Renewable diesel and jet fuel from microbial sources

• US 10,138,435 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corbion Biotech, Inc. (Corbion NV)
• Original Assignee: Corbion Biotech, Inc. (Corbion NV)
• Inventors: Trimbur, Donald E., Im, Chung-Soon, Dillon, Harrison F., Day, Anthony G., Franklin, Scott, Coragliotti, Anna
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shin Lin
• Application Number:
  US15/173,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20170022436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 424 9321, 435 691, 4352571, 4352573, 536 232, 536 241
• CPC Class Codes: C07H 21/04 with deoxyribosyl as saccharide radical
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/06 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0484 Vegetable or animal oils
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/026 for diesel engines, e.g. automobiles, stationary, marine
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/04 for turbines, planes, power generation
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/00 Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom sulfonated fats or oils C07C309/62; factice C08H; drying oils C09F
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/12 Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor as new plants A01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/32 Processes using, or culture media containing, lower alkanols, i.e. C1 to C6
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/79 Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0006 acting on CH-OH groups as donors (1.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0008 acting on the aldehyde or oxo group of donors (1.2)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1205 Phosphotransferases with an alcohol group as acceptor (2.7.1), e.g. protein kinases
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/14 Hydrolases (3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/16 acting on ester bonds (3.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/20 Triglyceride splitting, e.g. by means of lipase
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2408 acting on alpha -1,4-glucosidic bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2431 Beta-fructofuranosidase (3.2.1.26), i.e. invertase
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/88 Lyases (4.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 21/06 produced by the hydrolysis of a peptide bond, e.g. hydrolysate products preparing foodstuffs by protein hydrolysis A23J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/02 : acyclic C12P5/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6409 : Fatty acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6458 : by transesterification, e.g. interesterification, ester interchange, alcoholysis or acidolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6463 : obtained from glyceride producing microorganisms, e.g. single cell oil
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/649 : Biodiesel, i.e. fatty acid alkyl esters
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01026 : Beta-fructofuranosidase (3.2.1.26), i.e. invertase
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 : using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

The invention provides methods of manufacturing alkanes from triglyceride oils produced through fermentation of oil-bearing microbes. The processes provided herein can utilize a variety of carbohydrate feedstocks including cane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, corn stover, glycerol, corn starch, sorghum, molasses, waste glycerol, and other renewable materials. These processes further comprise hydrotreating, hydrocracking, isomerization, distillation, and other petrochemical processes for use with oil-bearing microbes and products derived therefrom to manufacture fuels. Particular embodiments include the manufacture of ASTM D975 and ASTM D1655 compliant fuels. Genetically engineered microbes provided herein can be used in the manufacture of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel.

Claims

1. A method of cultivating a recombinant microalgal cell in a culture medium, the cell comprising an exogenous gene encoding a sucrose invertase operably linked to a promoter, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the microalgae;

(b) adding sucrose to the culture medium; and

(c) cultivating the microalgae in the culture medium, wherein the invertase enzyme allows the microalgae to grow on sucrose, wherein the recombinant microalgal cell is cultivated until the cell accumulates at least 10% of its dry cell weight as lipid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the microalgae is of the genus Chlorella or Prototheca.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the microalgae is of the species Chlorella prothecoides or Prototheca moriformis.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the microalgae is of the species Chlorella protothecoides.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the microalgae is of the species Prototheca moriformis.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the promoter is endogenous to Chlamydomonas, Chlorella virus, cauliflower mosaic virus, Chlorella, Prototheca, or higher plant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the exogenous gene is codon optimized for expression in microalgae.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the expressed sucrose invertase is secreted.