Carbonic Anhydrase Bioreactor and Process

• US 20110183397A1
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saipem SPA (Saipem)
• Original Assignee: CO2 Solutions Inc.
• Inventors: Dutil, Frederic, Parent, Carmen
• Granted Patent: US 8,329,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/168
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/84 Biological processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/85 with gas-solid contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Abstract

A triphasic bioreactor for physico-chemically treating a gas is disclosed. The triphasic bioreactor comprises a reaction chamber with a liquid and biocatalysts in suspension in the liquid, for catalyzing a reaction between the gas and the liquid to obtain a treated gas and a solution containing a reaction product. A gas bubbling means is provided in the reaction chamber for bubbling the gas to be treated into the liquid thereby dissolving the gas into the liquid and increasing a pressure inside the reaction chamber. The bioreactor further comprises a liquid inlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber for receiving the liquid and filling the reaction chamber, a liquid outlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber for releasing the solution and a gas outlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber to release the treated gas. The bioreactor further comprises a retention device to retain the biocatalysts in the reaction chamber. The invention also concerns a process using the triphasic bioreactor. The triphasic bioreactor may advantageously be used for removing carbonic dioxide from a CO₂-containing gas.

Claims

1. An enzymatic bioreactor for treatment of a fluid with carbonic anhydrase, the bioreactor comprising:

a reaction chamber for accommodating reaction CO₂+H₂OHCO₃⁻

+H⁺ in an aqueous solution containing the carbonic anhydrase, the carbonic anhydrase catalyzing the reaction CO₂+H₂OHCO₃⁻

+H⁺, thereby producing a gas stream and a liquid stream;

a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber for feeding the fluid into the reaction chamber;

a liquid outlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber for releasing the liquid stream; and

a gas outlet in fluid communication with the reaction chamber to release the gas stream.

2. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber is configured and adapted to accommodate the carbonic anhydrase free in the aqueous solution.

3. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in the form of a complex.

4. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in a form that is of sub-micron size.

5. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided on or in supports.

6. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 5, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided on supports.

7. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 5, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in supports.

8. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the bioreactor further comprises a filter for removing or separating the carbonic anhydrase.

9. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 8, wherein the filter has pores with a smaller diameter than a diameter of the carbonic anhydrase, a support on or in which the carbonic anhydrase are supported or a complex of the carbonic anhydrase, for separating the carbonic anhydrase from the liquid stream.

10. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 9, wherein the filter comprises a membrane.

11. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 9, further comprising a pump in fluid communication with the liquid outlet and wherein the filter is provided downstream of the pump.

12. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 9, wherein the filter is an ultrafiltration filter.

13. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 9, wherein the filter is a microfiltration filter.

14. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 9, wherein the filter comprises a permeate outlet and a retentate outlet, the permeate outlet releasing a carbonic anhydrase depleted solution and the retentate outlet releasing a separated liquid containing the carbonic anhydrase.

15. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 14, comprising further treatment units for receiving the carbonic anhydrase depleted solution.

16. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 15, wherein the further treatment units are selected from decantation units and ion exchange units.

17. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 14, comprising a recycle line for recycling the separated liquid back into the reaction chamber.

18. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the reaction is a forward reaction for absorption of CO₂ from a CO₂ containing gas into the aqueous solution.

19. The carbonic anhydrase bioreactor according to claim 1, wherein the reaction is a backward reaction.

20. An enzymatic process for treatment of a fluid with carbonic anhydrase, the process comprising:

feeding the fluid into a reaction chamber;

allowing reaction CO₂+H₂OHCO₃⁻

+H⁺ in an aqueous solution to occur within the reaction chamber, the aqueous solution containing the carbonic anhydrase, the carbonic anhydrase catalyzing the reaction CO₂+H₂OHCO₃⁻

+H⁺, thereby producing a gas stream and a liquid stream; and

releasing the gas stream and the liquid stream from the reaction chamber.

21. The process according to claim 20, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided free in the aqueous solution.

22. The process according to claim 20, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided on or in supports.

23. The process according to claim 22, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided on supports.

24. The process according to claim 22, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in supports.

25. The process according to claim 20, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in the form of a complex.

26. The process according to claim 20, wherein the carbonic anhydrase are provided in a form that is of sub-micron size.

27. The process according to claim 20, further comprising removing the carbonic anhydrase from the liquid stream.

28. The process according to claim 20, further comprising filtering the carbonic anhydrase out of the liquid stream.

29. The process according to claim 28, wherein the filtering is performed by a membrane.

30. The process according to claim 28, further comprising pumping the liquid stream from the reaction chamber to the filtering.

31. The process according to claim 28, wherein the filtering is performed by ultrafiltration of the carbonic anhydrase.

32. The process according to claim 28, wherein the filtering is performed by microfiltration of the carbonic anhydrase.

33. The process according to claim 28, wherein the filtering comprises separating a carbonic anhydrase depleted solution and a separated liquid containing the carbonic anhydrase.

34. The process according to claim 33, comprising conveying the carbonic anhydrase depleted solution to further treatments.

35. The process according to claim 34, wherein the further treatments units are selected from decantation and ion exchange.

36. The process according to claim 33, wherein the separated liquid is recycled back into the reaction chamber.

37. The process according to claim 20, wherein the reaction is a forward reaction for absorption of CO₂ from a CO₂ containing gas into the aqueous solution.

38. The process according to claim 20, wherein the reaction is a backward reaction.