Methods for dewatering wet algal cell cultures
First Claim
1. A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprising:
- a. removing at least a portion of liquid in an algal cell culture using a sintered metal tube filter to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture, the algal cells of the wet algal biomass fraction having a chlorophyll concentration;
b. recycling at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture to a different algal cell culture wherein the different algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture;
c. adding a water miscible solvent set to the wet algal biomass fraction and waiting an amount of time to permit algal cells of the algal biomass fraction to gather; and
d. isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the solvent set and liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated, wherein the isolation of the algal cells from the solvent set is carried out so as to minimize one or more of the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, or destruction of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids, wherein the liquid removed is less than all of the liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction.
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Abstract
A method of dewatering algae and recycling water therefrom is presented. A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture includes removing liquid from an algal cell culture to obtain a wet algal biomass having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture. At least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture is recycled for use in a different algal cell culture. The method includes adding a water miscible solvent set to the wet algal biomass and waiting an amount of time to permit algal cells of the algal biomass to gather and isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the solvent set and liquid of the wet algal biomass so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated. The dewatered algal biomass can be used to generated algal products such as biofuels and nutraceuticals.
142 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprising:
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a. removing at least a portion of liquid in an algal cell culture using a sintered metal tube filter to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture, the algal cells of the wet algal biomass fraction having a chlorophyll concentration; b. recycling at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture to a different algal cell culture wherein the different algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture; c. adding a water miscible solvent set to the wet algal biomass fraction and waiting an amount of time to permit algal cells of the algal biomass fraction to gather; and d. isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the solvent set and liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated, wherein the isolation of the algal cells from the solvent set is carried out so as to minimize one or more of the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, or destruction of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids, wherein the liquid removed is less than all of the liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 16)
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6. A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprising:
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a. removing at least a portion of liquid in an algal cell culture using at least one of a membrane, centrifugation, a sintered metal tube, dissolved gas flotation, and flocculation to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture, the algal cells of the wet algal biomass fraction having a chlorophyll concentration; b. recycling at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture to a different algal cell culture, wherein the different algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture; c. adding a water miscible solvent set to the wet algal biomass fraction and waiting an amount of time to permit algal cells of the algal biomass fraction to gather; and d. isolating at least a portion of the gathered algal cells from at least a portion of the solvent set and liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction so that a dewatered algal biomass is generated, wherein the isolation of the algal cells from the solvent set is carried out so as to minimize one or more of the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, or destruction of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids, wherein the liquid removed is less than all of the liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 17)
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11. A method of dewatering a wet algal cell culture, comprising:
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a. removing at least a portion of liquid in a wet algal cell culture to obtain a wet algal biomass fraction having a lower liquid content than the algal cell culture, the algal cells of the wet algal biomass fraction having a chlorophyll concentration, wherein the liquid removed is less than all of the liquid of the wet algal biomass fraction; b. adding a first water miscible solvent set, comprising one or more solvents, to the wet algal biomass fraction; c. generating a substantially liquid phase and a substantially solid phase from the mixture of the wet algal biomass fraction and water miscible solvent set; d. isolating at least a portion of the substantially solid phase, the substantially solid phase comprising algal cells, wherein the isolation of the algal cells from the solvent set is carried out so as to minimize one or more of the degradation, denaturation, oxidation, decomposition, or destruction of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and lipids; e. adding a second water miscible solvent set, comprising one or more solvents, to the isolated portion of the substantially solid phase; f. isolating at least a portion of algae solids of the mixture of the substantially solid phase and second water miscible solvent set by sedimentation or flotation of the algae solids; g. recycling at least a portion of at least one of the first and second water miscible solvent set to a subsequent algal cell culture dewatering process, wherein the subsequent algal culture cell culture dewatering process is conducted on a different algal cell culture; and h. recycling at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture to a different algal cell culture is combined with the at least a portion of the liquid removed from the algal cell culture. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 18)
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Specification