Continuous microbial process

Abstract

Abstract THE PRESENT INVENTION BROADLY COMPRISES A PROCESS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF A SOURCE OF CARBON AND A SEPARATE SOURCE OF NITROGEN IN A CONTINUOUS SYSTEM WHEREIN BY VARYING THE CHOICE OF INPUT CARBON SOURCE AND A SELECTED INITIAL BATCH OF MICROBIAL AGENT, OXYGENATED OR REDUCED HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS ARE FORMED WHERE THE MICROBIAL AGENT IS OPERATED UNDER NON-PROLIFERATING CONDITIONS. THE INVENTION FURTHER CONTEMPLATES THE PRODUCTION OF PROTEINS AND AMINO ACIDS AT THE SOURCE OF NITROGEN WHERE EXTRA CELLULAR NITROGEN IS PROVIDED UNDER NITROGEN-SUPPLEMENTAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS BY AN INORGANIC COMPOUND LIKE AMMONIUM SULFATE. THE SYSTEM IS CONTINUOUS AND CAREFULLY REGULATED SO THAT EVEN THOUGH CARBOHYDRATE PRODUCT IS DESIRED FROM THE SOURCE OF CARBON, A PORTION OF THE STREAM AND THE MICROBIAL PARTICLES ARE PASSED THROUGH THE PROCESS TO THE SOURCE OF NITROGEN IN THE GROWTH CYCLE BEFORE RETURNING TO THE INPUT SOURCE OF CARBON. AFTER BOTH PRIMARY TREATMENT STATIONS IN THE PROCESS CENTRIFUGES SEPARATE THE MICROBIAL AGENT FROM THE MEDIUM, THE DESIRED COMMERCIAL PRODUCT MAY BE FURTHER SEPARATED AND RECOVERED FROM SAID STREAM WHERE OPTIONALLY THE PRECEDING TREATMENT STATION IS LIVE, I.E. WHERE C OR N CELLS ARE HARVESTED AND OPTIONALLY COMMERCIALLY PRODUCTS ARE PRODUCED. AFTER EACH LIVE SEPARATING STATION , THE TOTAL MICROBIAL AGENT IS SPLIT; A MAJOR PORTION IS HARVESTED AND THE REMAINDER IS PASSED ALONG TO THE SUBSEQUENT TREATING STATION OF THE OPPOSITE SOURCE (I.E., C OR N). A PORTION OF THE EFFLUENT CONTAINING THE MEDIUM IS PREFERABLY RECYCLED WHERE THE STATION IS LIVE AND IN A MINORITY OF CASES A PORTION OF THE MICROBIAL AGENT MAY BE RECYCLED TO PROVIDE INOCULUM.

Inventors

• 👤 Robert A Oppermann

Bibliographic Details