GROWING AQUATIC BIOMASS, AND PRODUCING BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK AND BIOCRUDE THEREFROM

• US 20110023565A1
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MARD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kior Inc.
• Inventors: Bartek, Robert, YANIK, STEVE
• Granted Patent: US 8,623,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 71/11
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/00 Other organic fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/08 with moving catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/12 Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor as new plants A01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/00 Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

A method for producing biomass and sequestering greenhouse gas includes providing a greenhouse gas, providing light energy, and growing algae in a growth container with the greenhouse gas and the light energy. The algae can be processed into a biomass feedstock. The biomass feedstock can be converted into a fuel or specialty chemical. At least a portion of the algae can be used as a fertilizer for a biomass growth source.

Claims

1. A method for producing biocrude from algae comprising:

providing algae; and

catalytically cracking substantially all of the organic components of the algae, to produce a biocrude.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting algae that maximizes total mass grown per unit volume per unit time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising excluding a separation of algae oil from algae solid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the algae comprises carbon provided directly from an adjacent industrial facility.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a greenhouse gas;

providing light energy; and

growing algae in a growth container with the greenhouse gas and the light energy.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising upgrading the biocrude, to produce a fuel or specialty chemical.

10. The method of claim'"'"'5 wherein the greenhouse gas comprises CO2 from an adjacent industrial facility.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising deriving the light energy from a renewable energy source.

12. The method of claim 5 further comprising matching the light energy to the absorption spectrum of the algae.

13. The method of claim 5 further comprising purifying the greenhouse gas using a fraction of the light energy.

14. The method of claim 5 further comprising using a fraction of the light energy to heat the algae in the growth container.

15. The method of claim 5 wherein the algae comprises micro algae.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein the algae comprises macro algae.

17. The method of claim 5 wherein the growth container comprises a stirring reactor with an internal light source and reflective inner wall.

18. The method of claim 5 further comprising circulating a suspension of the algae through a sluice comprising an optically transparent region through which the light energy is provided to the algae.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the suspension of the algae comprises about 5% by weight micro algae in an aqueous liquid.

20. The method of claim 5 wherein the growth container comprises:

a first region allowing light energy to reach the algae; and

a second region preventing light energy from reaching the algae.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

circulating the algae between the first region and the second region; and

harvesting a mature fraction of the algae from the second region.

22. The method of claim 5 further comprising operating the growth container at a predetermined temperature, to facilitate algae growth.

23. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing waste heat from an adjacent commercial or industrial facility to the growth container, to facilitate algae growth.

24. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

providing waste water from an adjacent commercial or industrial facility to the growth container; and

bio-remediating the waste water by growing algae in the waste water.

25. The method of claim 5 further comprising separating a fraction of the algae suitable for use as a fertilizer or specialty chemical.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the fraction of the algae comprises a mineral solution.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing the fraction to a biomass growth source as a fertilizer.

28. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing a fertilizer to the growth container, to facilitate algae growth.

29. The method of claim 5 further comprising obtaining carbon credits for sequestering the greenhouse gas.

30. The method of claim 5 wherein growing algae comprises maximizing the yield of algae mass per unit volume per unit time.

31. The method of claim 5 wherein growing algae preferentially produces a cellulosic component relative to an oil component.

32. The method of claim 5 further comprising processing the algae into a plurality of solid biomass particles suitable for use in a biomass feedstock.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of solid biomass particles comprise lignocellulose.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the processing excludes an oil extraction from the algae.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

de-watering the algae;

agitating the algae, to produce a plurality of solid biomass particles; and

contacting the plurality of solid biomass particles with a catalyst.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising flocculating the algae.

37. The method of claim 1 further comprising flocculating the algae with a plurality of solid catalyst particles.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein the plurality of solid catalyst particles comprise acid alum and sodium silicate.

39. The method of claim 1 further comprising flocculating the algae with a plurality of solid biomass particles.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of solid biomass particles are torrefied biomass particles.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of solid biomass particles are characterized by average particle sizes between about 10 and about 2000 microns, the catalyst comprises a basic catalyst, and contacting the plurality of solid biomass particles with a catalyst forms a mechano-chemical interaction between the plurality of solid biomass particles and the catalyst.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising torrefying the algae at a temperature below about 300°

C., to produce a plurality of solid biomass particles having an increased brittleness and/or susceptibility to catalytic conversion.

43. The method of claim 35, further comprising catalytically cracking the plurality of solid biomass, to produce a biocrude.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising providing at least a fraction of char from the catalytic cracking to the growth container as a fertilizer for growing algae.

45. The method of claim 1 wherein the biocrude is characterized by a total acid number of less than about 20 and can be converted into a fuel or specialty chemical using a conventional petrochemical processing or refining unit.

46. The method of claim 5 further comprising purifying the greenhouse gas.

47. The method of claim 5 further comprising preventing undesired biological contamination of the growth container.

48. The method of claim 10, wherein the CO2 is a product of converting biomass into a fuel or specialty chemical.

49. The method of claim 11, wherein the renewable energy comprises solar energy.

50. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a growth medium comprising fresh water.

51. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a growth medium comprising salt water.

52. The method of claim 5 wherein the growth container comprises a flexible pouch adapted for growing macro algae.

53. The method of claim 5 wherein the growth container comprises a plastic bag adapted for growing macro algae.

54. The method of claim 1 further comprising de-mineralizing the algae, to mitigate at least one of char and ash formation upon conversion of the biomass into a fuel or specialty chemical.

55. The method of claim 1 wherein the biocrude is characterized by a strong acid number of less than about 5.

56. The method of claim 1 wherein the biocrude is characterized by a pH value of above about 4.

57. The method of claim 1 wherein the biocrude is characterized by a low corrosiveness.

58. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing char from the catalytic cracking to a biomass growth source, to fertilize the biomass growth source.

59. The method of claim 1 further comprising flocculating the algae with immature algae cells.

60. The method of claim 5 further comprising purifying a liquid comprising sewage by growing algae in the liquid.

61. The method of claim 60, further comprising separating purified water from the liquid with a one-way osmotic membrane in fluid communication with the growth container.

62. The method of claim 5 further comprising supplying a growth medium comprising waste water.

63. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing the greenhouse gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.

64. The method of claim 5 further comprising sparging a gas into the growth container.

65. The method of claim 5 further comprising scrubbing a gas from the growth container.

7. A biocrude production unit comprising:

an industrial facility providing at least one of a greenhouse gas, waste water, and waste heat to an algae growth facility,

wherein the algae growth facility employs at least one of the greenhouse gas, waste water, and waste heat to facilitate algae growth; and

a biomass catalytic cracking facility receiving algae from the algae growth facility and catalytically cracking substantially all of the algae, to produce a biocrude.

8. The biocrude production unit of claim 7, wherein the industrial facility comprises the biomass catalytic cracking facility.

9. A method for producing biomass and sequestering greenhouse gas comprising:

providing a greenhouse gas;

providing light energy; and

growing algae in a growth container with the greenhouse gas and the light energy.