EP4554902A1 - Compositions et procédés de déshydratation - Google Patents

Compositions et procédés de déshydratation

Info

Publication number
EP4554902A1
EP4554902A1 EP23840422.2A EP23840422A EP4554902A1 EP 4554902 A1 EP4554902 A1 EP 4554902A1 EP 23840422 A EP23840422 A EP 23840422A EP 4554902 A1 EP4554902 A1 EP 4554902A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mine
dewatering
composition
liquid
certain embodiments
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP23840422.2A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP4554902A4 (fr
Inventor
Gabriela KNESEL
Ronney SILVA
Cathrine MONYAKE
Juan Cervantes
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Locus Solutions IPCO LLC
Original Assignee
Locus Solutions IPCO LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Locus Solutions IPCO LLC filed Critical Locus Solutions IPCO LLC
Publication of EP4554902A1 publication Critical patent/EP4554902A1/fr
Publication of EP4554902A4 publication Critical patent/EP4554902A4/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F11/00—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor
    • C02F11/12—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening
    • C02F11/14—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening with addition of chemical agents
    • C02F11/148—Combined use of inorganic and organic substances, being added in the same treatment step
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/52—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities
    • C02F1/5236—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using inorganic agents
    • C02F1/5245—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using inorganic agents using basic salts, e.g. of aluminium and iron
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/52—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities
    • C02F1/5272—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using specific organic precipitants
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/52—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities
    • C02F1/54—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using organic material
    • C02F1/547—Tensides
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/52—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities
    • C02F1/54—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities using organic material
    • C02F1/56—Macromolecular compounds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/68—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water
    • C02F1/683—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water by addition of complex-forming compounds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F11/00—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor
    • C02F11/12—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening
    • C02F11/121—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening by mechanical de-watering
    • C02F11/123—Treatment of sludge; Devices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening by mechanical de-watering using belt or band filters
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
    • C02F2101/10—Inorganic compounds
    • C02F2101/103—Arsenic compounds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
    • C02F2101/10—Inorganic compounds
    • C02F2101/20—Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
    • C02F2101/206—Manganese or manganese compounds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2101/00—Nature of the contaminant
    • C02F2101/10—Inorganic compounds
    • C02F2101/20—Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
    • C02F2101/22—Chromium or chromium compounds, e.g. chromates
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
    • C02F2103/001—Runoff or storm water
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
    • C02F2103/10—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated from quarries or from mining activities
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
    • C02F2103/26—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated from the processing of plants or parts thereof
    • C02F2103/28—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated from the processing of plants or parts thereof from the paper or cellulose industry
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2303/00—Specific treatment goals
    • C02F2303/12—Prevention of foaming
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F2305/00—Use of specific compounds during water treatment
    • C02F2305/04—Surfactants, used as part of a formulation or alone
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F3/00—Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F3/34—Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage characterised by the microorganisms used
    • C02F3/347—Use of yeasts or fungi

Definitions

  • dewatering agents can be added to separate solids from a liquid.
  • dewatering of coarse particles involves water drainage based on centrifugal or gravitational principles using stationary or mechanical equipment, such as, for example screens, cone dewaterers, classifiers, scrapers, and hydrocyclones.
  • Dewatering of ore concentrates is important to reduce the weight and transportation costs from the mill to the smelter, roaster, or other processing plant. Dewatering of tailings is also often required for compliance with environmental regulations or for efficient disposal.
  • Mining or excavating of rock, including quarrying can result in the production of toxic waste pollution, including during the production of phosphate, coal, potash, tac, mica, and bentonite.
  • the mining and subsequent production of products often uses slurries that contain the mineral, element, or other material of interest. These slurries can further contain suspended or colloidal particles that may be toxic if released into the environments, such as, for example phosphatic clay waste or coal-clay waste. Additionally, the presence of the liquid can prevent efficient disposal of toxic waste.
  • a dewatering agent In addition to the use of dewatering agents for mining, a dewatering agent is used in paper making, and for treating sewage sludge from municipal wastewater or stormwater.
  • the amount of treatable sludge is limited, and the treatment conditions may not be satisfactory in terms of the water content of a dewatered cake, the recovery rate, and the removability of a cake from filter cloth.
  • the subject invention relates generally to dewatering compositions and methods of using said compositions. More specifically, the subject invention provides environmentally-friendly dewatering compositions and methods for dewatering, such as, for example, during mining, beneficiation processes, construction, and wastewater treatment. In certain embodiments, existing methods can incorporate the subject compositions and methods.
  • compositions and methods of the subject invention increase the efficiency of dewatering and can decrease the chemical usage, including chemical surfactant usage, required for dewatering. Accordingly, the subject invention can be useful for reducing the time needed for mining, water treatment (e.g., mining wastewater, municipal wastewater, stormwater, industrial wastewater) or production of various products, including, for example, paper or oil.
  • water treatment e.g., mining wastewater, municipal wastewater, stormwater, industrial wastewater
  • production of various products including, for example, paper or oil.
  • the subject invention provides compositions comprising components that are derived from microorganisms.
  • the composition comprises a microbial biosurfactant.
  • the composition comprises one or more biosurfactants, and, optionally, other compounds, such as, for example, water; chemical surfactants, including, for example, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB); polymers, including, for example, polymeric ferric sulfate and polyacrylamide; flocculants, including, for example, chitosan; clarifying agents; coagulants; filtration aids; defoaming agents; inorganic salts, including, for example, aluminum (e.g., alum), iron, magnesium, and calcium salts; or any combination thereof.
