Patent Application
20160201007
The present invention relates to a process for producing algal biomass intended for the production of lipids (oil) and/or high added value substances. The lipids obtained with the process of the invention can be used for energy production (for example by combustion) or human nutrition (for example as palm oil substitutes) or in the forage industry as supplements. The high added value substances can be employed, for example, as active ingredients in the pharmaceutical industry or as dietary supplements.
Present-day energy production plants use raw materials that are by now being depleted (for example, fossil raw materials) and, moreover, their combustion determines the emission of polluting gases.
For these reasons, in recent years research has shifted toward the development of biofuels deriving from renewable, less polluting sources.
Initially, technologies were developed for the production of biofuels (for example, biodiesel) based on the transformation of food crops, such as oleaginous plants (rapeseed, soybean and sunflower). So-called first generation biofuels have however encountered limits due to the production costs and the use of farmland taken away from the cultivation of products intended for food. Furthermore, if one assesses the fuel's entire life cycle with LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) techniques, the production of first generation biofuels from vegetable food sources in some cases requires an energy input that is higher than the energy yield obtainable from using them as an energy source.
There was subsequently a shift toward technologies for the production of so-called second generation biofuels, which use the waste products and residues of the forestry and agri-food industries as the primary source. This has attenuated the conflict with the food sector, but these technologies are still characterized by a negative energy balance. Moreover, such technologies have yet to reach full industrial maturity.
Following the development of first and second generation biofuels, there is presently a shift toward third generation technologies, including the ones which use microalgae as raw materials. Microalgae are in fact characterized by a high capacity to produce lipids (oils), above all in given growth conditions and if particular species are selected. In addition to having a high lipid content, algae can also be sources of high added value products in a context of integrated production aimed at rendering the main technology for producing and extracting the oil for energy purposes sustainable. The high added value products that can be obtained from algae (parallel to the oil) are omega-3, carotenoids, vitamins and other antioxidant biochemical products which can be marketed (with high intrinsic value) in the dietary supplements industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, etc. Moreover, after extraction, the algal biomass can be used in the husbandry industry (for example as animal feed) or as a fertilizer.
Another large advantage of microalgae cultivation is that this technology does not enter into competition either with food production or with the availability of farmland. The oil obtained from microalgae can be used as such for the production of energy by combustion, or else it can be transformed into biodiesel, for example by a process of transesterification.
The term algae includes macroalgae (also called marine algae) and microalgae, which are photosynthetic microorganisms with a simple structure that are capable of growing rapidly in different environmental conditions. Microalgae are moreover characterized by a high lipid content which can vary, according to species, from 20% to 70% and gives a oil extraction yield equivalent to that of oleaginous plants. It follows that the amount of energy obtainable from microalgae cultivation is higher than that obtainable from oleaginous plants, their weight being equal. Furthermore, as already underscored above, from the de-oiled biomass obtained after separation of the oil it is possible to obtain cellulosic fractions for the production of other energy products (such as ethanol and biogas) or high added value substances such as vitamins, carotenoids, etc. for the pharmaceutical industry or dietary supplements industry.
There are known plants for the production of biodiesel from microalgae which comprise a unit for cultivating the microalgae, a unit for separating the lipids or other substances from the microalgae biomass, and a step of transforming the lipids into biodiesel, for example by transesterification processes.
Numerous plants for cultivating microalgae are also known. Typically, microalgae are cultivated in the presence of light (photoautotrophic growth method), in closed reactors or in outdoor ponds depending on the environmental situation and the species of microalgae used.
Cultivation in outdoor ponds requires very large spaces in order to be able to accommodate a quantity of microalgae such as to ensure a sufficient production of oil. The space required for cultivation ponds is undoubtedly a disadvantage in that cultivation is possible only in given areas of the planet where such large spaces are available in the required environmental conditions. Moreover, outdoor cultivation requires high volumes of water, is subject to atmospheric conditions and possible contamination by algal pathogens. Microalgae can be cultivated in closed reactors, illuminated with artificial light, which makes it possible to occupy smaller spaces and avoid the drawbacks due to exposure to atmospheric conditions and possible external contaminations. This variant of the photoautotrophic growth method is certainly advantageous in terms of biomass yield compared to cultivation in an open pond, but still has some intrinsic limits in terms of yield.
Such limits are represented by the possibility of transmitting light under conditions of microalgae concentrations exceeding 1-3 g/l, according to algal species. In other words, when the microalgae grow and reach the concentrations indicated, light cannot pass through and growth is thus arrested. This precludes obtaining economically sustainable production yields.
The drawbacks of the photoautotrophic growth method can be overcome by using a heterotrophic growth method, which consists in cultivating microalgae under lightless conditions (hence under conditions of stress), and feeding them simple sugars that represent the energy source, as a replacement for light, which allows the microalgae to proliferate. The heterotrophic method enables the limits in the concentration obtainable with the photoautotrophic method to be overcome, arriving even at concentrations comprised between 14 and 130 g/l of microalgae.
