Compositions and methods for recovery of stranded gas and oil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10273446-B2
Application number	US-201515111723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2014
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for using recombinant C1 metabolizing microorganisms capable of metabolizing sulfur containing compounds and other contaminants to biologically convert sour or acidic natural gas into high-value molecules, and to allow recovery of stranded oil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating gas, comprising culturing a first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium with a tainted gas feedstock,
wherein the tainted gas feedstock comprises a methane and an S substrate;
wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium comprises a first heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide capable of metabolizing the S substrate selected from:
(a) a hydrogen sulfide:NADP + oxidoreductase, hydrogen sulfide:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, sulfide:flavocytochrome-c oxidoreductase, sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase, sulfur dioxygenase, sulfite oxidase, or any combination thereof;
(b) a hydrogen sulfide:NADP + oxidoreductase, sulfite oxidase, or both;
(c) a hydrogen sulfide:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, sulfite oxidase, or both;
(d) a sulfide:flavocytochrome-c oxidoreductase, sulfite oxidase, or both;
(e) a sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase, sulfite oxidase, or both; or
(f) a hydrogen sulfide:NADP + oxidoreductase, hydrogen sulfide:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, sulfide:flavocytochrome-c oxidoreductase, or sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase, and wherein endogenous sulfite oxidase activity is increased; and
wherein the first methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium assimilates and/or oxidizes the methane and the S substrate.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the methane and the S substrate are converted into a biological material.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the biological material comprises an animal feed, a fertilizer or an oil composition.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the S substrate is oxidized to a sulfate.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the tainted gas feedstock is:
(a) a light alkane gas, natural gas, unconventional natural gas, casinghead gas, wellhead condensate, or any combination thereof; or
(b) an acid gas or a sour gas.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium further comprises a second heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding a fatty acid producing enzyme, a formaldehyde assimilation enzyme, or a combination thereof; and wherein the recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium converts the methane into an oil composition.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the oil composition is substantially located in the cell membrane of the methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises the step of obtaining the oil composition by extraction.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of refining the extracted oil composition into a fuel, wherein the fuel comprises jet fuel, diesel fuel, paraffinic kerosene, gasoline, or a combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises a second recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium or cell lysate thereof,
wherein the second recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium comprises a heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding an alkane monooxygenase or an alkene monooxygenase; and
wherein the second recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium or cell lysate thereof oxidizes the methane into an alcohol composition.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium further comprises a second heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding an alkane or an alkene monooxygenase; and
wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium or cell lysate thereof oxidizes the methane into an alcohol composition.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the alkane monooxygenase is selected from a membrane-bound methane monooxygenase (pMMO), soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO), an ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), a membrane-bound butane monooxygenases (pBMO), a soluble butane monooxygenase (sBMO), an alkane hydroxylase, a soluble propane monooxygenase (sPMO), PMO:P450, P450, or any combination thereof.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium further comprises a second heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding a fatty acid converting enzyme selected from:
(a) a fatty acyl-CoA reductase capable of forming a fatty alcohol;
(b) a fatty acyl-CoA reductase capable of forming a fatty aldehyde; and/or
(c) a carboxylic acid reductase; and
wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium converts the methane into a C 8 -C 24 fatty acid derivative comprising a fatty aldehyde, a fatty alcohol, a hydroxy fatty acid, a dicarboxylic acid, or any combination thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein:
(a) the fatty acyl-CoA reductase capable of forming a fatty alcohol is FAR, CER4, or Maqu_2220; and/or
(b) the fatty acyl-CoA reductase capable of forming a fatty aldehyde is acr1.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium further comprises an heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding:
(a) a thioesterase; or
(b) a thioesterase, wherein the thioesterase is a tesA lacking a signal peptide, UcFatB or BTE; and/or
(c) an acyl-CoA synthetase; or
(d) an acyl-CoA synthetase, wherein the acyl-CoA synthetase is a FadD, yng1, or FAA2.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein endogenous:
(a) thioesterase activity is reduced, minimal or abolished as compared to unaltered endogenous thioesterase activity; and/or
(b) acyl-CoA synthetase activity is reduced, minimal or abolished as compared to unaltered endogenous acyl-CoA synthetase activity.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium further comprises a recombinant nucleic acid molecule encoding a monooxygenase to produce ω-hydroxy fatty acid.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase activity is reduced, minimal or abolished as compared to unaltered endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase activity.

19. The method according to claim 13 , wherein endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase activity is increased or elevated as compared to unaltered endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase activity to produce dicarboxylic acid.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first recombinant methanotrophic bacterium or methylotrophic bacterium is:
(a) a methanotrophic bacterium
(b) a methanotrophic bacterium selected from a Methylococcus capsulatus Bath strain, Methylomonas 16a, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, Methylosinus sporium, Methylocystis parvus, Methylomonas methanica, Methylomonas albus, Methylobacter capsulatus, Methylobacterium organophilum, Methylomonas sp AJ-3670 , Methylocella silvestris, Methylocella palustris, Methylocella tundrae, Methylocystis daltona strain SB2, Methylocystis bryophila, Methylocapsa aurea KYG, Methylacidiphilum infernorum, Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum , or any combination thereof;
(c) the methanotrophic bacterium of (a) or (b), wherein the culture further comprises a heterologous bacterium;
(d) a methylotrophic bacterium; or
(e) a methylotrophic bacterium selected from Methylobacterium extorquens, Methylobacterium radiotolerans, Methylobacterium populi, Methylobacterium chloromethanicum, Meth

Assignees

• Calysta Inc

Inventors

• Fong Howard Lam Ho
• Grate John H
• Nguyen Luan
• Silverman Joshua A
• Newman Lisa Marie
• Giver Lorraine Joan
• Regitsky Drew D

Classifications

• C09K2208/20

  Hydrogen sulfide elimination · CPC title

• C09K8/532

  Sulfur · CPC title

• A23K10/10 Primary

  obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes (using chemicals or microorganisms for ensilaging of green fodder A23K30/15) · CPC title

• B01D2256/24

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C10G2300/1025

  Natural gas · CPC title