Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC

E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Butamax (tm) Advanced Biofuels LLC

Coatings Foreign IP Co. LLC

Michael Charles Grady

Joseph J Zaher

Keith H Burlew

Robert DiCosimo

William David Parten

Brian Michael Roesch

Ranjan Patnaik

Yihui Tom Xu

Stephane Francois Bazzana

Bruce M Vrana

Douglas Robert Anton

Bruce Aaron Diner

Francis J Woerner

Jelena Cirakovic

Robert John Barsotti

Laura Ann Lewin

David J Lowe

Raymond Richard Zolandz

Carl Brent Douglas

Donald Albert Paquet, Jr

James Timothy Cronin

Robert W Sylvester

Mehmedalija Jahic

Wilson Tam

Vasantha Nagarajan

Joachim C Ritter

Lori Ann Maggio-Hall

Dennis Flint

Andrew C Eliot

Gail K Donaldson

Basil V Gregorovich

Sigridur Soley Kristjansdottir

Matthew Arthur Page

Henry Edward Bryndza

John W Hallam

Christina M Older

Adam Bernfeld

Henry Edward Brynzda

Robert Dicosimo

Donald Albert Paquet

The present invention relates to the fermentative production of alcohols including ethanol and butanol, and processes for improving alcohol fermentation employing in situ product removal methods.

Processes and systems for the fermentative production of alcohols

In an alcohol fermentation process, oil derived from biomass is hydrolyzed into an extractant available for in situ removal of a product alcohol such as butanol from a fermentation broth. The glycerides in the oil can be catalytically (e.g., enzymatically) hydrolyzed into free fatty acids, which form a fermentation product extractant having a partition coefficient for a product alcohol greater than a partition coefficient of the oil of the biomass for the product alcohol. Oil derived from a feedstock of an alcohol fermentation process can be hydrolyzed by contacting the feedstock including the oil with one or more enzymes whereby at least a portion of the oil is hydrolyzed into free fatty acids forming a fermentation product extractant, or the oil can be separated from the feedstock prior to the feedstock being fed to a fermentation vessel, and the separated oil can be contacted with the enzymes to form the fermentation product extractant. The fermentation product extractant can be contacted with a fermentation broth for in situ removal of a product alcohol.

Extraction solvents derived from oil for alcohol removal in extractive fermentation

Methods for the fermentative production of four carbon alcohols is provided. Specifically, butanol, preferably isobutanol is produced by the fermentative growth of a recombinant bacterium expressing an isobutanol biosynthetic pathway.

Method for the production of isobutanol by recombinant yeast

In an alcohol fermentation process, oil derived from biomass is chemically converted into an extractant available for in situ removal of a product alcohol such as butanol from a fermentation broth. The glycerides in the oil can be chemically converted into a reaction product, such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amides, fatty acid methyl esters, fatty acid glycol esters, and hydroxylated triglycerides, and mixtures thereof, which forms a fermentation product extractant having a partition coefficient for a product alcohol greater than a partition coefficient of the oil of the biomass for the product alcohol. Oil derived from a feedstock of an alcohol fermentation process can be chemically converting into the fermentation product extractant. The oil can be separated from the feedstock prior to the feedstock being fed to a fermentation vessel, and the separated oil can be chemically converted to a fermentation product extractant, which can then contacted with a fermentation product comprising a product alcohol, whereby the product alcohol is separated from the fermentation product.

An alcohol fermentation process and composition that includes production of alcohol esters by esterification of product alcohol in a fermentation medium with a carboxylic acid (e.g., fatty acid) and a catalyst (e.g., lipase) capable of esterifying the product alcohol, such as butanol, with the carboxylic acid to form the alcohol esters. The alcohol esters can be extracted from the fermentation medium, and the product alcohol recovered from the alcohol esters. The carboxylic acid can also serve as an extractant for removal of the alcohol esters from the fermentation medium.

Production of alcohol esters and in situ product removal during alcohol fermentation

The present invention relates to the production of fermentation products such as alcohols including ethanol and butanol, and processes employing in situ product removal methods.

Processes and systems for the production of fermentation products

A method for producing butanol through microbial fermentation, in which the butanol product is removed during the fermentation by extraction into a water-immiscible organic extractant in the presence of at least one electrolyte at a concentration at least sufficient to increase the butanol partition coefficient relative to that in the presence of the salt concentration of the basal fermentation medium, is provided. The electrolyte may comprise a salt which dissociates in the fermentation medium, or in the aqueous phase of a biphasic fermentation medium, to form free ions. Also provided is a method and composition for recovering butanol from a fermentation medium.

Method for producing butanol using extractive fermentation with electrolyte addition

A method of making butanol from at least one fermentable carbon source that overcomes the issues of toxicity resulting in an increase in the effective titer, the effective rate, and the effective yield of butanol production by fermentation utilizing a recombinant microbial host wherein the butanol is extracted into specific organic extractants during fermentation.

Method for producing butanol using two-phase extractive fermentation

A fermentation liquid feed including water and a product alcohol and optionally COis at least partially vaporized such that a vapor stream is produced. The vapor stream is contacted with an absorption liquid under suitable conditions wherein an amount of the product alcohol is absorbed. The portion of the vapor stream that is absorbed can include an amount of each of the water, the product alcohol and optionally the CO. The temperature at the onset of the absorption of the vapor stream into the absorption liquid can be greater than the temperature at the onset of condensation of the vapor stream in the absence of the absorption liquid. The product alcohol can be separated from the absorption liquid whereby the absorption liquid is regenerated. The absorption liquid can include a water soluble organic molecule such as an amine.

Process to remove product alcohol from a fermentation by vaporization under vacuum

A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. An overhead stream from a first distillation column is condensed to recover a mixed condensate. An entrainer is added to at least one appropriate process stream or vessel such that the mixed condensate comprises sufficient entrainer to provide phase separation of the organic and the aqueous phases to provide for recovery of the butanol.

Recovery of butanol from a mixture of butanol, water, and an organic extractant

A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. The extractant comprises at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of Cto Cfatty alcohols, Cto Cfatty acids, esters of Cto Cfatty acids, Cto Cfatty aldehydes, and mixtures thereof.

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Oaklyn, NJ, United States of America

Michael Charles Grady