To increase biomass productivity even further, mixed photoautotrophic-heterotrophic microalgae cultivation plants are also known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,930 describes a process for the production of biodiesel from microalgae which can comprise a sequential photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth of the microalgae with the possible addition of a sugar feed in the heterotrophic stage. In this patent, both the photoautotrophic and heterotrophic stages of growth take place in open ponds, covered like greenhouses if necessary, while the use of bioreactors is described as too costly.
The disadvantages of pond cultivation are thus evident: spaces occupied too large to be cost-effective and possibility of contamination by external agents that are potentially lethal for the algae. Covering the ponds with a greenhouse plant can certainly not ensure a sterility of cultivation, which is essential for the industrialization of the process; that is, it cannot prevent algal diseases from blocking production and causing unsustainable economic damage.
Moreover, the two-stage photoautotrophic and heterotrophic process of U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,930 can envisage feeding the microalgae, during the heterotrophic stage, with a sugar source of a starchy, cellulosic, lignocellulosic or polysaccharidic nature deriving from various plant materials, such as, for example, corn, sugarcane, switchgrass, grass residues and trees.
All these plant sources must however undergo depolymerisation or hydrolysis in order to be transformed into simpler sugars before they can be supplied to the microalgae as nutrients. This obviously entails an expenditure of energy which reduces the cost-effectiveness of the production of energy, without considering that plants for the depolymerisation or hydrolysis of complex sugars, such as cellulose or lignocellulose, to simple sugars are not at present conveniently available from an industrial standpoint.
Therefore, U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,930 seems to describe a two-stage photoautotrophic-heterotrophic process that is unlikely to be applicable on an industrial scale in any cost-effective manner in energy production.
The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the mixed the photoautotrophic-heterotrophic processes of growth of the prior art, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,930, by providing an innovative process for the cultivation of microalgae and a plant for carrying it out.
The present invention relates to a process for the production of lipids (oil) from microalgae comprising the cultivation of microalgae by means of sequential photoautotrophic-heterotrophic growth, wherein in the heterotrophic stage the microalgae are fed by administration of a sugar feed deriving from sugar production waste or deriving from food or confectionery industry waste. The sugar feed deriving from sugar production waste can be for example molasses or bagasse obtained from the processing of sugarcane or sugar beet. The sugar feed deriving from food or confectionery industry waste can be for example the wastewater deriving from the fruit candying process, which has a sugar content (glucose and/or sucrose) comprised between 20% and 60%.
The process of the invention can be integrated with the process of producing sugar from sugar beet or sugarcane or the production process of the food or confectionery industry. The process of the invention, in fact, uses a residual product of sugar manufacturing, molasses or bagasse, and/or a feed deriving from food or confectionery industry waste, such as, for example, the wastewater from fruit candying. The invention also relates to a plant for the production of lipids (oil) from microalgae which comprises at least two production lines set in parallel, each comprising:
the reactors of the second and third steps are connected to one another to ensure the passage of the microalgae from one step to the next.
The plant of the invention can also comprise a step downstream of the fermentation step, in which the lipids and other added value substances are separated from the algal biomass.
The plant of the invention can be integrated with a sugar production plant so as to thereby reduce the costs of transporting the waste matter, for example the molasses, used as a nutritive source for cultivating the microalgae. Alternatively, the plant of the invention can be integrated with a fruit candying plant in the event that candying wastewater is used as the feed.
The lipids obtained from process of the invention can be used to produce energy by direct combustion of the same or transformed into other biofuels. The lipids obtained with the process of the invention can also be destined for human nutrition as replacements, for example, of palm oil. The invention also relates to a process for the production of added value substances from the microalgae cultivated with the method of the invention, for example vitamins, proteins, substances with pharmaceutical activity, and substances that are useful as dietary supplements. An example of an added value substance is lutein, which can be used as a dietary supplement.
As mentioned above, the invention relates to a process for the production of lipids (oils) from microalgae comprising at least the following steps:
a) cultivating the microalgae under conditions of natural and/or artificial light (photoautotrophic growth) and, in sequence, under lightless conditions with the addition of a sugar feed deriving from the processing of sugarcane or sugar beet, for example molasses or bagasse, and/or a sugar feed deriving from food or confectionery industry waste, such as, for example, the wastewater from fruit candying (heterotrophic growth);
b) separating the lipids (oil) from the microalgae.
The microalgae preferably used for the process of the invention are selected from among the following strains: Botryococcus B. (BCB), Chlorella vulgaris (CLV), Nannochloropsis sp. (NCS), Nannochloris sp. (NNS), Haematococcus pluvialis (HAC), Chlorella Protothecoide (CLP). The algal strain preferably used for the purposes of the invention is Chlorella Protothecoide.
