Method and apparatus of extracting lipids and preparing fatty acid esters from microalgae

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9994790-B2
Application number	US-201514686792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2015
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A method and an apparatus of extracting lipids from microalgae are provided. In the method, pressurized carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is dissolved in a liquid alcohol to form a CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution at a pressure of about 400-1500 psi and a temperature of about 30-65° C. Next, the CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution contacts microalgae to extract the lipids from the microalgae. A method and an apparatus of preparing fatty acid esters from microalgae are disclosed as well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of extracting a lipid from microalgae, comprising:
dissolving pressurized CO 2 gas in a liquid alcohol to form a single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution that is at a pressure of about 400 psi to about 1200 psi and a temperature of about 30° C. to about 65° C.; and
contacting the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution at the pressure of about 400 psi to about 1200 psi and the temperature of about 30° C. to about 65° C. with microalgae containing a lipid to extract the lipid from the microalgae and dissolve the lipid into the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution, wherein the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution at the pressure of about 400 psi to about 1200 psi has a CO 2 molar fraction ranging from about 0.4 to about 0.63.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising immersing the microalgae in a liquid alcohol at a pressure of about 400 psi to about 1500 psi before contacting the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution with the microalgae.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microalgae comprises Schizochytrium sp., and the alcohol comprises ethanol.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lipid comprises a fatty acid.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution at the pressure of about 400 psi to about 1200 psi and the temperature of about 30° C. to about 65° C. with the microalgae containing the lipid comprises contacting the single-phase CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution with the microalgae at the pressure of about 800 psi to about 1200 psi and the temperature of about 35° C. to about 45° C.

6. The method of claim 1 ; further comprising:
decreasing a pressure of the CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution containing the lipid to form CO 2 gas and an alcohol liquid solution containing the lipid after contacting the CO 2 -expanded alcohol solution with the microalgae; and
separating the lipid from the alcohol liquid solution.

Assignees

• Univ Nat Tsing Hua

Inventors

• Tan Chung-Sung
• Wang Hsin-Chih

Classifications

• C11C3/003

  by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols (C11C3/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C11B1/10

  by extracting · CPC title

• C11B1/04 Primary

  of vegetable raw material {(C11B1/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B01D11/0207

  Control systems · CPC title

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title