  • CTLAB cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide
  • polymers including, for example, polymeric ferric sulfate and polyacrylamide
  • flocculants including, for example, chitosan
  • clarifying agents coagulants
  • filtration aids defo
  • the biosurfactant of the composition is utilized in crude form.
  • the crude form can comprise, in addition to the biosurfactant, fermentation broth in which a biosurfactantproducing microorganism was cultivated, residual microbial cell matter or live or inactive microbial cells, residual nutrients, and/or other microbial growth by-products.
  • the biosurfactant is utilized after being extracted from a fermentation broth and, optionally, purified.
  • the biosurfactant according to the subject invention can be a glycolipid (e.g., sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, cellobiose lipids, mannosylerythritol lipids and trehalose lipids), lipopeptide (e.g., surfactin, iturin, fengycin, arthrofactin, and lichenysin), flavolipid, phospholipid (e.g., cardiolipins), fatty acid ester compound, fatty acid ether compound, and/or high molecular weight polymers such as lipoproteins, lipopolysaccharide-protein complexes, and polysaccharide-protein-fatty acid complexes.
  • a glycolipid e.g., sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, cellobiose lipids, mannosylerythritol lipids and trehalose lipids
  • lipopeptide e.g., surfactin,
  • the biosurfactant is a sophorolipid (SLP), including linear SLP, lactonic SLP, acetylated SLP, de-acetylated SLP, salt-form SLP, esterified SLP derivatives, amino acid-SLP conjugates, and other SLP derivatives or isomers that exist in nature and/or are produced synthetically.
  • SLP sophorolipid
  • the SLP is a linear SLP or a derivatized linear SLP.
  • the subject invention provides a method for dewatering, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) contacting a dewatering composition comprising a biosurfactant with a liquid containing a solid or a semisolid particle; and b) removing water from the solid or semisolid particle in the liquid.
  • the removal of the water can be performed using centrifugation, filtering, using gravitational principles, or any combination thereof, including, for example, plate and frame filter press or a belt filter press.
  • the method enhances or increases the rate of dewatering and/or the amount dewatered particles that can be less than about 1 mm, about 500 pm, about 100 pm, about 10 pm, about 1 pm, about 100 nm, about 10 nm, or about 1 nm in diameter.
  • the method comprises contacting a dewatering composition comprising a biosurfactant and, optionally, other components, such as, for example water chemical surfactants, polymers, flocculants, clarifying agents, coagulants, filtration aids, defoaming agents, or inorganic salts.
  • the dewatering composition can be applied to the liquid for a period of time and/or until a distinct volume of the composition has been applied. The step can be repeated as many times as necessary to achieve a rate of dewatering or until a desired amount of water or liquid is removed from the solid or semisolid particle.
  • the dewatering composition according to the subject invention is effective due to enhancing and/or increasing the rate of agglomeration or total amount of the dewatered particles from a liquid containing of a colloidal suspension of said particles before the physical removal of the water occurs.
  • a sophorolipid will form a micelle containing or linking the particles, wherein the micelle is less than 500 pm, less than 100 pm, less than 10 pm, less than 1 pm, less than 100 nm, less than 50 nm, less than 25 nm, less than 15 nm or less than 10 nm in size.
  • the methods of the subject invention result in at least a 25% increase in dewatering of particles, preferably at least a 50% increase, after one treatment.
  • the liquid composition can be treated multiple times to further increase the amount of dewatered particles.
  • the dewatering composition according to the subject invention can be effective at dewatering toxic liquids. Furthermore, the methods of the subject invention do not require complicated equipment or high energy consumption, and production of the composition can be performed on site, for example, at a mine or at a wastewater treatment facility.
  • the subject invention relates generally to the dewatering of particles. More specifically, the subject invention provides environmentally-friendly compositions and methods for dewatering, such as, for example, dewatering liquids that are produced at mining sites, wastewater, and water derived from industrial activities. Accordingly, the subject invention is useful for improving the efficiency and efficacy of methods of dewatering.
  • the compositions and methods of the subject invention increase the dewatering of particles using safe, environmentally-friendly compositions.
  • applying refers to contacting it with a target or site such that the composition or product can have an effect on that target or site.
  • the effect can be due to, for example, microbial growth and/or the action of a biosurfactant or other microbial growth by-product.
  • biofilm is a complex aggregate of microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeast, or fungi, wherein the cells adhere to each other and/or to a surface using an extracellular matrix.
  • the cells in biofilms are physiologically distinct from planktonic cells of the same organism, which are single cells that can float or swim in liquid medium.
  • an “isolated” or “purified” nucleic acid molecule, polynucleotide, polypeptide, protein or organic compound such as a small molecule (e.g., those described below), is substantially free of other compounds, such as cellular material, with which it is associated in nature.
  • a purified or isolated polynucleotide ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
  • RNA ribonucleic acid
  • DNA deoxyribonucleic acid
  • a purified or isolated polypeptide is free of the amino acids or sequences that flank it in its naturally-occurring state.
  • An isolated microbial strain means that the strain is removed from the environment in which it exists in nature. Thus, the isolated strain may exist as, for example, a biologically pure culture, or as spores (or other forms of the strain) in association with a carrier.
