44 results about "Algaenan" patented technology

Bottom dwelling colonies of Botryococcus are stimulated to produce and accumulate unusually high hydrocarbon concentrations that make them float to the surface. When exposed to carbon dioxide gas at the surface of the water, hydrocarbon induced flotation and growth is further enhanced with concomitant provision of appropriate light and available nitrogen. Botryococcus var. Ninsei is distinct from previously cultured strains of the genus in color, metabolism, and niche. The Ninsei variety grows green at the air-water interface. Metabolically, Ninsei is distinct from other varieties because it produces hydrocarbons in the presence of surplus ammonia in contrast to other varieties that shut down hydrocarbon production when ammonia is available. These characteristics are consistent with growth on the surface at water's edge, e.g., in the niche characterized by a mud alga. The surface niche for Ninsei is distinct because all other varieties are submerged, occupying the floor, e.g., all other varieties live at the bottom of the culture. Flotation of green colonies based on concomitant production of hydrocarbons in vitro occurs solely in the Ninsei variety.

The present invention provides a biosafety-guarded photobiological butanol production technology based on designer transgenic plants, designer algae, designer blue-green algae (cyanobacteria and oxychlorobacteria), or designer plant cells. The designer photosynthetic organisms are created such that the endogenous photobiological regulation mechanism is tamed, and the reducing power (NADPH) and energy (ATP) acquired from the photosynthetic process are used for synthesis of butanol (CH3CH2CH2CH2OH) directly from carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The butanol production methods of the present invention completely eliminate the problem of recalcitrant lignocellulosics by bypassing the bottleneck problem of the biomass technology. The photobiological butanol-production technology of the present invention is expected to have a much higher solar-to-butanol energy-conversion efficiency than the current technology and could also help protect the Earth's environment from the dangerous accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Sustained hydrogen production is obtained by the culturing of a genetically-modified algae, where the ability of the chloroplasts to intake sulfate is reduced or eliminated compared to wild-type algae. The alga is cultured in a sealed environment in a liquid or solid medium that contains sulfur, and hydrogen is generated continuously. Alternatively, the algae may be cultured in the presence of bacteria that also produce hydrogen gas. The hydrogen produced can be collected and used as a clean energy source.