The algal strains listed above are microalgae capable of producing, above all under conditions of stress (for example, in the absence of light), an amount of lipids comprised between 20% and 70% of their weight, preferably between 30% and 50% of their weight.
These strains are also characterized by a good growth rate.
In the photoautotrophic cultivation step the microalgae grow in an aqueous culture environment with a normal intake of nutrients, for example nitrates, favoured by the exposure to light.
When the microalgae reach an algal concentration (algal biomass) comprised between 1 and 5 g/L, preferably between 2 and 3 g/L, the biomass is subjected to the subsequent step of heterotrophic growth, since such concentrations represent the growth limit under conditions of light. Beyond such concentrations, light no longer reaches the algal biomass in a diffuse manner and the microalgae thus stop growing.
The period of growth of the microalgae until the maximum concentrations indicated above are reached, in the photoautotrophic step, is comprised between 2 and 7 days.
In the heterotrophic growth step (also called fermentation step), the algal biomass is deprived of light and is thus subjected to a condition of stress in which the microalgae increase the production of lipid substances precisely for the purpose of confronting the unfavourable environmental situation. In order to facilitate growth under these conditions which are favourable for increasing the production of lipids, the microalgae are fed a source of simple sugars deriving from sugar production waste. Among these, molasses is particularly useful because it comprises an amount of simple sugars comprised between 50% and 70% by weight.
Molasses is a sugar waste product obtained from the processing of sugarcane or sugar beet and is available in large quantities, and at a low cost, in countries where sugar is produced, for example Brazil, India, China, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Egypt, Cuba, etc.
Molasses has the advantage of not needing to undergo further processing before being administered to the algal biomass, since the sugars contained in it are simple sugars. In particular, it is not necessary to subject molasses to degradation or depolymerization reactions as in the case, for example, of the sources of carbohydrates used in the prior art (U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,930). This represents an undoubted advantage in terms of industrializing the process and in terms of the cost-effectiveness of the production of lipids extracted from the algal biomass.
Before supplying the molasses as a nutrient to the microalgae, it is preferable to dilute it with water to bring the concentration of sugars to between 20% and 50% by weight, preferably between 25% and 35% by weight.
As an alternative to waste deriving from the production of sugar, it is possible to use, as a sugar feed, waste deriving from the food or confectionery industry, in particular the water from fruit candying, which has a content of sugar (sucrose and/or glucose) comprised between 20% and 60% by weight.
The dilution operation is carried out in order to render the molasses and/or candying water sufficiently fluid so that it can be pumped into the reactor where heterotrophic growth occurs. Moreover, the dilution also serves to control the optimal concentrations of simple sugars in the fermentation step, which are, for example, comprised between 30 and 60 g/L, preferably between 40 and 50 g/L.
During fermentation, it is possible to reach concentrations of algal biomass of up to 130 g/L, preferably comprised between 14 and 130 g/L. The production of algal biomass is preferably proportional to the amount of sugar supplied, typically with a ratio of 1:2.
Under the stress conditions of the fermentation step, the concentration of lipids in the microalgae increases to values comprised between 20 and 70% by weight, preferably between 30% and 50% by weight.
The heterotrophic growth step lasts for a total time (from the beginning to the end of the step) preferably comprised between 10 and 20 days.
In a preferred embodiment, the process of the invention comprises an inoculation or laboratory step upstream of the photoautotrophic growth step. In the inoculation step, microalgae growth is started by working on small volumes of the same in an aqueous environment, in the presence of light, and supplying the necessary nutritive substances, for example nitrates. The duration of this step depends on the type of algae and can be estimated as 30-60 days. The final concentration of the algal biomass in this step is 0.05-0.2 g/l.
Once the inoculation step has ended, the algal biomass is subjected to the photoautotrophic growth step as described above.
The step of separating the lipids from the algae can optionally also comprise a step of extracting high added value substances such as vitamins, proteins, carotenoids, active ingredients of pharmaceutical interest, active ingredients to be used as dietary supplements, etc. A preferred example of an active ingredient of interest for the dietary supplements industry which can be extracted from the algal biomass is lutein.
The step of separating the lipids from the algal biomass preferably comprises a step of eliminating the excess water and a step of separating the oil from the algal biomass, preferably by means of pressing, extraction or other methods known in the art.
The step of eliminating the excess water can comprise pressing the biomass (preferably with a belt press) and drying the biomass to further eliminate any residual water.
After the step of separating the algal biomass to obtain the oil it is possible to carry out a step of extracting the high added value substances as indicated above.
The process of the invention is preferably a continuous process in which, after an initial growth of the microalgae in the inoculation step, when the biomass reaches a concentration comprised between 0.05 and 0.2 g/l, the algal biomass is transferred to the photoautotrophic growth step.
