Process for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to processes for the production and processing of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from carbon sources. In several embodiments, PHAs are produced at high efficiencies from carbon-containing gases through the utilization of a regenerative polymerization system.

1 .- 102 . (canceled) 
     
     
         103 . A process for the production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a microorganism culture comprising PHA-containing biomass;   (b) removing a portion of said PHA-containing biomass from said culture;   (c) increasing the concentration of PHA in said removed PHA-containing biomass to produce PHA-rich biomass and PHA-reduced biomass; and   (d) returning said PHA-reduced biomass to said culture to cause said PHA-reduced biomass to be used to produce PHA.   
     
     
         104 . The process of  claim 103 , wherein said culture converts the carbon within said PHA-reduced biomass into PHA. 
     
     
         105 . The process of  claim 104 , wherein at least a portion of said carbon is non-PHA carbon. 
     
     
         106 . The process of  claim 104 , wherein said carbon is metabolized by said culture to produce converted biomass, wherein said converted biomass is used by said culture to produce PHA. 
     
     
         107 . The process of  claim 104 , wherein said converted biomass is carbon dioxide and/or methane. 
     
     
         108 . The process of  claim 104 , wherein said converted biomass is metabolically generated material, a volatile fatty acid, a volatile organic compound, a carbon-containing compound, intracellular, cellular, and/or extracellular material, a polymer, an amino acid, a nucleic acid, a carbohydrate, a lipid, a sugar, a polyhydroxyalkanoate, a chemical, and/or a metabolic derivative, intermediary, and/or end-product. 
     
     
         109 . The process of  claim 103 , wherein said PHA-reduced biomass metabolically synthesizes PHA. 
     
     
         110 . The process of  claim 109 , wherein said PHA-reduced biomass metabolically synthesizes PHA by converting a carbon-containing gas into PHA. 
     
     
         111 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein said microorganism culture comprises methanotrophic microorganisms, carbon-dioxide utilizing microorganisms, heterotrophic microorganisms, autotrophic microorganisms, cyanobacteria, biomass-utilizing microorganisms, methanogenic microorganisms, aerobic microorganisms, anaerobic microorganisms, acidogenic microorganisms, and/or acetogenic microorganisms, wherein said microorganism are capable of using carbon-containing gases and/or PHA-reduced biomass as a source of carbon for metabolism. 
     
     
         112 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein increasing the concentration of said PHA in said removed PHA-containing biomass comprises reducing the concentration of water in said removed PHA-containing biomass, and wherein said PHA-rich biomass comprises said removed PHA-containing biomass wherein the water concentration has been reduced, and wherein said PHA-reduced biomass comprises said removed PHA-containing biomass wherein the water concentration has not been reduced. 
     
     
         113 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein increasing the concentration of PHA in said removed PHA-containing biomass comprises extracting said PHA from said removed PHA-containing biomass. 
     
     
         114 . The process of  claim 113 , where extracting said PHA from said removed PHA-containing biomass comprises mixing said PHA-containing biomass with an extraction agent or mechanism selected from the group consisting of solvents, solvent washing, chemical treatment, microwave treatment, simple or fractional distillation, supercritical carbon dioxide, heat, enzymes, surfactants, acids, bases, hypochlorite, peroxides, polymers, bleaches, ozone, EDTA, and/or a combination thereof, and said extraction is optionally performed with a solvent selected from the group consisting of methylene chloride, acetone, ethanol, methanol, ketones, alcohol, chloroform, dichloroethane, water, and/or carbon dioxide, and wherein said extraction is optionally performed by mixing said removed PHA-containing biomass with a mechanism selected from the group consisting of sonication, homogenization, distillation, spray drying, hypochlorite non-PHA dissolution, protonic non-PHA dissolution, non-PHA dissolution, enzymatic treatment, and/or freeze drying. 
     
     
         115 . The process of  claim 103 , wherein natural and/or artificial light is utilized to influence the metabolism of said culture. 
     
