Back to results
US 9,868,922 B2Granted
Method for recovery of oil from biomass
AssigneeNeste Oyj
InventorsOlli Aaltonen, Olli Jauhiainen, Mervi Hujanen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for recovery of lipids from microbial biomass, including providing wet microbial biomass to thermal pretreatment of at least 100° C. in a pressure vessel, subjecting the thermally pretreated microbial biomass to extraction using a liquid hydrocarbon as an extractant, and subsequently, recovering a product containing lipids.
Claims22
A method for recovery of lipids from microbial biomass, comprising:
- (i) subjecting wet microbial biomass to thermal pretreatment of at least 100° C.,
- (ii) subjecting said thermally pretreated microbial biomass to extraction using a liquid hydrocarbon as a liquid extractant, wherein the liquid extractant is the only extractact used in the extraction, and
- (iii) subsequently, recovering a product containing lipids,
- wherein said liquid extractant comprises liquid propane.
1 more element
A method for recovery of lipids and low alkanes or a mixture of lipids with low alkanes, from microbial biomass, the method comprising:
- (i) introducing wet microbial biomass slurry continuously into a pressure vessel with continuous agitation,
- (ii) adjusting the pressure vessel temperature and pressure to a predetermined thermal pretreatment value for a predetermined duration,
- (iii) subsequently decreasing the temperature to a predetermined extraction temperature, and introducing a liquid extractant comprising liquid low alkane into said vessel via a tube an outlet of which extends to below a slurry surface, wherein the liquid extractant is the only extractact used in the extraction, and
- (iv) removing excess low alkane through a back pressure regulator together with extracted lipids into an extractant-lipid collection vessel wherein the pressure is decreased to achieve gaseous low alkane, and recovering lipids, or optionally a mixture of gasified low alkane and lipids therefrom,
- wherein the low alkane comprises propane.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.