Process for treating organic materials

• US 9,617,178 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neozyme International, Inc. (International Daleco Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Neozyme International, Inc. (International Daleco Corp.)
• Inventors: Dale, Parker, Dale, Parker David
• Primary Examiner(s): Claytor, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERNANDEZ, SUSAN EMILY
• Application Number:
  US14/404,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/44 containing at least one carboxylic group or a thio analogue, or a derivative thereof, and a nitrogen atom attached to the same carbon skeleton by a single or double bond, this nitrogen atom not being a member of a derivative or of a thio analogue of a carboxylic group, e.g. amino-carboxylic acids
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/32 Yeast
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/04 Anaerobic treatment; Production of methane by such processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/32 Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/007 Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/106 Thermophilic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/02 Odour removal or prevention of malodour
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/10 Energy recovery
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/04 Surfactants, used as part of a formulation or alone
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/02 Aerobic processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/28 Anaerobic digestion processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/282 using anaerobic sequencing batch reactors
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/342 characterised by the enzymes used
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/347 Use of yeasts or fungi C02F3/322 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/16 Yeasts; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/18 Baker's yeast; Brewer's yeast
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2500/74 from fungi, e.g. yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/023 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/30 : Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for the treatment of sewage sludge with enzymes, which process comprises treating a sewage sludge resulting from the treatment of municipal or industrial waste water with a composition comprising a fermentation supernatant product from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture and a non-ionic surfactant, wherein said fermentation supernatant product is free of active enzymes, at conditions suitable for generating said active enzymes from said sewage sludge in situ.

Claims

1. A bio-catalytic composition comprising:

a fermentation supernatant from a yeast culture containing no active enzymes or bacteria, and

one or more nonionic surfactants,

wherein the bio-catalytic composition lacks any active enzymes or bacteria, and

wherein the bio-catalytic composition has a pH of about 3.5 to about 4.0.

2. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, wherein the yeast culture is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture.

3. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, wherein the one or more nonionic surfactants comprise a polyether nonionic surfactant, a polyhydroxyl nonionic surfactant, and/or a biosurfactant.

4. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 3, wherein the polyhydroxyl nonionic surfactant comprises a sucrose ester, an ethoxylated sucrose ester, a sorbital ester, an ethoxylated sorbital ester, an alkyl glucoside, an ethoxylated alkyl glucoside, a polyglycerol ester, or an ethoxylated polyglycerol ester.

5. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, wherein the one or more nonionic surfactants comprise an amine oxide, an ethoxylated alcohol, an ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol, an alkylamine, an ethoxylated alkylamine, an ethoxylated alkyl phenol, an alkyl polysaccharide, an ethoxylated alkyl polysaccharide, an ethoxylated fatty acid, an ethoxylated fatty alcohol, or an ethoxylated fatty amine, or a nonionic surfactant having the general formula of H(OCH₂CH₂)_xOC₆H₄R, (OCH₂CH₂)_xOR¹, or H(OCH₂CH₂)_xOC(O)R¹, wherein x represents the number of moles of ethylene oxide added to an alkyl phenol and/or a fatty alcohol or a fatty acid, R represents a long chain alkyl group, and, R¹ represents a long chain aliphatic group.

6. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 5, wherein the long chain alkyl group is a C₇-C₁₀ normal-alkyl group and/or wherein the long chain aliphatic group is a C₁₂-C₂₀ aliphatic group.

7. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, wherein the one or more nonionic surfactants is an ethoxylated nonyl phenol, an ethoxylated octyl phenol, an ethoxylated ceto-oleyl alcohol, an ethoxylated ceto-stearyl alcohol, an ethoxylated decyl alcohol, an ethoxylated dodecyl alcohol, an ethoxylated tridecyl alcohol, or an ethoxylated castor oil.

8. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, further comprising one or more anionic surfactants.

9. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, further comprising a preservative and/or a biocide.

10. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, comprising from about 5% to about 35% by weight of the enzyme-free fermentation supernatant.

11. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, comprising from about 0.5% to about 1.5% by weight of the enzyme-free fermentation supernatant.

12. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, comprising from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the one or more nonionic surfactants.

13. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, further comprising from about 2% to about 6% by weight of one or more anionic surfactants.

14. The bio-catalytic composition according to claim 1, comprising:

0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the enzyme-free fermentation supernatant,

5% to 10% by weight of ethoxylated dodecyl alcohol or tridecyl ethoxylated alcohol,

2% to 6% by weight of an anionic surfactant, and

0.1% to 1.0% by weight of a biocide.