Continuous process for fractionating a suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10494587-B2
Application number	US-201716320259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 28, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a continuous process for fractionating a suspension chosen from a microalgal biomass or milk.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process of fractionation of a suspension chosen from a microalgal biomass or milk, comprising the following steps:
a) contacting the suspension with a solvent consisting in supercritical CO 2 in a contactor, the suspension and the supercritical CO 2 being introduced in a counter current mode,
b) continuously recovering a supercritical CO 2 rich phase exiting from the top of the contactor, after its contacting with the suspension, the supercritical CO 2 rich phase containing lipids extracted from the suspension, and a raffinate exiting from the bottom of the contactor,
c) continuously separating the neutral lipids and/or the compounds of interest contained in the supercritical CO 2 rich phase, and the raffinate,
d) the process comprising no step of disrupting the cells of the algal biomass before step a) is carried out.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the suspension is a microalgal biomass, said microalgal biomass having a concentration of microalgae comprised between 0.5 and 200 g·L −1 of microalgae.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the suspension is milk, said milk being from animal or vegetal origin.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the contactor is a fractionation column, in particular a packed fractionation column, or a settler-mixer.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the packing of the fractionation column is chosen among random packings and structured packings.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fractionation is carried out at a pressure comprised between 8 and 30 MPa and at a temperature comprised between 35 and 70° C.

7. The process of claim 1 , carried out with the massic ratio [flow rate of supercritical CO 2 ]/[flow rate of suspension] comprised between 2/1 and 250/1.

8. The process of claim 1 , carried out with:
the flow rate of supercritical CO 2 comprised between 3 and 20 kg h −1 and the flow rate of suspension comprised between 0.08 and 1.5 kg h −1 ;
the flow rate of supercritical CO 2 of about 50 kg h −1 and the flow rate of suspension of about 5 kg h −1 ; or
the flow rate of supercritical CO 2 of about 600 kg h −1 and the flow rate of suspension of about 50 kg h −1 .

9. The process of claim 1 , where the separated supercritical CO 2 is recirculated in the fractionation column.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the neutral lipids are chosen from triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, free fatty acids and their mixtures, the neutral lipids being in particular ω-3 fatty acids.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the compounds of interest antioxidants, carbohydrates or pigments.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the contacting step a) is performed in presence of a polar modifier and/or an esterification agent.

Assignees

• Univ Aix Marseille
• Centre Nat Rech Scient
• Ecole Centrale Marseille

Inventors

• Badens Elisabeth
• Crampon Christelle

Classifications

• C11B1/102

  in counter-current; utilisation of an equipment wherein the material is conveyed by a screw · CPC title

• C11B1/104

  using super critical gases or vapours · CPC title

• C11B3/006 Primary

  by extraction · CPC title

• C11B7/0008 Primary

  by differences of solubilities, e.g. by extraction, by separation from a solution by means of anti-solvents (addition of a minor amount of solvent intended to lower the melting point C11B7/0083, C11B7/0091) · CPC title

• C12P7/6409

  Fatty acids · CPC title