  • purified compounds are at least 60% by weight the compound of interest.
  • the preparation is at least 75%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 98%, by weight the compound of interest.
  • a purified compound is one that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 98%, 99%, or 100% (w/w) of the desired compound by weight. Purity is measured by any appropriate standard method, for example, by column chromatography, thin layer chromatography, or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis.
  • a “metabolite” refers to any substance produced by metabolism or a substance necessary for taking part in a particular metabolic process.
  • a metabolite can be an organic compound that is a starting material, an intermediate in, or an end product of metabolism.
  • Examples of metabolites include, but are not limited to, enzymes, acids, solvents, alcohols, proteins, vitamins, minerals, microelements, amino acids, biopolymers and biosurfactants. Ranges provided herein are understood to be shorthand for all of the values within the range.
  • a range of 1 to 20 is un derstood to include any number, combination of numbers, or subrange from the group consisting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, as well as all intervening decimal values between the aforementioned integers such as, for example, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1 .8, and 1 .9.
  • “nested sub-ranges” that extend from either end point of the range are specifically contemplated.
  • a nested sub-range of an exemplary range of 1 to 50 may comprise 1 to 10, 1 to 20, 1 to 30, and 1 to 40 in one direction, or 50 to 40, 50 to 30, 50 to 20, and 50 to 10 in the other direction.
  • a “reduction” means a negative alteration
  • an “increase” means a positive alteration, wherein the negative or positive alteration is at least 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100%.
  • surfactant means a compound that lowers the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants act as, e.g., detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and/or dispersants.
  • a “biosurfactant” is a surface-active substance produced by a living cell and/or using naturally-derived substrates.
  • Biosurfactants are a structurally diverse group of surface-active substances consisting of two parts: a polar (hydrophilic) moiety and non-polar (hydrophobic) group. Due to their amphiphilic structure, biosurfactants can, for example, increase the surface area of hydrophobic water-insoluble substances, increase the water bioavailability of such substances, and change the properties of bacterial cell surfaces. Biosurfactants can also reduce the interfacial tension between water and oil and, therefore, lower the hydrostatic pressure required to move entrapped liquid to overcome the capillary effect. Biosurfactants accumulate at interfaces, thus reducing interfacial tension and leading to the formation of aggregated micellar structures in solution. The formation of micelles provides a physical mechanism to mobilize, for example, oil in a moving aqueous phase.
  • biosurfactants to reduce the surface tension also permits their use as antibacterial, antifungal, and hemolytic agents to, for example, control pests and/or microbial growth.
  • the hydrophilic group of a biosurfactant is a sugar (e.g., a mono-, di-, or polysaccharide) or a peptide
  • the hydrophobic group is typically a fatty acid.
  • biosurfactant molecules based on, for example, type of sugar, number of sugars, size of peptides, which amino acids are present in the peptides, fatty acid length, saturation of fatty acids, additional acetylation, additional functional groups, esterification, polarity and charge of the molecule.
  • glycolipids e.g., sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, cellobiose lipids, mannosylerythritol lipids and trehalose lipids
  • lipopeptides e.g., surfactin, iturin, fengycin, arthrofactin and lichenysin
  • flavolipids e.g., phospholipids (e.g., cardiolipins)
  • phospholipids e.g., cardiolipins
  • fatty acid ester compounds e.g., and high molecular weight polymers such as lipoproteins, lipopolysaccharide-protein complexes, and polysaccharide-protein- fatty acid complexes.
  • Each type of biosurfactant within each class can further comprise subtypes having further modified structures.
  • each biosurfactant molecule has its own HLB value depending on its structure; however, unlike production of chemical surfactants, which results in a single molecule with a single HLB value or range, one cycle of biosurfactant production typically results in a mixture of biosurfactant molecules (e.g., subtypes and isomers thereof).
  • biosurfactant and “biosurfactant molecule” include all forms, analogs, orthologs, isomers, and natural and/or anthropogenic modifications of any biosurfactant class (e.g., glycolipid) and/or subtype thereof (e.g., sophorolipid).
  • biosurfactant class e.g., glycolipid
  • subtype thereof e.g., sophorolipid
  • SLP sephorolipid
  • SLP molecule includes all forms, and isomers thereof, of SLP molecules, including, for example, acidic (linear) SLP (ASL) and lactonic SLP (LSL).
  • ASL acidic (linear) SLP
  • LSL lactonic SLP
  • mono-acetylated SLP di-acetylated SLP
  • esterified SLP SLP with varying hydrophobic chain lengths
  • cationic and/or anionic SLP with fatty acid-amino acid complexes attached esterified SLP
  • SLP-metal complexes SLP-salt derivatives (e.g., a sodium salt of a linear SLP), and other, including those that are and/or are not described within in this disclosure.
  • the glycolipid biosurfactant is a sophorolipid (SLP).
  • SLP sophorolipids are glycolipid biosurfactants produced by, for example, various yeasts of the Starmerella clade when cultivated in the presence of a hydrocarbon-based source of one or more fatty acids.
  • SLP typically consist of a disaccharide sophorose linked to long chain hydroxy fatty acids. They can comprise a partially acetylated 2-O-[3-D-glucopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose unit attached p-glycosidically to 17- L-hydroxyoctadecanoic or 17-L-hydroxy-A9-octadecenoic acid.
