the most efficient emulsifiers discovered and which possess certain characteristics that permit these unique extracellular microbial lipopolysaccharides to be widely used in cleaning oil-contaminated vessels, oil spill management, and enhanced oil recovery by chemical flooding. These classes have been named .alpha.-emulsans and .beta.-emulsans, both of which have substantially the same polymer backbone but differ from each other in certain important structural aspects. Emulsans and apoemulsans, both of which biopolymers are strongly anionic, exhibit a high degree of specificity in the emulsification of hydrocarbon substrates which contain both aliphatic and cyclic components. In addition, these extracellular microbial polysaccharides as well as their O-deacylated and N-deacylated derivatives are adsorbed on and capable of flocculating aluminosilicate ion-exchangers, such as kaolin and bentonite.

Claims28

Dependent claims

Extracellular microbial protein-associated lipopolysaccharides (herein collectively called ".alpha.-emulsans") produced by Acinetobacter Sp. ATCC 31012 and its mutants, in which the lipopolysaccharide components (herein collectively called "apo-.alpha.-emulsans") are completely N-acylated and partially O-acylated heteropolysaccharides made up of major amounts of D-galactosamine and an aminouronic acid, such apo-.alpha.-emulsans containing at least 5 percent by weight of fatty acid esters (1) in which the fatty acids contain from about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and (2) about 50 percent by weight or more of such fatty acids are composed of 2-hydroxydodecanoic acid and 3-hydroxydodecanoic acid, the .alpha.-emulsans being characterized by a Specific Emulsification Activity of about 200 units per milligram or higher, where one unit per milligram of Specific Emulsification Activity is defined as that amount of emulsifying activity per milligram of bioemulsifier which yields 100 Klett absorption units using a standard hydrocarbon mixture consisting of 0.1 ml of 1:1 (v/v) hexadecane/2-methylnaphthalene and 7.5 ml of Tris-Mg buffer.

An emulsifying agent comprising an aqueous solution in sea water or fresh water containing (A) from about 10 mcg/ml to about 20 mg/ml of the extracellular microbial protein-associated lipopolysaccharides (herein collectively called ".alpha.-emulsans") produced by Acinetobacter Sp. ATCC 31012 and its mutants, in which the lipopolysaccharide components (herein collectively called "apo-.alpha.-emulsans") are completely N-acylated and partially O-acylated heteropolysaccharides made up of major amounts of D-galactosamine and an aminouronic acid, such apo-.alpha.-emulsans containing at least 5 percent by weight of fatty acid esters (1) in which the fatty acids contain from about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and (2) about 50 percent by weight or more of such fatty acids are composed of 2-hydroxydodecanoic acid and 3-hydroxydodecanoic acid, the .alpha.-emulsans being characterized by a Specific Emulsification Activity of about 200 units per milligram or higher, where one unit per milligram of Specific Emulsification Activity is defined as that amount of emulsifying activity per milligram of bioemulsifier which yields 100 Klett absorption units using a standard hydrocarbon mixture consisting of 0.1 ml of 1:1 (v/v) hexadecane/2-methylnaphthalene and 7.5 ml of Tris-Mg buffer;
and (B) from about 1 to about 100 mM of at least one divalent cation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

.alpha.Emulsans

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.alpha.Emulsans

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Abstract

Claims28