# US 9,752,166 B2 · Process and composition for production of organic products

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- Number: US 9,752,166 B2
- Document ID: US9752166B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/995,132
- Filed: 2016-01-13
- Published: 2016-05-26
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2009-12-04
- Applicants: Richard Allen Kohn
- Inventors: Richard Allen Kohn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752166B2

## CPC

- C12P 7/6409: Fatty acids
- C12N 1/20: Bacteria; Culture media therefor
- C12N 1/205: Bacterial isolates
- C12P 7/04: acyclic
- C12P 7/065: {with microorganisms other than yeasts}
- C12P 7/16: Butanols
- C12P 7/40: containing a carboxyl group {including Peroxycarboxylic acids}
- C12P 7/44: Polycarboxylic acids
- C12P 7/46: Dicarboxylic acids having four or less carbon atoms, e.g. fumaric acid, maleic acid
- C12P 7/48: Tricarboxylic acids, e.g. citric acid
- C12P 7/52: Propionic acid; Butyric acids
- C12P 7/54: Acetic acid (vinegar C12J)
- C12R 2001/01: Bacteria or Actinomycetales {; using bacteria or Actinomycetales}
- C12R 2001/185: Escherichia
- C12R 2001/19: Escherichia coli
- C12R 2001/22: Klebsiella
- C12R 2001/42: Salmonella
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- C12R: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES C12C - C12Q, RELATING TO MICROORGANISMS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

The present invention comprises a process to produce organic products from a single-carbon substrate; microbial compositions used in the process; and a process to isolate microorganisms for the process.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing a multi-carbon organic product from a single-carbon substrate comprising:
a) transferring microorganisms to a fermentation broth in a reactor vessel, wherein said microorganisms comprise a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family;
b) supplying the single-carbon substrate and a reducing agent or a compound that is both a single-carbon substrate and a reducing agent to the reactor vessel;
c) culturing the microorganisms under conditions causing the microorganisms to produce the multi-carbon organic product from the single carbon substrate; and
d) recovering the multi-carbon organic product from the reactor vessel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the single-carbon substrate comprises carbon dioxide.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the multi-carbon organic product comprises a lower alkyl alcohol.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the multi-carbon organic product comprises a carboxylic acid.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the reducing agent comprises H2 gas.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the reducing agent comprises sulfide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The process of claim 3, wherein volume of lower alkyl alcohol reaches at least 2% of broth volume.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The process of claim 3, wherein volume of lower alkyl alcohol reaches at least 6% of broth volume.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the compound that is both a single-carbon substrate and a reducing agent is carbon monoxide.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the member of the Enterobacteriaceae is from a genus Escherichia, Proteus, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Salmonella, or Enterobacter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10, wherein the Escherichia is Escherichia coli.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10, wherein the Citrobacter is Citrobacter koseri or wherein the Klebsiella is Klebsiella oxytoca.

### Claim 13 (depends on 3)

The process of claim 3, wherein the lower alkyl alcohol comprises ethanol.

### Claim 14 (depends on 3)

The process of claim 3, wherein the lower alkyl alcohol comprises a butanol.

### Claim 15

A process for producing a multi-carbon organic product from a single-carbon substrate comprising:
a) transferring microorganisms to a fermentation broth in a reactor vessel, wherein said microorganisms comprise an Escherichia coli strain;
b) supplying the single-carbon substrate and a reducing agent or a compound that is both a single-carbon substrate and a reducing agent to the reactor vessel;
c) culturing the microorganisms under conditions causing the microorganisms to produce the multi-carbon organic product; and
d) recovering the multi-carbon organic product from the reactor vessel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The process of claim 15, wherein the single carbon substrate comprises carbon dioxide and the reducing agent comprises hydrogen, and the multi-carbon organic product comprises a fatty acid, an alcohol or an alkane.

### Claim 17

A process to convert carbon dioxide to a multi-carbon product comprising:
a) transferring microorganisms to a fermentation broth in a reactor vessel, wherein said microorganisms comprise a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family that is selected or adapted to grow on carbon dioxide as a carbon substrate;
b) supplying the carbon dioxide and a source of hydrogen to the reactor vessel;
c) culturing the microorganisms under conditions causing the microorganisms to produce the multi-carbon product; and
d) recovering the multi-carbon organic product from the reactor vessel.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The process of claim 17, wherein the multi-carbon product is an alcohol, a fatty acid, or an alkane.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the member of the Enterobacteriaceae family has a natural capacity to convert a single-carbon substrate to a multi-carbon organic product.