  • the hydroxy fatty acid is generally 16 or 18 carbon atoms, and may contain one or more unsaturated bonds. Furthermore, the sophorose residue can be acetylated on the 6- and/or 6’-position(s).
  • the fatty acid carboxyl group can be free (acidic or linear form (General Formula 2)) or internally esterified at the 4"-position (lactonic form (General Formula 1)).
  • '. bombicola produces a specific enzyme, called '. bombicola lactone esterase, which catalyzes the esterification of linear SLP to produce lactonic SLP.
  • the SLP according to the subject invention are represented by General Formula (1) and/or General Formula (2), and are obtained as a collection of 30 or more types of structural homologs: (L where R 1 and R 1 independently represent saturated hydrocarbon chains or single or multiple, in particular single, unsaturated hydrocarbon chains having 8 to 20, in particular 12 to 18 carbon atoms, more preferably 14 to 18 carbon atoms, which can be linear or branched and can comprise one or more hydroxy groups, R 2 and R 2 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a saturated alkyl functional group or a single or multiple, in particular single, unsaturated alkyl functional group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which can be linear or branched and can comprise one or more hydroxy groups, and R 3 , R 3 , R 4 and R 4 independently represent a hydrogen atom or -COCH3.
  • composition utilized according to the subject methods can comprises more than one form of SLP, including linear SLP and lactonic SLP.
  • SLP can be non-acetylated, mono-acetylated and/or di-acetylated SLP.
  • the composition comprises SLP according to General Formula (1) (linear SLP) wherein R 1 and/or R 2 are an acetyl group, and wherein R 3 is derived from a stearic, oleic and/or linoleic fatty acid.
  • SLP according to General Formula (1) (linear SLP) wherein R 1 and/or R 2 are an acetyl group, and wherein R 3 is derived from a stearic, oleic and/or linoleic fatty acid.
  • SLP are typically produced by yeasts, such as Starmerella spp. yeasts and/or Candida spp. yeasts, e.g., Starmerella (Candida) bombicola, Candida apicola, Candida batistae, Candida floricola, Candida riodocensis, Candida stellate and/or Candida kuoi.
  • SLP have environmental compatibility, high biodegradability, low toxicity, high selectivity and specific activity in a broad range of temperature, pH and salinity conditions. Additionally, in some embodiments, SLP can be advantageous due to their small micelle size, which can help facilitate the movement of the micelle,
  • the micelle size of a SLP is less than 100 nm, less than 50 nm, less than 20 nm, less than 15 run, less than 10 nm, or less than 5 nm.
  • the glycolipid is a rhamnolipid.
  • Rhamnolipids comprise a glycosyl head group (i.e., a rhamnose) moiety, and a 3-(hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid (HAA) fatty acid tail, such as, e.g., 3 -hydroxydecanoic acid.
  • HAA 3-(hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid
  • the HAA moiety can vary in length and degree of branching, depending on, for example, the growth medium and the environmental conditions.
  • the highest accumulation of rhamnolipids (RLP) has been shown by submerged cultivation of Pseudomonas spp., such as P. aeruginosa.
  • Rhamnolipids according to the subject invention can have the following structure, according to General Formula (3): wherein m is 2, 1 or 0, n is 1 or 0,
  • R 1 and R 2 are, independently of one another, the same or a different organic functional group having 2 to 24, preferably 5 to 13 carbon atoms, in particular a substituted or unsubstituted, branched or unbranched alkyl functional group, which can also be unsaturated, wherein the alkyl functional group is a linear saturated alkyl functional group having 8 to 12 carbon atoms, or is a nonyl or a decyl functional group or a mixture thereof.
  • salts of these compounds are also included according to the invention.
  • the term “di-rhamnolipid” is understood to mean compounds of the above formula or the salts thereof in which n is 1. Accordingly, “mono-rhamnolipid” is understood in the present invention to mean compounds of the general formula or the salts thereof in which n is 0.
  • the composition comprises a mixture of mono- and di-rhamnolipids.
  • dewatering refers to the process by which water is removed from solids (i.e., suspended solids) or semisolid particles by, for example, reducing the amount of water in particles, yielding a cake.
  • semisolid or “quasi-solid” particle is a substance that has an intermediate viscosity and rigidity between that a liquid and a solid.
  • gangue materials are removed from the product of interest (e.g., element, compound, mineral).
  • Ore refers to a naturally occurring solid material from which a valuable substance, mineral and/or metal can be profitably extracted. Ores are often mined from ore deposits, which comprise ore minerals containing the valuable substance. “Gangue” minerals are minerals that occur in the deposit but do not contain the valuable substance. Examples of ore deposits include hydrothermal deposits, magmatic deposits, laterite deposits, volcanogenic deposits, metamorphically reworked deposits, carbonatite-alkaline igneous related deposits, placer ore deposits, residual ore deposits, sedimentaiy deposits, sedimentary hydrothermal deposits and astrobleme-related deposits. Ores, as defined herein, however, can also include ore concentrates or tailings.
  • leaching refers to the process by which metal is extracted from ore by aqueous solutions including by, for example, ammonia leaching, alkali leaching, acid leaching, cyanidation (i.e., cyanide leaching), or thiosulfate leaching.
  • cyanidation refers to the process of converting gold in ore to a water-soluble coordination complex using aqueous cyanide, including, for example, sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide, or calcium cyanide.
