Gas testing unit and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022010350-A1
Application number	US-202117449078-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 27, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2014
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fermentation unit and a method of carrying out fermentation are described. The fermentation unit can be transported from one facility to another to carry out a fermentation process. The fermentation unit and method allow for the fermentation of a C1-containing substrate from a source at a particular facility to produce products such as alcohols and acids. Examples of the source of the C1-containing substrate include without limitation steel manufacturing processes, coal and biomass gasification processes, coke manufacturing processes, etc. The fermentation unit can be housed within a container having a volume of less than about 6 m 3 .

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
feeding a C1-containing substrate from a source to a fermentation system comprising bioreactor stage comprising a C1-fixing microorganism in a culture medium to produce products selected from alcohols and acids, wherein the fermentation system is capable of being housed within a container having a volume of less than about 6 m 3 and transportable to multiple locations, the process characterized in that that it is carried out at a site of the source of the C1-containing substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the C1-containing substrate obtained from the source has been pretreated to remove a contaminant.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the culture medium is prepared with, or supplemented with, a local water source.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the test C1-containing substrate contains at least one C1-carbon source selected from the group consisting of CO, CO 2 , and CH 4 .

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the C1-fixing microorganism is a carboxydotrophic microorganism from the genus Clostridium.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the C1-fixing microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahlii , and Clostridium ragsdalei.

7 . The method of claim 1 where the fermentation system is capable of being housed within a box having length, width, and height dimensions of less than about 1.8 meters each.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the bioreactor stage comprises a circulated loop bioreactor.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fermentation system further comprises an operating control system for controlling one or more operating parameters selected from the group consisting of fresh culture medium addition rate, gaseous C1-containing substrate feed rate, reactor temperature, and reactor pH.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more operating parameters include reactor pH, and the control system includes instrumentation for controlling the flow of a basic neutralizing agent to the bioreactor, based on a measured reactor pH.

11 . The method of claim 1 where the fermentation system further comprises a safety control system for suspending flow of at least the C1-containing substrate in response to a measurement of an ambient C1-containing substrate concentration at above a threshold concentration.

12 . The method of claim 1 where the source of the C1-containing substrate is selected from an steel manufacturing processes, non-ferrous product manufacturing, petroleum refining processes, biofuel production, coal and biomass gasification processes, electric power production processes, carbon black production processes, ammonia production processes, methanol production processes, coke manufacturing processes, and syngas production processes.

13 . A fermentation unit, comprising:
a vertically extending bioreactor vessel comprising a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port, the gas inlet port located proximate to the bottom end of the vertically extending bioreactor, the inlet gas port in fluid communication with piping means, said piping means in fluid communication with an industrial facility and configured to feed a gaseous C1-containing substrate from the industrial facility to the bioreactor vessel, the inlet gas port extending into the interior of the bioreactor vessel and in fluid communication with a gas distribution device located within the bioreactor, the gas outlet port located proximate to the top end of the vertically extending bioreactor vessel in fluid communication with the bioreactor and configured to withdraw gaseous products, including unreacted C1-containing substrate, from the bioreactor vessel; the bioreactor vessel further comprising a liquid inlet port and a liquid outlet port, the liquid inlet port positioned below the gas inlet port and configured to introduce a culture medium comprising at least one C1-fixing microorganism into the bioreactor vessel, the liquid outlet port positioned below the gas inlet port and configured to withdraw liquid products from the bioreactor vessel; the fermentation unit housed within a container having a volume of less than about 6 m 3 .

14 . The fermentation unit of claim 13 , wherein the bioreactor vessel further comprises an external recycle loop and recirculation pump, the recycle loop comprising piping means in fluid communication with the bioreactor vessel through an exit recycle port located proximate to the bottom end of the bioreactor vessel, the piping means being in fluid communication with the recirculating pump configured to pump a fermentation broth from the exit recycle port through said piping means to an inlet recycle port located proximate to the top end of the bioreactor vessel, said inlet recycle port in fluid communication with a liquid distribution device located inside the top end on the bioreactor vessel.

15 . The fermentation unit of claim 13 , wherein the container has length, width, and height dimensions of less than about 1.8 meters each.

16 . The fermentation unit of claim 15 , wherein the container has one of the length, width, and height dimensions of less than about 1.6 meters, and the other two of the length, width, and height dimensions of less than about 1.3 meters.

17 . The fermentation unit of claim 14 , wherein the liquid distribution device is a shower head.

18 . The fermentation unit of claim 14 , wherein the recycle loop further comprises a basic neutralizing agent inlet port in fluid communication with a basic neutralizing agent source.

19 . The fermentation unit of claim 14 , further comprising a basic neutralizing inlet port in fluid communication with a basic neutralizing agent source, the port configured to feed the basic neutralizing agent to the bioreactor vessel.

20 . The fermentation unit of claim 13 , wherein the gas distribution device is a sparger and is located within the bottom 25% of the bioreactor vessel.

Assignees

• Lanzatech New Zealand Ltd

Inventors

• Heijstra Bjorn Daniel
• Simpson Sean Dennis
• Bourdakos Nicholas
• Bromley Jason Carl
• Yap Kai-Ming

Classifications

• G01N2030/0095

  Separation specially adapted for use outside laboratory, e.g. field sampling, portable equipments · CPC title

• G01N30/462

  with different eluents or with eluents in different states (G01N30/463 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C12M41/34

  of gas · CPC title

• C12M41/26

  of pH · CPC title

• C12M41/12

  of temperature (controlling the temperature of chemical or physical processes B01J19/0013, heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory use B01L7/00) · CPC title