Carbon capture in fermentation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9890399-B2
Application number	US-201514829597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Oct 28, 2007
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

Methods of capturing carbon by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO. The methods include converting CO to one or more products including alcohols and/or acids and optionally capturing CO2 to improve overall carbon capture. In certain aspects, also disclosed are to processes for producing alcohols, particularly ethanol, from industrial waste streams, particularly steel mill off-gas.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A method for producing at least one product by microbial fermentation, the method comprising:
a) passing a solid municipal waste carbonaceous material to a gasification zone, operated at gasification conditions whereby at least a portion of the carbonaceous material is converted to a substrate comprising CO and H 2 ; and
b) passing the substrate to a bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one carboxydotrophic microorganism selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahli, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium carboxydivorans and mixtures thereof, and anaerobically fermenting the substrate to at least one product selected from the group consisting of alcohols, acids and mixtures thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 where the CO and H 2 is present in a ratio from about 0.4:1 to about 1.2:1.

3. The method of claim 1 where the substrate further comprises CO 2.

4. The method of claim 1 where the acid is selected from the group consisting of acetate, lactic acid and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 where the micro-organism is Clostridium autoethanogenum.

6. The method of claim 5 where the micro-organism is the Clostridium autoethanogenum strain deposited at the German Resource Centre for Biological Material (DSMZ) under the deposit number DSM 19630.

7. The method of claim 2 , where the ratio of CO to H 2 present in the substrate is varied by adjusting at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of feedstock composition, operating pressure, operating temperature and oxidant employed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprising CO and H 2 is blended with an intermittent waste gas stream comprising CO.

9. A method for producing at least one product by microbial fermentation, the method comprising:
a) passing a solid municipal waste carbonaceous material to a gasification zone, operated at gasification conditions whereby at least a portion of the carbonaceous material is converted to a substrate comprising CO and H 2 ; and
b) passing the substrate to a bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one carboxydotrophic microorganism_selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahli, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium carboxydivorans and mixtures thereof, and anaerobically fermenting the substrate to at least one product selected from the group consisting of ethanol, 2,3-butanediol, acids and mixtures thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 where the CO and H 2 is present in a ratio from about 0.4:1 to about 1.2:1.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substrate comprising CO and H 2 is blended with an intermittent waste gas stream comprising CO.

12. The method of claim 9 where the micro-organism is Clostridium autoethanogenum.

Assignees

• Lanzatech New Zealand Ltd

Inventors

• Simpson Sean Dennis
• Collet Christophe
• Cockrem Michael
• Oakley Simon David
• Koepke Michael

Classifications

• C01B2203/0405

  Purification by membrane separation · CPC title

• C01B2203/0233

  the reforming step being a steam reforming step · CPC title

• C01B3/38 Primary

  using catalysts · CPC title

• C01B2203/043

  Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration · CPC title

• C12P7/54

  Acetic acid (vinegar C12J) · CPC title