  • “colloid” or “colloidal particle” refers to a mixture in which one insoluble substance is dispersed or suspended throughout another substance.
  • the insoluble substance is generally dispersed in a liquid.
  • transitional term “comprising,” which is synonymous with “including,” or “containing,” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
  • the transitional phrase “consisting of’ excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim.
  • the transitional phrase “consisting essentially of’ limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps “and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s)” of the claimed invention.
  • Use of the term “comprising” contemplates other embodiments that “consist” or “consist essentially of’ the recited component(s).
  • the term “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean. About can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0. 1 %, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term about.
  • the subject invention provides compositions comprising components that are derived from microorganis s.
  • the composition comprises a microbial biosurfactant.
  • the composition comprises one or more biosurfactants, and, optionally, other compounds, such as, for example, water, chemical surfactants, polymers, flocculants, clarifying agents, coagulants, filtration aids, defoaming agents, inorganic salts, or any combination thereof.
  • the chemical surfactant of the dewatering composition is a detergent, wetting agent, emulsifier, foaming agent, and/or dispersant.
  • the chemical surfactants include, for example, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB).
  • the polymers can include natural or synthetic polymers, water soluble polymers, cationic polymers, anionic polymers, or non-ionic polymers.
  • the polymers can be, for example, anionic polyacrylamide, modified polyacrylamide, nonionic polyacrylamide, starch, guar gum, Moringa oleifera seed extract, Strychnos potatorum seed extract, gelatin (e.g., isinglass), alginate (e.g., sodium alginate), or polymeric ferric sulfate.
  • the filtration aids include, for example, cellulose fibers, diatomaceous earth, charcoal, expanded perlite and asbestos fibers.
  • Filtration aids can be chemicals that assist in solid-liquid separation by modifying the surface properties of inerals, elements, or other substances to enhance water repellency.
  • the filtrations aids impart a hydrophobic character to particles so that interstitial water is reduced to a minimum.
  • Flocculants constitute one type of filtration aid; by binding the ultrafine particles together, they prevent them from binding the filter medium.
  • the flocculants include, for example, chitosan.
  • waterabsorbing polymers are used to immobilize water as a gel, thus improving the handling properties of a concentrate, although such a function is not strictly dewatering.
  • the inorganic salts include, for example, aluminum (e.g., alum), iron, magnesium, and calcium salts.
  • the dewatering composition comprises a microbe-based product comprising a biosurfactant utilized in crude form.
  • the crude form can comprise, in addition to the biosurfactant, fermentation broth in which a biosurfactant-producing microorganism was cultivated, residual microbial cell matter or live or inactive microbial cells, residual nutrients, and/or other microbial growth by-products.
  • the product may be, for example, at least, by weight, 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% broth.
  • the amount of biomass in the product, by weight may be, for example, anywhere from 0% to 100% inclusive of all percentages therebetween.
  • the biosurfactant is utilized after being extracted from a fermentation broth and, optionally, purified.
  • the biosurfactant according to the subject invention can be a glycolipid (e.g., sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, cellobiose lipids, mannosylerythritol lipids and trehalose lipids), lipopeptide (e.g., surfactin, iturin, fengycin, arthrofactin and lichenysin), flavolipid, phospholipid (e.g., cardiolipins), fatty acid ester compound, fatty acid ether compound, and/or high molecular weight polymers such as lipoproteins, lipopolysaccharide-protein complexes, and polysaccharide-protein-fatty acid complexes.
  • a glycolipid e.g., sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, cellobiose lipids, mannosylerythritol lipids and trehalose lipids
  • lipopeptide e.g., surfactin, it
  • the biosurfactant is a sophorolipid (SLP), including linear SLP, lactonic SLP, acetylated SLP, de-acetylated SLP, salt-form SLP derivatives, esterified SLP derivatives, amino acid-SLP conjugates, and other SLP derivatives or isomers that exist in nature and/or are produced synthetically.
  • SLP sophorolipid
  • the SLP is a linear SLP or a derivatized linear SLP.
  • the subject compositions can comprise lactonic and linear SLP, with at least about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, about 70%, about 75%, about 80%, about 85%, about 90%, or about 95% of the SLP comprising linear forms, and the remainder comprising lactonic forms.
  • the biosurfactant can be included in the composition at 0.01 to 99.9%, 0.1 to 90%, 0.5 to 80%, 0.75 to 70%, 1.0 to 50%, 1 .5 to 25%, or 2.0 to 15% by weight, with respect to the total dewatering composition.
  • a purified biosurfactant may be added in combination with an acceptable carrier, in that the biosurfactant may be presented at concentrations of 0.001 to 50% (v/v), preferably, 0.01 to 20% (v/v), more preferably, 0.02 to 5% (v/v).
  • the biosurfactant can be included in the composition at, for example, 0.01 to 100,000 ppm, 0.05 to 10,000 ppm, 0.1 to 1,000 ppm, 0.5 to 750 ppm, 1.0 to 500 ppm, 2.0 to 250 ppm, or 3.0 to 100 ppm, with respect to the amount of liquid being treated.
  • the chemical surfactant of the dewatering composition is a detergent, wetting agent, emulsifier, foaming agent, and/or dispersant.
  • the chemical surfactant can be included in the composition at 0.01 to 99.9%, 0.1 to 90%, 0.5 to 80%, 0.75 to 70%, 1 .0 to 50%, 1 .5 to 25%, or 2.0 to 15% by weight, with respect to the total dewatering composition.
