The University of Texas System

Organic Fuels Algae Technologies, LLC

Frank Seibert

Peter B Kipp

Stephen William Briggs

Stacy S Truscott

Rhykka L Connelly

Martin Poenie

Michael D Werst

Lynn E Katz

Kerry A Kinney

Robert Hebner

Robert Pearsall

A method of recovering one or more insoluble oils from a liquid source using one or more membrane or membrane contactors, comprising the steps of: pumping the liquid source comprising the one or more oils to the membranes or membrane contactors, contacting the liquid source with a first surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, coalescing the one or more oils within the liquid source onto the first surface of the membrane contactors, pumping one or more recovery fluids through the membrane or membrane contactors in contact with the second surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, and removing a first stream of oil coalesced from the second surface of the membranes or membrane contactors.

Non-dispersive process for oil recovery

The present invention includes a method and system for separating oil from water and particulate contaminants from a oil/water/solid mixture, comprising: a solid removal system for removing small, medium and large solids from a oil/water/solid mixture to form a oil and water stream and a membrane contactor system for separating the oil from the water in the oil and water stream.

Non-dispersive oil recovery from oil industry liquid sources

The present invention includes methods and systems for improving oil quality of a contaminated oil mixture by removing contaminants from a contaminated oil comprising the steps of: pretreating a membrane contactor system having a first and a second surface with an hydrophobic liquid, wherein the hydrophobic liquid is contacted to at least one of the first and second surfaces; obtaining a contaminated oil that comprises oil and lipophobic contaminants; contacting the contaminated oil onto a first surface of one or more membrane contactors to coalesce the oil on the first surface; and collecting the coalesced oil from the contaminated oil on the second surface of the membrane contactor.

Oil quality using a microporous hollow fiber membrane

The present invention includes an apparatus and method for removing oil from a oil-containing liquid comprising oil and gas comprising: a source of oil-containing liquid; and a membrane contactor system in fluid communication with the source of oil-containing liquid, the membrane contactor system comprising one or more membrane contactors having a first and a second surface, wherein the first surface coalesces oil and removes gas from the oil-containing liquid, and the oil and gas are collected on the second surface from the oil-containing liquid.

Simultaneous removal of oil and gases from liquid sources using a hollow fiber membrane

The present invention includes a system and method for improving oil recovery from a liquid source of oil, comprising: a membrane contactor in contact with a liquid source of oil; a heating/cooling device connected to at least one of the liquid source of oil or a collection fluid; and a membrane contactor system having one or more membrane contactors having a first and a second surface, wherein at least one of the first or second surfaces coalesce one or more oils from the liquid source of oil allowing the coalesced oil to be collected on the opposite surface of the membrane, wherein a temperature differential between the liquid source of oil and the collection fluid enhances the oil recovery at the membrane contactor from the liquid source of oil.

Enhancing flux of a microporous hollow fiber membrane

The development and application of a novel non-polar oil recovery process utilizing a non-dispersive solvent extraction method to coalesce and recover oil from a bio-cellular aqueous slurry is described herein. The process could apply to recovery of algal oil from a lysed or non-lysed algae slurry, recovery of Omega fatty acids from a bio-cellular aqueous feed, recovery of Beta-carotene from a bio-cellular aqueous feed and for the removal from produced water in oil production and similar type applications. The technique of the present invention utilizes a microporous hollow fiber (MHF) membrane contactor. The non-polar oil recovery process described herein can be coupled to a collecting fluid (a non-polar solvent such as heptane, a biodiesel mixture or the previously extracted oil) that is circulated through the hollow fiber membrane. In cases where the biodiesel mixture or the previously extracted oil is used the solvent recovery step (e.g. distillation) can be eliminated.

Non-dispersive process for insoluble oil recovery from aqueous slurries

The development and application of a novel non-polar oil recovery process utilizing a non-dispersive solvent extraction method to coalesce and recover oil from a lysed or non-lysed Yeast slurry using a microporous hollow fiber (MHF) membrane contactor.

The development and application of a novel non-polar oil recovery process utilizing a non-dispersive solvent extraction method to coalesce and recover oil from a bio-cellular aqueous slurry is described herein. The process could apply to recovery of algal oil from a lysed algae slurry, recovery of Omega fatty acids from a bio-cellular aqueous feed, recovery of Beta-carotene from a bio-cellular aqueous feed and for the removal from produced water in oil production and similar type applications. The technique of the present invention utilizes a microporous hollow fiber (MHF) membrane contactor. The novel non-polar oil recovery process described herein can be coupled to a collecting fluid (a non-polar solvent such as heptane, a biodiesel mixture or the previously extracted oil) that is circulated through the hollow fiber membrane. In cases where the biodiesel mixture or the previously extracted oil is used the solvent recovery step (e.g. distillation) can be eliminated.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Frank Seibert