Renewable chemical production from novel fatty acid feedstocks
AssigneeSolazyme, Inc.
InventorsScott Franklin, Aravind Somanchi, Karen Espina, George Rudenko, Penelope Chua
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are methods of manufacturing renewable chemicals through the manufacture of novel triglyceride oils followed by chemical modification of the oils. Methods such as transesterification, hydrogenation, hydrocracking, deoxygenation, isomerization, interesterification, hydroxylation, hydrolysis and saponification are disclosed. Novel oils containing fatty acid chain lengths of C8, C10, C12 or C14 are also disclosed and are useful as feedstocks in the methods of the invention.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a chemical, comprising the steps of:
- (A) cultivating a cell of the genus Prototheca that comprises an exogenous fatty acyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein) thioesterase gene that encodes a fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase having hydrolysis activity towards one or more fatty acyl-ACP substrates of chain length C8, C10, C12 or C14, wherein the cell produces triglyceride oil that has—
- (a) a lipid profile of at least 4% C8-C14;
- and
- (b) at least one of the following attributes:
- i. less than 0.4 micrograms/ml of total carotenoids;
- ii. less than 0.001 micrograms/ml of lycopene;
- iii. less than 0.02 micrograms/ml of beta carotene;
- iv. less than 0.02 milligrams of chlorophyll per kilogram of oil;
- v. 0.40-0.60 milligrams of gamma tocopherol per 100 grams of oil;
- vi. 3-9 mg campesterol per 100 grams of oil;
- or
- vii. less than 0.5 milligrams of total tocotrienols per gram of oil;
- (B) performing one or more chemical reactions comprising transesterification, hydrogenation, hydrocracking, deoxygenation, isomerization, interesterification, hydroxylation, and/or hydrolysis on the triglyceride oil to form the chemical;
- and
- (C) separating the chemical from the reaction mixture remaining after performing step (B).
A method of manufacturing a soap product comprising the steps of:
- (A) cultivating a cell of the genus Prototheca that comprises an exogenous fatty acyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein) thioesterase gene that encodes a fatty acyl-ACP thioesterease having hydrolysis activity towards one or more fatty acyl-ACP substrates of chain length C8, C10, C12 or C14, wherein the cell produces triglyceride oil that has
- (a) a lipid profile of at least 4% C8-C14;
- and
- (b) at least one of the following attributes:
- i. less than 0.4 micrograms/ml total carotenoids;
- ii. less than 0.001 micrograms/ml lycopene;
- iii. less than 0.02 micrograms/ml beta carotene;
- iv. less than 0.02 milligrams of chlorophyll per kilogram of oil;
- v. 0.40-0.60 milligrams of gamma tocopherol per 100 grams of oil;
- vi. 3-9 mg campesterol per 100 grams of oil;
- vii. less than 0.5 milligrams of total tocotrienols per gram of oil;
- (B) isolating the triglyceride oil from other microalgal components;
- (C) performing a saponification reaction on the triglyceride oil;
- thereby producing a soap product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.