  • the dewatering composition can further comprise other additives such as, for example, carriers, other microbe-based compositions, additional biosurfactants, enzymes, catalysts, solvents, salts, buffers, chelating agents, acids, emulsifying agents, lubricants, solubility controlling agents, preservatives, stabilizers, ultra-violet light resistant agents, viscosity modifiers, preservatives, tracking agents, and other microbes and other ingredients specific for an intended use.
  • additives such as, for example, carriers, other microbe-based compositions, additional biosurfactants, enzymes, catalysts, solvents, salts, buffers, chelating agents, acids, emulsifying agents, lubricants, solubility controlling agents, preservatives, stabilizers, ultra-violet light resistant agents, viscosity modifiers, preservatives, tracking agents, and other microbes and other ingredients specific for an intended use.
  • chelating agents can be, but are not limited to, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), a phosphonate, succimer (DMSA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA), A-acefylcysteine, n- hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), organic acids with more than one coordination group (e.g., rubeanic acid), STPP (sodiumtripolyphosphate, Na5P3O10), trisodium phosphate (TSP), water, carbohydrates, organic acids with more than one coordination group (e.g., citric acid), lipids, steroids, amino acids or related compounds (e.g., glutathione), peptides, phosphates, nucleotides, tetrapyrrols, ferrioxamines, ionophores, orphenolics, sodium citrate, sodium gluconate, ethylene
  • the subject invention provides a method for dewatering solids or semisolids from various sources, including, for example, mining sites, quarrying sites, wastewater sites, agricultural sites, and industrial sites.
  • the subject invention provides a method for dewatering tailings from mines.
  • the method comprises adding the subject compositions to the tailings and removing the water from solid or semisolid particles. By dewatering the tailings, the particles can reach a higher concentration when dewatered.
  • the tailings are low-grade tailings, in which the tailings comprise less than about 50%, about 40%, about 35%, about 30%, or about 25% of the product of interest (e.g., metal, mineral, compound or element being mined), with the remainder comprising gangue.
  • the mining site can be a coal mine, iron ore mine (e.g., taconite), copper mine, copper-nickel mine, tin mine, nickel mine, gold mine, silver mine, molybdenum mine, aluminum mine (e.g., bauxite mine, kyanite mine), lead-zinc mine, tungsten mine, phosphate mine, potash mine, mica mine, bentonite mine, or zinc mine.
  • the mine can be an underground mine, surface mine, placer mine or in situ mine.
  • a variety of toxic compounds can be derived from mining activities.
  • methods of removing said toxic compounds are provided according to the subject methods by contacting the dewatering compounds to various water streams, piping, pumps, water storage areas, or other aquatic environments.
  • the toxic compounds can include, for example, cyanide, sulfur-bearing minerals, soluble iron, and heavy metals, such as, for example, molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, manganese, nickel, arsenic, and vanadium.
  • the quarrying site can extract chalk, clay, cinder, coal, sand, gravel, coquina, diabase, gabbro, granite, gritstone, gypsum, limestone, marble, ores, phosphate rock, quartz, sandstone, slate, travertine, or any combination thereof.
  • water can be pumped or otherwise added to the geological formation containing the element, mineral, compound, or other material of interest before the mineral, compound, or other material of interest is extracted.
  • the subject compositions and methods can be used to dewater the extracted slurries.
  • the subject compositions and methods can be used to extract a liquid from a mining or quarrying site by applying the composition to the liquid at the site before the liquid is pumped or otherwise removed from the site.
  • the source of the water at the mining or quarrying site can be groundwater or precipitation.
  • the microbe-containing and/or biosurfactant-containing composition can improve agglomeration between the particles or particles and a surface, such as, for example, agglomerating coal mining toxic byproducts to each other.
  • the subject methods and compositions can alter the surface tension of the liquids containing solid particles from a source, such as, for example, a coal mine.
  • the biosurfactant-containing compositions can interact with the surface and interior of solids, such as, for example, coal within the liquid.
  • the biosurfactant can reduce the surface tension of the liquid, reduce the interfacial tension between the liquid and the solid particles, increase in hydrophobicity of the solid, or a combination thereof, which can increase the efficiency of dewatering, by, for example, allowing a greater reduction in the moisture content of the dewatered particle relative to a dewatered solid that has not been contacted to a dewatering composition of the subject invention.
  • the efficiency of dewatering can be increased by at least about 5%, 10%, 15%, or about 25%.
  • the subject methods can be used to dewater fine coal.
  • fine coal comprises coal particles less than about 0.5 mm in diameter. Without dewatering, the fine coal can have a high moisture content that can reduce the heat content of the coal and can increase the cost of transportation of the coal.
  • the dewatering of fine coal comprises mixing fine coal with coarse coal (e.g., larger than 0.5 mm in diameter), contacting the fine and coarse coal to a dewatering composition of the subject invention, and filtering, centrifuging, gravity separating, or otherwise separating the water from the coal.
  • the microbe-containing and/or biosurfactant-containing composition can form a layer of agglomerated particulate around and/or between particles suspended in a liquid.
  • compositions can be applied to liquids or vessels that contain liquids that reside at a range of temperatures and aquatic environments, such as, for example, a stream, river, waterway, ocean, sea, lake, pond, runoff area, containment ponds, piping, centrifuge, filter, press, screen, cone, dewaterer, classifier, scraper, hydrocyclone, agitator, drum, disk, or wastewater treatment/holding tank.