The algal biomass then undergoes growth in the presence of light and with a limited intake of nutrients, for example nitrates. When the biomass reaches concentrations comprised between 1 and 5 g/L, preferably between 2 and 3 g/L, it is transferred to heterotrophic step.
In the heterotrophic stage, growth of the biomass is intensified by light deprivation and the introduction of a sugar-based feed, molasses, deriving from the processing of sugar beet or sugarcane, or fruit candying water deriving from the confectionery industry. The molasses and water from fruit candying are diluted with water recovered from the belt press and/or drying step. Before the process water is recycled and reused to dilute the molasses, it undergoes a purification and sterilization treatment.
Once algal biomass concentrations comprised between 14 and 130 g/L are reached, the algal biomass is sent to the belt press for mechanical pressing and elimination of the water and the recycling thereof at the start of the process. The remaining water is further eliminated in the biomass drying step and the condensed steam further recycled at the start of the process. Once the excess water has been removed, the biomass is subjected to mechanical pressing to obtain the oil to be destined for the above-described uses. The de-oiled biomass can then be further used to extract high added value substances, such as, for example, lutein for the dietary supplements industry. The algal biomass, deprived of oil and the high added value substances, can be used, for example, for further energy production, for example by direct combustion.
The invention also relates to a plant for the production of lipids from microalgae which comprises at least two production lines set in parallel, each comprising:
With reference to
The second “nursery” step (where photoautotrophic growth takes place) comprises at least 3 reactors, (indicated together in
Preferably, the first reactor, 3a, has a volumetric capacity comprised between 60 and 150 L. The second reactor, 3b, has a volumetric capacity preferably comprised between 150 and 300 L. The third reactor, 3c, has a volumetric capacity comprised between 300 and 600 L (as shown in
The at least three reactors are connected to one another, thus ensuring the transfer of the algal biomass from one reactor to the next larger one when the biomass concentration reaches a value comprised between 1 and 5 g/L, preferably between 2 and 3 g/L.
The reactors of this step are also equipped with a plant of artificial lighting to ensure the necessary amount of light for the photoautotrophic growth of the microalgae.
The fermentation, or heterotrophic growth step comprises at least 5 reactors (indicated together in
The first 3 reactors with increasing volumes can comprise, for example, a first reactor 4a with a volume of 1,000 to 2,000 L (2 m3), a second reactor 4b with a volume of 10,000 to 20,000 L (20 m3) and a third reactor 4c with volume of 100,000 to 150,000 L (150 m3).
The third reactor simultaneously supplies the two final reactors with an equal volume. The quantity of microalgae is substantially divided into two and each of the two parts is sent to a final reactor (4d and 4e).
The 2 reactors with an equal volume, 4d and 4e, can have a volume comprised between 200,000 and 250,000 L (250 m3).
These 2 reactors preferably work alternately, because one of the two is emptied at a time to collect the microalgae and send them on to the oil separation step.
The at least 5 reactors are connected to one another so as to permit the passage from one reactor to another when the concentration of algal biomass reaches the capacity limits of each reactor. The passage from one reactor to the next can take place, for example, after a period of time of between 2 and 8 days, so as to terminate the heterotrophic step in the production line 10-30 days after the start thereof.
These reactors are closed in such a way as to avoid the passage of light and are connected to a source of a sugar feed, for example molasses, bagasse or water from fruit candying.
The reactors of the second and third step are directly connected to one another to simplify and accelerate management of the process.
The plant envisages the installation of at least two production lines operating in parallel, wherein each of the steps described above comprises the same number of reactors as described above for one production line. The purpose of having at least two production lines set in parallel is to avoid having to stop production completely in the event that anomalies occur in microalgal growth, for example in the event of a disease of the microalgae, and to obtain a semi-continuous operation of the plant.
The whole production line is preferably kept under conditions of sterility, hence in closed reactors, to avoid external contaminations that could compromise algal growth and/or the yield in terms of oil.
The plant of the invention can also comprise machinery for pressing the algal biomass (for example, a belt press), a dryer and machinery for mechanical pressing or extraction of the dried biomass to give the oil, placed downstream of the heterotrophic reactors.
The plant can also comprise a plant for recycling the water deriving from the pressing of the biomass and the condensed steam obtained from the drying of the pressed biomass.
Finally, the plant can also comprise a plant for extracting the high added value substances from the biomass, such as, for example, lutein.
The process and plant of the invention are preferably integrated with the process and plant for producing sugar from sugar beet or sugarcane.
The plant of the invention be placed, for example, in proximity to the sugar production plant so as to cut down the cost of transporting molasses to zero.
The distinctive features of the process and plant of the invention are those of:
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IT2013/000182 | 7/2/2013 | WO | 00 |
