Process for the treatment of substrate-variable methane emissions

Abstract

The invention relates generally to a system and method the treatment of substrate-variable gaseous emissions comprising dynamic concentrations of organic materials comprising methane and one or more non-methane organic compounds that can be metabolized by methane-oxidizing microorganisms, and in one specific embodiment, to a system and method for the treatment of substrate-variable methane emissions through the use of methanotrophic microorganisms in a species-universal polymer production process. Certain embodiments of the invention are particularly advantageous because they reduce environmentally-destructive methane emissions and produce harvestable end-products.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is the U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application PCT / US2005 / 047415 filed Dec. 29, 2005, (published as WO 2007 / 024255), which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60 / 721,938, filed Sep. 29, 2005, and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11 / 208,808, filed Aug. 22, 2005, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60 / 603,857, filed Aug. 24, 2004; wherein patent application Ser. No. 11 / 208,808 is a continuation-in-part of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10 / 687,272, filed Oct. 15, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,161; and wherein the disclosures of all of these applications are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of Invention [0003] This invention relates generally to a system and method for the treatment of methane emissions, and in one specific embodiment, to a system and method for the treatm...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a system for using methanotrophic microorganisms to effectively treat gaseous emissions, particularly methane, by reducing the amount of harmful methane pollutants in the environment and creating a useful end-product. This system can use low concentrations of methane as a source of carbon or energy for the methanotrophic microorganisms, reducing the cost of operation and making the process more feasible for various applications. The invention also provides a method for reducing methane emissions from landfills, coal mines, and petroleum sites, which can contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect. Overall, the invention offers a sustainable and viable solution for reducing methane emissions and creating a more environmentally-friendly future.

Problems solved by technology

Although the prior art recognized that methanotrophic organisms could use methane to produce polymers, the prior art did not teach or suggest an effective method by which destructive gaseous emissions that comprise methane could be used to produce polymers.

Thus, prior to applicants' invention, the production of useful quantities of polymers by methanotrophic organisms was not feasible, because the process, which (among other drawbacks) required a pure and / or concentrated source of methane, could only be done on a small scale.

Moreover, because a pure and / or concentrated source of methane was required, the costs of operating the system was extremely high.

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