  • the dewatering composition can be added to the vessels that contain liquids before the liquid composition is added to said vessel.
  • the dewatering composition can be applied to a liquid and, optionally, mixed by adding, pouring, or combining.
  • the time period in which the dewatering composition can be contacted to a liquid or vessel is for about 1 second to about 1 year, about 1 minute to about 1 year, about 1 minute to about 6 months, about 1 minute to about 1 month, about 1 minute to about 1 week, about 1 minute to about 48 hours, about 30 minutes to 40 hours, or preferably about 12 hours to 24 hours.
  • the methods comprise applying a liquid or solid form of the dewatering composition to the liquid for the period of time in which liquid containing suspended particles is being produced or until the amount of liquid has been reduced to an amount that is determined to be satisfactoiy or safe, which can be readily determined by one skilled in the art.
  • the amount of water that may be considered acceptable and/or safe depends on the context. For example, the amount of dewatering of particles may be acceptable in lower amounts at mining sites that do not contain toxic compounds than in mining sites that produced toxic compounds, which require expensive disposal methods. Therefore, removing substantial amounts of water from toxic compounds before disposal can reduce costs.
  • the amount of the dewatering composition applied is about 0.00001 to 15%, about 0.00001 to 10%, about 0.0001 to 5%, about 0.001 to 3%, about 0.01%, or about 1 vol % based on an amount of liquid that is treated.
  • the methods of the subject invention result in at least a 25% increase in dewatering of particles, preferably at least a 50% increase, after one treatment.
  • the liquid can be treated multiple times to further increase the amount of dewatered particles.
  • the dewatering composition according to the subject invention is effective due to amphiphiles-mediated adhesion of the suspended particles.
  • the sophorolipid or other biosurfactant serves as a vehicle for facilitating dewatering of particulate matter and/or adhesion of particulate matter to a surface and/or object.
  • a sophorolipid will form a micelle containing a particle, wherein the micelle is less than 1 mm, 100 pm, 50 pm, 20 pm, 10 pm, 1 pm, 100 nm, less than 50 nm, less than 25 nm, less than 15 nm or less than 10 nm in size.
  • the small size and amphiphilic properties of the micelle allow for enhanced adhesion of the particle so that greater agglomeration of particles can occur, allowing for a more efficient dewatering process to occur.
  • the dewatering compositions can be used in methods of processing ores, ore slurries, or other products obtained via mining. In certain embodiments, the dewatering compositions can be used for dewatering before grinding, concentrate dewatering, tailings dewatering, tailings filling, middling dewatering, or any combination thereof.
  • the dewatering compositions can be used in beneficiation processes, particularly in low-grade ores containing low concentrations of the element or other product of interest, such as, for example, gold or silver.
  • the element or other product of interest such as, for example, gold or silver.
  • it can be necessary to crush and grind the ore and preconcentrate or separate the element or product of interest from the ore by flotation or gravity separation (i.e., settling).
  • the settling rate of concentrate can be accelerated, and the dewatering efficiency can be improved by adding the dewatering compositions during the beneficiation process.
  • the dewatering compositions can be used in methods of leaching, such as, for example, gold cyanidation.
  • the process of extraction by leaching includes leaching (e.g., cyanide leaching), washing and filtering of leaching pulp, extraction of the metal from the leaching solution or pulp, and smelting of finished products.
  • the dewatering compositions can be used in methods of washing and filtering leaching pulp, in which the dewatering compositions increase the rate of dewatering of the leaching pulp.
  • the dewatering compositions can dewater heavy metals and metalloids including, for example, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, U, and Zn, in the mined tailings, which can present a significant potential ecological and human health risk associated with metal and metalloid exposure from contaminated soils around mined tailings storage sites.
  • the dewatering compositions can remove the pregnant solution from the leached solids during hydrometallurgical processes.
  • the dewatering composition can be used in methods of treating industrial sewage and sewage water containing water-soluble organic substances.
  • the purification process uses activated sludge treatment for the removal of soluble organic substances.
  • activated sludge treatment uses the growth of microorganisms for processing, so a dewatering treatment of sludge is often used to reduce water volumes.
  • sludge dewatering can use traditional dewatering agents.
  • the subject dewatering compositions can be used instead of synthetic polymer dewatering agents or in conjunction with polymer dewatering agents to agglomerate and dewater sludges.
  • Cationic dewatering agents can neutralize negative charges on the surface of colloidal particles in sludge and can bridge between particles to form large and strong flocs for easily dewatering.
  • Sludge containing flocs can be dehydrated by sludge-dewatering equipment, separated to solids called sludge cake, and disposed of by landfill, incineration, or compost.
  • the dewatering methods can reduce the amount of water in the sludge by about at least about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, or about 80%.
  • the dewatering composition can be used in various industrial methods, including in the manufacturing or processing of food, beverages, oil sands, and paper.
  • dewatering compositions can be used primarily in treating wastewater (e.g., to dewater a sludge), in which suspended particles, such as, for example, sludge, particles containing phosphates, and residual oil sands from oil sand tailings, are agglomerated and then the liquid is removed from the particle before the water is discharged or stored.