     
         116 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein said culture uses at least a portion of carbon-containing gas to produce said PHA, wherein said gas is derived from one or more sources from the group consisting of: landfills, wastewater treatment plants, power production facilities or equipment, agricultural digesters, oil refineries, natural gas refineries, natural gas streams, cement production facilities, and/or anaerobic organic waste digesters. 
     
     
         117 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein said culture uses at least a portion of carbon-containing gas to produce said PHA, wherein said gas is derived from one or more sources from the group consisting of: landfill, wastewater treatment plant, power production facility, or anaerobic decomposition source. 
     
     
         118 . The process according to  claim 103 , wherein the metabolism, growth, reproduction, and/or PHA synthesis of said culture is controlled, manipulated, and/or affected by a growth medium, wherein said medium comprises nutrients, wherein said nutrients comprise at least one or more of the following: water, nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, phosphorus, oxygen, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, sulfur, manganese, molybdenum, calcium, chlorine, boron, zinc, aluminum, nickel, and/or sodium. 
     
     
         119 . The process of  claim 118 , wherein said production of said PHA is caused by increasing, reducing, or maintaining the concentration of one or more nutrient within said medium. 
     
     
         120 . The process of  claim 118 , wherein said culture is caused to grow and/or reproduce by increasing, reducing, or maintaining the concentration of one or more nutrient within said medium. 
     
     
         121 . The process of  claim 118 , wherein said medium is controlled to cause said culture to undergo a period of growth and reproduction, wherein said medium is subsequently controlled to cause said culture to undergo a period of PHA synthesis, wherein said medium is subsequently controlled to cause said culture to undergo a period of growth and reproduction, wherein microorganisms within said culture that reproduce more efficiently as a result of higher intracellular concentrations of PHA are caused to be produced in higher concentrations than microorganisms within said culture that reproduce less efficiently as a result of lower intracellular concentrations of PHA. 
     
     
         122 . The process of  claim 121 , wherein said microorganisms reproduce more efficiently as a result of higher intracellular concentrations of PHA by using said intracellular PHA as a source of carbon, energy, power, or reducing power. 
     
     
         123 . The process of  claim 121 , wherein the shift from said reproduction period to said polymerization period to said reproduction periods is consecutive for at least part of the culture and does not comprise a period wherein no carbon or substantially no carbon is available for metabolism by said culture or wherein the carbon available to said culture is significantly reduced. 
     
     
         124 . A polyhydroxyalkanoate material comprising carbon derived from carbon-containing gas and PHA-reduced biomass. 
     
     
         125 . A process for the production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a microorganism culture,   (b) providing a culture medium comprising nutrients, wherein said medium influences the metabolism, growth, reproduction, and/or PHA synthesis of said culture,   (c) providing a source of carbon that can be metabolized by said culture,   (d) combining said culture, said medium, and said carbon,   (e) controlling said medium to cause said culture to use said carbon to reproduce,   (f) controlling said medium to cause said culture to use said carbon to synthesize intracellular PHA,   (g) controlling said medium to cause said culture to use said carbon to reproduce,   wherein microorganisms within said culture that reproduce more efficiently as a result of higher intracellular concentrations of PHA are produced in higher concentrations than microorganisms within said culture that reproduce less efficiently as a result of lower intracellular concentrations of PHA.   
     
     
         126 . The process of  claim 125 , wherein at least a portion of said culture is removed between step (e) and (f). 
     
     
         127 . The process of  claim 125 , wherein at least a portion of said culture is removed between step (f) and (g). 
     
     
         128 . The process of  claim 125 , wherein at least a portion of said culture is removed between step (e) and (g). 
     
     
         129 . The process of  claim 125 , wherein said culture is exposed to a source of microorganisms that were not previously present in said culture. 
     
     
         130 . The process of  claim 125 , wherein at least a portion of said culture is removed from said culture, wherein the concentration of PHA in said removed culture is increased to produce a PHA-rich biomass and non-PHA-rich biomass, wherein said non-PHA-rich biomass is returned to said non-removed culture and used as a source of carbon to produce PHA.