Secondary acetate fermentation
Inventors
Simpson, Sean Dennis • Gao, Allan Haiming • Conrado, Robert John • Winkler, James Daniel • Mueller, Alexander Paul • Brown, Steven • Tran, Loan Phuong • Koepke, Michael • Mihalcea, Christophe Daniel
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11788103-B2
Publication Date
2023-10-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
The disclosure relates to the combination of a primary fermentation that converts gas to acetate with a secondary fermentation that converts acetate to a target product. Preferably, the gas contains carbon dioxide, such that the disclosure enables the fixation of carbon dioxide into useful products. The fermentations may be any combination of aerobic and anaerobic, batch and continuous. The fermenting microorganisms may typically be bacterial or fungal.
Core Innovation
The described invention provides a method for producing at least one target product from carbon monoxide and optionally hydrogen, or from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The method uses a first bioreactor operated with anaerobic fermentation in a first liquid nutrient medium, where a culture of at least one first microorganism converts the gaseous substrate to at least one first product in a first fermentation broth. In particular, the first microorganism is a Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism.
The invention transfers at least a portion of the first fermentation broth to a second bioreactor containing a culture of at least one second microorganism in a second liquid nutrient medium. The second microorganism is a different species from the first microorganism, and the method aerobically ferments the first product from the first fermentation broth to produce at least a first target product in a second fermentation broth. The second microorganism is selected from yeasts, Escherichia coli, Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Cupriavidus necator/Ralstonia eutropha/Alcaligenes eutrophus, Desulfonatronum cooperativum, Geoalkalibacter ferrihydricus, Alkalispirillum mobile, and Corynebacterium glutamicum.
A central constraint in the described method is that the first target product is not a lipid. The document further describes integration and system-level embodiments that couple the two-stage fermentation with gas recovery and recycling, nutrient recycling between stages, pH management via higher-pH secondary broth recycle, and tail gas oxygen removal.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim covers a two-stage bioreactor method in which a Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism performs anaerobic gas-to-first-product conversion, followed by aerobic fermentation in a second bioreactor using a different microorganism species, with the limitation that the first target product is not a lipid. In total, the independent claim comprises four inventive features.
Two-stage anaerobic Wood-Ljungdahl fermentation followed by aerobic secondary fermentation
Introducing a gaseous substrate comprising at least CO and optionally H2, or at least CO2 and H2 into a first bioreactor containing a culture of at least one first microorganism, fermenting the gaseous substrate anaerobically to produce a first fermentation broth containing at least one first product, transferring at least a portion of the first fermentation broth to a second bioreactor containing a culture of at least one second microorganism different in species from the first, and aerobically fermenting the first product to produce at least a first target product in a second fermentation broth.
Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism producing first product ethanol, lactate, or 2,3-butanediol
Wherein the first microorganism is a Wood-Ljungdahl microorganism, and wherein the first product is selected from the group consisting of ethanol, lactate, and 2,3-butanediol in the first fermentation broth.
Second microorganism species selected for aerobic fermentation and target production
Wherein the second microorganism is selected from the group consisting of yeasts, Escherichia coli, Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Cupriavidus necator/Ralstonia eutropha/Alcaligenes eutrophus, Desulfonatronum cooperativum, Geoalkalibacter ferrihydricus, Alkalispirillum mobile, and Corynebacterium glutamicum.
Non-lipid target product limitation
Wherein the first target product is not a lipid.
Overall, the claim coverage centers on transferring broth from an anaerobic Wood-Ljungdahl gas-to-first-product fermentation into a second bioreactor for aerobic fermentation by a different microorganism species, producing a target product under the explicit limitation that the target product is not a lipid.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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