PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HYDROCARBON MOLECULES FROM RENEWABLE BIOMASS

• US 20090017513A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Georgia Belle Plantation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Georgia Belle Plantation Incorporated
• Inventors: Seigler, Kurt E., Bell, James C., Lever, James J. IV, Layfield, Deborah D.
• Application Number:
  US12/147,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20090017513A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/166
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/00 Preparation of hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons

Abstract

Provided is a process for producing hydrocarbon molecules from biomass utilizing microorganisms that are resistant to extreme heat and pressure, that comprise nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes which degrade compounds selected from the group consisting of cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose, and which are capable of generating hydrocarbon molecules from the degraded cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose.

Claims

1. A process for producing hydrocarbon molecules from biomass, said process comprising:

pre-processing the biomass by physical or mechanical breakdown, chemical degradation or a combination of physical or mechanical breakdown and chemical degradation to form a biomass fiber slurry;

introducing the biomass fiber slurry into a first stage bioreactor;

introducing microorganisms to the biomass fiber slurry in the first stage bioreactor, said microorganisms (a) being resistant to extreme heat and pressure, (b) comprising nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes which degrade compounds selected from the group consisting of cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose, and (c) capable of generating hydrocarbon molecules from degraded cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose;

incubating the microorganisms with the biomass fiber slurry in the first stage bioreactor at a temperature of between about 70°

F. and about 120°

F., an atmospheric pressure of near-vacuum, and a pH of between about 0.5 and about 2.0 for microorganisms which are acidophilic or a pH of between about 7.0 and about 9.0 for microorganisms which are basophilic for about 180 days to allow (a) the microorganisms to produce the enzymes which degrade compounds selected from the group consisting of cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose, (b) the produced enzymes to degrade the cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose and (c) the microorganisms to generate hydrocarbon molecules from the degraded cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose;

removing a hydrocarbon slurry from the first stage bioreactor, said hydrocarbon slurry comprising hydrocarbon molecules;

an aqueous solution comprising enzymes produced by the microorganisms; and

sludge comprising microorganisms and non-hydrocarbon byproducts of enzymatic degradation of cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose; and

separating the hydrocarbon molecules from the hydrocarbon slurry.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is sterilized before being introduced into the first stage bioreactor.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising filtering the hydrocarbon molecules to remove foreign or unwanted substances.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising removing from the hydrocarbon slurry (a) the aqueous solution comprising enzymes produced by the microorganisms and (b) the sludge comprising microorganisms and non-hydrocarbon byproducts of enzymatic degradation of cellulose, lignin, xylan and hemicellulose.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising introducing the removed sludge comprising microorganisms into a second stage bioreactor to cultivate the microorganisms.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising removing the cultivated microorganisms from the second stage bioreactor and re-introducing the cultivated microorganisms into the first stage bioreactor.

8. The process of claim 5, further comprising removing any remaining hydrocarbon from the aqueous solution comprising enzymes produced by the microorganisms.

9. The process of claim 1, further comprising removing from the first stage bioreactor byproducts selected from the group consisting of oxygen, water and carbon dioxide.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the microorganisms are selected from the group consisting of mixed ruminal microorganisms, a cellulotyic microorganism, a hemicellulose-degrading bacterial species from an insect gut, a cellulose-degrading fungus from the gut of an insect, a cellulotyic fungus, a hemicellulotyic fungus, a xylan-degrading microorganism, a bacteria from the gut of a wood eating insect, a bacteria from the gut of Loricardiid catfish Panaque, a fungus from the gut of Loricardiid catfish Panaque and a lignan-degrading bacteria isolated from the soil.

11. The process of claim 10, a ruminal microorganism from the mixed ruminal microorganisms is an anaerobic fungi, an anaerobic protozoa, an anaerobic bacteria or an anaerobic Archaebacteria (Archaea).

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the anaerobic Archaebacteria (Archaea) is a strain of Methanobrevibacter ruminatum.

13. The process of claim 10, wherein a ruminal microorganism from the mixed ruminal microorganisms is Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius, Eubacteria, Ruminococcus albus, R. flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Fibrobacter succinogenes or Selenomonas ruminantium.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is agricultural waste or forestry waste.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is waste wood from a construction site or a demolition site.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is municipal waste.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is pulp mill waste or pulp wood waste.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is farming debris or yard waste.

19. The process of claim 1, wherein the microorganisms are genetically engineered.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein a strain genetically engineered microorganism produces one length of hydrocarbon molecule.

21. The process of claim 19, wherein the genetically engineered microorganisms are selected from the group consisting of mixed ruminal microorganisms, a cellulotyic microorganism, a hemicellulose-degrading bacterial species from an insect gut, a cellulose-degrading fungus from the gut of an insect, a cellulotyic fungus, a hemicellulotyic fungus, a xylan-degrading microorganism, a bacteria from the gut of a wood eating insect, a bacteria from the gut of Loricardiid catfish Panaque, a fungus from the gut of Loricardiid catfish Panaque and a lignan-degrading bacteria isolated from the soil.

22. The process of claim 21, wherein a ruminal microorganism from the mixed ruminal microorganisms is an anaerobic fungi, an anaerobic protozoa, an anaerobic bacteria or an anaerobic Archaebacteria (Archaea).

23. The process of claim 22, wherein the anaerobic Archaebacteria (Archaea) is a strain of Methanobrevibacter ruminatum.

24. The process of claim 22, wherein the ruminal microorganism from the mixed ruminal microorganisms is Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius, Ruminococcus albus, R. flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Fibrobacter succinogenes or Selenomonas ruminantium.

25. The process of claim 21, wherein the cellulolytic microorganism is a strain selected from the group consisting of a strain of Eubacteria, a strain of Clostridium, a strain of Ruminococcus, a strain of Caldocellulosiruptor, a strain of Bacteroides, a strain of Acetivibrio, a strain of Thermoactinomyces, a strain of Caldibacillus, a strain of Bacillus, a strain of Acidothermus, a strain of Cellulomonas, a strain of Curtobacterium, a strain of Micromonospora, a strain of Actinoplanes, a strain of Streptomyces, a strain of Thermobifida, a strain of Thermonospora, a strain of Microbispora, a strain of the family Streptosporangiaceae, a strain of Fibrobacter, a strain of Sporocytophaga, a strain of Cytophaga, a strain of Flavobacterium, a strain of Achromobacter, a strain of Xanthomonas, a strain of Cellvibrio, a strain of Pseudomonas and a strain of Myxobacter.

26. The process of claim 20, wherein the hydrocarbon molecule comprises from one to twenty two carbon atoms.

27. The process of claim 25, wherein the hydrocarbon molecule comprises from four to twelve carbon atoms.

28. The process of claim 25, wherein the hydrocarbon molecule comprises eight carbon atoms.

29. The process of claim 1, further comprising manufacturing a polymer, a plastic, a chemical or a solvent from the hydrocarbon molecule.

4. The process of claim 4, further comprising refining the filtered hydrocarbon molecules to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuel.