Synthetic and biologically-derived products produced using biomass produced by photobioreactors configured for mitigation of pollutants in flue gases
First Claim
1. A method comprising acts of:
- providing a liquid medium comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organism within an enclosed photobioreactor;
exposing at least a portion of the photobioreactor and the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms to sunlight, thereby driving photosynthesis;
harvesting at least a portion of the photosynthetic organisms from the bioreactor to form biomass; and
converting at least a portion of the biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention relate to photobioreactor apparatus designed to contain a liquid medium comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organisms therein, and to methods of using the photobioreactor apparatus as part of a production process for forming an organic molecule-containing product, such as a polymeric material and/or fuel-grade oil (e.g. biodiesel), from biomass produced in the photobioreactor apparatus. In certain embodiments, the disclosed organic molecule/polymer production systems and methods, photobioreactor apparatus, methods of using such apparatus, and/or gas treatment systems and methods provided herein can be utilized as part of an integrated combustion and polymer and/or fuel-grade oil (e.g. biodiesel) production method and system, wherein photosynthetic organisms utilized within the photobioreactor are used to at least partially remove certain pollutant compounds contained within combustion gases, e.g. CO2 and/or NOx, and are subsequently harvested from the photobioreactor, processed, and utilized as a source for generating polymers and/or organic molecule-containing products (e.g. fuel-grade oil (e.g. biodiesel)) and/or as a fuel source for a combustion device (e.g. an electric power plant generator and/or incinerator).
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method comprising acts of:
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providing a liquid medium comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organism within an enclosed photobioreactor;
exposing at least a portion of the photobioreactor and the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms to sunlight, thereby driving photosynthesis;
harvesting at least a portion of the photosynthetic organisms from the bioreactor to form biomass; and
converting at least a portion of the biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method comprising an act of:
facilitating at least one of the production of a polymer and the conversion of biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule by providing biomass that is formed from at least one species of photosynthetic organisms, and that was produced in an enclosed photobioreactor utilizing the sun as a source of light for driving photosynthesis by the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms during biomass production in the photobioreactor. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An integrated combustion and biomass-derived organic molecule containing product production method comprising acts of:
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burning a fuel with a combustion device to produce a combustion gas stream;
passing the combustion gas to an inlet of an enclosed photobioreactor containing a liquid medium therein comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organisms and exposed to the sun as a source of light driving photosynthesis within the photobioreactor;
at least partially removing at least one substance from the combustion gas with the photosynthetic organisms, the at least one substance being utilized by the organisms for growth and reproduction;
removing at least a portion of the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms from the photobioreactor to form a biomass product; and
transforming at least a portion of the biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method comprising acts of:
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providing a liquid medium comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organisms within an array of a plurality of photobioreactors;
exposing at least a portion of the photobioreactors and the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms to a source of light capable of driving photosynthesis;
harvesting at least a portion of the photosynthetic organisms from the bioreactors to form biomass; and
converting at least a portion of the biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule.
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41. An integrated combustion and biomass-derived organic molecule containing product production method comprising acts of:
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burning a fuel with a combustion device to produce a combustion gas stream;
passing the combustion gas to an inlet of an array of a plurality of photobioreactors containing a liquid medium therein comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organisms and exposed to a source of light capable of driving photosynthesis within the photobioreactors;
at least partially removing at least one substance from the combustion gas with the photosynthetic organisms, the at least one substance being utilized by the organisms for growth and reproduction;
removing at least a portion of the at least one species of photosynthetic organisms from the photobioreactors to form a biomass product; and
transforming at least a portion of the biomass into a product comprising at least one organic molecule.
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Specification