Renewable Chemicals and Fuels From Oleaginous Yeast

• US 20110190522A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Terravia Holdings, Inc. (Corbion NV)
• Original Assignee: Solazyme Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, Scott, Day, Anthony G., Dillon, Harrison F., Trimbur, Donald E., Im, Chung-Soon, Coragliotti, Anna
• Application Number:
  US13/029,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20110190522A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 554/124
• CPC Class Codes: C07H 21/04 with deoxyribosyl as saccharide radical
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/06 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0484 Vegetable or animal oils
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/026 for diesel engines, e.g. automobiles, stationary, marine
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/04 for turbines, planes, power generation
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/00 Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom sulfonated fats or oils C07C309/62; factice C08H; drying oils C09F
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/12 Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor as new plants A01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/32 Processes using, or culture media containing, lower alkanols, i.e. C1 to C6
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/79 Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0006 acting on CH-OH groups as donors (1.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0008 acting on the aldehyde or oxo group of donors (1.2)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1205 Phosphotransferases with an alcohol group as acceptor (2.7.1), e.g. protein kinases
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/14 Hydrolases (3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/16 acting on ester bonds (3.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/20 Triglyceride splitting, e.g. by means of lipase
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2408 acting on alpha -1,4-glucosidic bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2431 Beta-fructofuranosidase (3.2.1.26), i.e. invertase
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/88 Lyases (4.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 21/06 produced by the hydrolysis of a peptide bond, e.g. hydrolysate products preparing foodstuffs by protein hydrolysis A23J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/02 : acyclic C12P5/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6409 : Fatty acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6458 : by transesterification, e.g. interesterification, ester interchange, alcoholysis or acidolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6463 : obtained from glyceride producing microorganisms, e.g. single cell oil
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/649 : Biodiesel, i.e. fatty acid alkyl esters
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01026 : Beta-fructofuranosidase (3.2.1.26), i.e. invertase
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 : using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

The invention provides methods of manufacturing alkanes from triglyceride oils produced through fermentation of oil-bearing microbes. The processes provided herein can utilize a variety of carbohydrate feedstocks including cane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, corn stover, glycerol, corn starch, sorghum, molasses, waste glycerol, and other renewable materials. These processes further comprise hydrotreating, hydrocracking, isomerization, distillation, and other petrochemical processes for use with oil-bearing microbes and products derived therefrom to manufacture fuels. Particular embodiments include the manufacture of ASTM D975 and ASTM D1655 compliant fuels. Genetically engineered microbes provided herein can be used in the manufacture of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel.

Claims

1. A method of producing a fuel or a chemical, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) heterotrophically culturing an oleaginous yeast in the presence of a fixed carbon source, wherein;

(i) the fixed carbon source is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, depolymerized cellulosic material, sucrose, molasses, glucose, arabinose, galactose, xylose, fructose, mannose, and acetate; and

(ii) the oleaginous yeast accumulates at least 10% of its dry cell weight as triacylglyceride;

(b) isolating the triacylglyceride from the oleaginous yeast; and

(c) subjecting the isolated triacylglyceride to a chemical reaction selected from the group consisting of cracking, (hydro)deoxygenation, esterification, and isomerization, and optionally, distillation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the depolymerized cellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of sugar cane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, corn stover, wood chips, sawdust, switchgrass, rice hull, corn fiber, wheat straw, rice straw, and citrus pulp.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the oleaginous yeast is selected from the group consisting of Cryptococcus curvatus, Cryptococcus terricolus, Candida sp., Lipomyces starkeyi, Lipomyces lipofer, Endomycopsis vernalis, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula gracilis, and Yarrowia lipolytica.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the oleaginous yeast contains at least one exogenous gene encoding a lipid pathway enzyme.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the triacylglyceride pathway enzyme is selected from the group consisting of a stearoyl-ACP desaturase, a glycerolipid desaturase, a pyruvate dehydrogenase, an acetyl-CoA carboxylase, an acyl carrier protein, a fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase, and a glycerol-3 phosphate acyltransferase.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said fuel or chemical is selected from the group consisting of renewable diesel, fatty acid esters, and jet fuel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said renewable diesel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D975 standard.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said biodiesel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D6751 standard.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said jet fuel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D1655 standard.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the triacylglyceride is isolated by lysing the oleaginous yeast.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the oleaginous yeast is lysed by mechanical means.

12. A method for producing a triacylglyceride, said method comprising the steps of culturing an oleaginous yeast in a culture media to provide an oleaginous yeast comprising at least about 10% triacylglyceride by dry weight;

and extracting the triacylglyceride from the oleaginous yeast.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said oleaginous yeast is selected from the group consisting of Cryptococcus curvatus, Cryptococcus terricolus, Candida sp., Lipomyces starkeyi, Lipomyces lipofer, Endomycopsis vernalis, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula gracilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the oleaginous yeast is cultured in media comprising a carbon source selected from the group consisting of glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, galactose, xylose, mannose, rhamnose, arabinose, glycerol, and acetate.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the oleaginous yeast is cultured in media comprising a carbon source selected from the group consisting of depolymerized sugar beet pulp, black liquor, corn starch, depolymerized cellulosic material, corn stover, sugar beet pulp, sugar cane juice, switchgrass, milk whey, molasses, potato, rice, sorghum, and wheat.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said triacylglyceride is extracted by solvent extraction.

17. A fuel or chemical produced by the method comprising the steps of:

(a) heterotrophically culturing an oleaginous yeast in the presence of a fixed carbon source, wherein;

(i) the fixed carbon source is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, depolymerized cellulosic material, sucrose, molasses, glucose, arabinose, galactose, xylose, fructose, mannose and acetate; and

(ii) the oleaginous yeast accumulates at least 10% of its dry cell weight as triacylglyceride;

(b) isolating the triacylglyceride from the oleaginous yeast; and

(c) subjecting the isolated triacylglyceride to a chemical reaction selected from the group consisting of cracking, (hydro)deoxygenation, esterification, and isomerization, and optionally, distillation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the depolymerized cellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of sugar cane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, corn stover, wood chips, sawdust, switchgrass, rice hull, corn fiber, wheat straw, rice straw, and citrus pulp.

19. The fuel or chemical of claim 17, wherein the oleaginous yeast is selected from the group consisting of Cryptococcus curvatus, Cryptococcus terricolus, Candida sp., Lipomyces starkeyi, Lipomyces lipofer, Endomycopsis vernalis, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula gracilis, and Yarrowia lipolytica.

20. The fuel or chemical of claim 17, wherein the oleaginous yeast contains at least one exogenous gene encoding a lipid pathway enzyme.

21. The fuel or chemical of claim 20, wherein the triacylglyceride pathway enzyme is selected from the group consisting of a stearoyl-ACP desaturase, a glycerolipid desaturase, a pyruvate dehydrogenase, an acetyl-CoA carboxylase, an acyl carrier protein, a fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase, and a glycerol-3 phosphate acyltransferase.

22. The fuel or chemical of claim 17, wherein said fuel or chemical is selected from the group consisting of renewable diesel, fatty acid esters, and jet fuel.

23. The fuel or chemical of claim 22, wherein said renewable diesel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D975 standard.

24. The fuel or chemical of claim 22, wherein said biodiesel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D6751 standard.

25. The fuel or chemical of claim 22, wherein said jet fuel conforms to the specifications of the ASTM D1655 standard.

26. The fuel or chemical of claim 17, wherein the triacylglyceride is isolated by lysing the oleaginous yeast.

27. The fuel or chemical of claim 26, wherein the oleaginous yeast is lysed by mechanical means.