Biochar as a microbial carrier

• US 10,173,937 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbon Technology Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Cool Planet Energy Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Belcher, Richard Wilson, Kim, Han Suk, Buege, Brian, Jarand, Mark L., Cheiky, Michael C., Sills, Ronald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Langel, Wayne A
• Application Number:
  US15/393,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/05 Preparation or purification of carbon not covered by groups C01B32/15, C01B32/20, C01B32/25, C01B32/30
• CPC Class Codes: C05D 9/00 Other inorganic fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/00 Other organic fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/02 from peat, brown coal, and similar vegetable deposits
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/08 Organic fertilisers containing added bacterial cultures, mycelia or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 3/00 Mixtures of one or more fertilisers with additives not having a specially fertilising activity
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 5/10 Solid or semi-solid fertilisers, e.g. powders layered or coated C05G5/30, incorporated into a matrix C05G5/40
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 5/12 Granules or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 5/40 Fertilisers incorporated into a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/02 containing inorganic compounds only
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/04 applied in a physical form other than a solution or a grout, e.g. as granules or gases
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/40 containing mixtures of inorganic and organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 57/02 Multi-step carbonising or coking processes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/14 Fungi culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/16 Yeasts; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/20 Bacteria; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/12 Cellulose or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 71/903 : Soil conditioner

Abstract

The invention relates to a microbial delivery system where biochar acts as a carrier for microbes.

Claims

1. A microbial delivery system comprising:

biochar having pores; and

microbes retained on the surface or in the pores of the biochar, where the microbes are inoculated into the pores of the biochar using a surfactant.

2. The delivery system of claim 1, where at least some of the microbes are inoculated into the pores of the biochar.

3. The delivery system of claim 2, where the microbes are inoculated into the pores of the biochar using mechanical, chemical, or biological assistance to move the microbes either into the pores of the biochar or onto the surfaces of the biochar.

4. The delivery system of claim 3 where the microbes are inoculated into the pores of the biochar using the application of positive or negative pressure.

5. The delivery system of claim 1 where the microbes are retained by the biochar through mixing the biochar and microbes together.

6. The delivery system of claim 5 where the microbes are retained on the biochar by suspending the microbes in liquid and depositing the microbes on the biochar.

7. The delivery system of claim 1 where the microbes retained by the biochar are selected from the group consisting of:

Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Burkholderia, Achromobacter, Agrobacterium, Microccocus, Aereobacter, Flavobacterium, Erwinia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter, including Bacillus mucilaginosus, Bacillus edaphicus, Bacillus circulans, Paenibacillus spp., Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans, Pseudomonas cepacia, Burkholderia cepacia, Klebsiella variicola, Pantoea agglomerans; and

fungi Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus niger.

8. The delivery system of claim 1 where the biochar is treated biochar.

9. The delivery system of claim 8 where the biochar has been treated to alter one or more of the following properties of the biochar:

pH;

hydrophobicity;

hydrophilicity;

ability of the biochar to hold moisture;

ability of the biochar to retain and exchange certain types of nutrients;

ion exchange capacity;

physical protection from environmental hazards or protozoa;

presence or absence of nutrients, micronutrients, or sources of metabolic carbon;

or ability of the biochar to host other symbiotic microbes or plant systems.

10. The delivery system of claim 1, where at least some of the microbes are retained on the biochar through integrated growth with the biochar.

11. Biochar having pores where pores are filled with a media containing microbes, where the media is infused into the pores of the biochar using a surfactant.

12. The biochar of claim 11 where the microbes includes microorganisms selected from the group consisting of:

Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Burkholderia, Achromobacter, Agrobacterium, Microccocus, Aereobacter, Flavobacterium, Erwinia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter, including Bacillus mucilaginosus, Bacillus edaphicus, Bacillus circulars, Paenibacillus spp., Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans, Pseudomonas cepacia, Burkholderia cepacia, Klebsiella varlicola, Pantoea agglomerans; and

fungi Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus niger.

13. The biochar of claim 11 where the media is further infused into the pores of the biochar using positive or negative pressure.

14. The biochar of claim 11 where the surfactant treatment comprises adding 1% surfactant to the media.

15. The biochar of claim 11 where the pores of the biochar are treated prior to infusion with the media.

16. The biochar of claim 11 where the moisture content of the pores of the biochar is adjusted prior to infusion with the media.

17. A method for creating enhanced biochar, the method comprising the steps of infusing media containing microbes into the pores of biochar using a surfactant.

18. The method of claim 17 where the media is further infused into the pores of the biochar using positive or negative pressure.

19. The method of claim 17 where the media includes microorganisms selected from the group consisting of:

Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Burkholderia, Achromobacter, Agrobacterium, Microccocus, Aereobacter, Flavobacterium, Erwinia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter, including Bacillus mucilaginosus, Bacillus edaphicus, Bacillus circulars, Paenibacillus spp., Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans, Pseudomonas cepacia, Burkholderia cepacia, Klebsiella variicola, Pantoea agglomerans; and

fungi Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus niger.