ALCOHOL PRODUCTION PROCESS

• US 20100105115A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lanzatech NZ Incorporated (LanzaTech Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LanzaTech New Zealand Ltd. (LanzaTech Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Sean Dennis, Tran, Phuong Loan, Forster, Richard Llewellyn Sydney, Rowe, Matthew James, Collet, Christophe
• Granted Patent: US 8,293,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/135
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/62 Carboxylic acid esters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The invention relates to biological processes for producing one or more desired products, including alcohols such as ethanol and butanol. The processes comprise carrying out first and second fermentations of substrates in first and second bioreactors, wherein each fermentation produces one or more desired products and/or one or more by-products that can be utilised in the other fermentation. A product and/or by-product of the first fermentation is introduced to the second bioreactor during the fermentation, and a product and/or by-product of the second fermentation is introduced to the first bioreactor during the fermentation.

Claims

1. A process for producing one or more desired products, the process comprising carrying out first and second fermentations of substrates in first and second bioreactors, wherein each fermentation produces one or more desired products and/or one or more by-products that can be utilised in the other fermentation, and the process further comprising the steps of (a) introducing one or more products and/or by-products of the first fermentation that can be utilised by the second fermentation into the second bioreactor during the fermentation, and (b) introducing one or more products and/or by-products of the second fermentation that can be utilised by the first fermentation into the first bioreactor during the fermentation.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the process comprises carrying out a first fermentation of gaseous substrate comprising carbon monoxide in a first bioreactor.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the process comprises carrying out a second fermentation of carbohydrate-containing substrates in a second bioreactor.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of recovering one or more desired products from one or both fermentations.

5. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the desired product is one or more alcohol.

6. A process as claimed in claim 5 wherein the desired products comprise ethanol or butanol or both ethanol and butanol.

7. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein each fermentation produces ethanol or butanol or both.

10. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the product or by-products introduced in step (a) are actetate and/or butyrate.

11. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the products or by-products introduced in step (b) are hyrodgen or carbon dioxide or both.

8-9. -9. (canceled)

12. A process for producing one or more desired products selected from alcohols and by-products of fermentation processes that produce alcohols, the process comprising the following steps, in any order:

(a) in a first bioreactor, carrying out a first fermentation process comprising fermenting a gaseous substrate comprising carbon monoxide to produce reaction products comprising acetate and/or butyrate;

(b) introducing acetate and/or butyrate obtained from the first fermentation into a second bioreactor;

(c) in the second bioreactor, fermenting a carbohydrate-containing substrate to produce reaction products comprising one or more alcohols and hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases;

(d) introducing hydrogen or carbon dioxide, or both, obtained from the second fermentation into the first bioreactor during the first fermentation.

13. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein step (a) produces reaction products comprising one or more alcohols and acetate and/or butyrate.

14. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the desired products comprise one or both of ethanol and butanol.

16. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the first fermentation is carried out by one or more strains of anaerobic bacteria.

17. A process as claimed in claim 16 wherein, the anaerobic bacteria is selected from Clostridium, Moorella, Oxobacter, Peptostreptococcus, Acetobacterium, Eubacterium, Desulfotomaculum, Archaeglobulus and Butyribacterium.

18. A process as claimed in claim 17 wherein the anaerobic bacteria is Clostridium autoethanogenum.

22. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the second fermentation is carried out by one or more bacteria of the genus Clostridium.

23. A process as claimed in claim 22 wherein the bacterium is Clostridium acetobutylicum.

24. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein ethanol, butanol, acetate and/or butyrate are continuously recovered from the first bioreactor and recovered acetate and/or butyrate are continuously introduced into the second bioreactor.

28. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the gaseous substrate is a waste gas obtained from an industrial process.

29. A process as claimed in claim 28 wherein the industrial process is selected from the group consisting of ferrous metal products manufacturing, non-ferrous products manufacturing, petroleum refining processes, gasification of biomass, gasification of municipal waste, gasification of coal, electric power production, carbon black production, ammonia production, methanol production and coke manufacturing.

31. A process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the gaseous substrate contains less than about 15% H₂ by volume, such as less than about 10% H₂, such as less than about 5% H₂.

15. (canceled)

19-21. -21. (canceled)

25-27. -27. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

32-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A fermentation system including:

(a) a first bioreactor configured to produce one or more acids and optionally one or more alcohols by microbial fermentation of a substrate comprising CO; and

(b) means for introducing one or more acids produced in the first bioreactor into a second bioreactor; and

(c) a second bioreactor configured to produce one or more alcohols and hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide by microbial fermentation of a substrate comprising carbohydrate; and

(d) means for introducing hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide gases produced in the second bioreactor into the first bioreactor.