  • the subject composition can be used in methods of filtration, which are used to separate liquids from solids or semisolids more completely than settling alone can accomplish. It is used principally in dewatering flotation concentrates and tailings, such as, for example, in order to clarify a decanted solution; in collecting precipitated solids; or in removing pregnant solution from leached solids during hydrometallurgical processes.
  • Filtration usually consists of pneumatic techniques. Of the various types of filters, the most common is the vacuum filter. A vacuum is applied across a membrane cloth, horizontally mounted on rotating drums or rotating disks, the lower segments of which are immersed in pulp in a tank. The feed pulp or slurry is kept in suspension by rotary agitators. Pumps suck the liquid through the filter but leave the caked solids behind. Before the drum or disk reaches the tank again, the vacuum shuts off and pressurized air is applied to dislodge the filter cake, or alternatively, scrapers remove the filter cake into a discharge chute.
  • the dewatering composition according to the subject invention provides enhanced or increased efficiency of dewatering particles with limited negative environmental impacts. Additionally, the methods of the subject invention do not require complicated equipment or high energy consumption, and the production of the dewatering composition can be performed on site, including, for example, at a mine or at an industrial site. In certain embodiments, the subject dewatering composition can result in a decreased use of chemical surfactants, synthetic dewatering agents, or other potentially harmful chemicals used for dewatering. Production of Microbe-Based Products
  • the subject invention provides methods for cultivation of microorganisms and production of microbial metabolites and/or other by-products of microbial growth.
  • the subject invention further utilizes cultivation processes that are suitable for cultivation of microorganisms and production of microbial metabolites on a desired scale. These cultivation processes include, but are not limited to, submerged cultivation/fermentation, solid state fermentation (SSF), and modifications, hybrids and/or combinations thereof.
  • SSF solid state fermentation
  • the microorganisms can be, for example, bacteria, yeast and/or fungi. These microorganisms may be natural, or genetically modified microorganisms. For example, the microorganisms may be transformed with specific genes to exhibit specific characteristics.
  • the microorganisms may also be mutants of a desired strain.
  • “mutant” means a strain, genetic variant or subtype of a reference microorganism, wherein the mutant has one or more genetic variations (e.g., a point mutation, missense mutation, nonsense mutation, deletion, duplication, frameshift mutation or repeat expansion) as compared to the reference microorganism. Procedures for making mutants are well known in the microbiological art. For example, UV mutagenesis and nitrosoguanidine are used extensively toward this end.
  • the microbes are capable of producing amphiphilic molecules, enzymes, proteins and/or biopolymers.
  • Microbial biosurfactants are produced by a variety of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeasts, including, for example, Agrobacterium spp. (e.g., A. radiobacter); Arthrobacter spp.; Aspergillus spp.; Aureobasidium spp. (e.g., A. pullulans); Azotobacter (e.g., A. vinelandii, A. chroococcum); Azospirillum spp. (e.g., A. brasiliensis); Bacillus spp. (e.g., B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. pumillus, B. cereus, B. licheniformis, B.firmus,
  • Agrobacterium spp. e.g., A. radiobacter
  • Candida spp. e.g., C. albicans, C. rugosa, C. tropicalis,
  • C. lipolytica, C. torulopsis Clostridium (e.g., C. butyricum, C. tyrobutyricum, C. acetobutyricum, and C. beijerinckii); Campylobacter spp.; Cornybacterium spp.; Cryptococcus spp.; Debaryomyces spp. (e.g., D. hansenii); Entomophthora spp.; Flavobacterium spp.; Gordonia spp.; Hansenula spp.; Hanseniaspora spp. (e.g., H.
  • Pseudozyma spp. e.g., P. aphidis
  • Ralslonia spp. e.g., R. eulropha
  • Rhodococcus spp. e.g., R. erythropolis
  • Rhodospirillum spp. e.g., R. rubrum
  • Rhizobium spp. Rhizopus spp.
  • Saccharomyces spp. e.g., .S', cerevisiae, S. boulardii sequela, S. torula
  • microorganism is a Starmerella spp. yeast and/or Candida spp. yeast, e.g., Starmerella (Candida) bomhicola, Candida apicola, Candida batistae, Candida floricola, Candida riodocensis, Candida stellate and/or Candida kuoi.
  • the microorganism is Starmerella bombicola, e.g., strain ATCC 22214.
  • growth refers to cultivation or growth of cells under controlled conditions.
  • the growth could be aerobic or anaerobic.
  • the microorganisms are grown using SSF and/or modified versions thereof.
  • the subject invention provides materials and methods for the production of biomass (e.g., viable cellular material), extracellular metabolites (e.g., small molecules and excreted proteins), residual nutrients and/or intracellular components (e.g., enzymes and other proteins).
  • biomass e.g., viable cellular material
  • extracellular metabolites e.g., small molecules and excreted proteins
  • residual nutrients and/or intracellular components e.g., enzymes and other proteins.
  • the microbe growth vessel used according to the subject invention can be any fermenter or cultivation reactor for industrial use.
  • the vessel may have functional controls/sensors or may be connected to functional control s/sensors to measure important factors in the cultivation process, such as pH, oxygen, pressure, temperature, humidity, microbial density and/or metabolite concentration.
  • the vessel may also be able to monitor the growth of microorganisms inside the vessel (e.g., measurement of cell number and growth phases).
  • a daily sample may be taken from the vessel and subjected to enumeration by techniques known in the art, such as dilution plating technique.
  • Dilution plating is a simple technique used to estimate the number of organisms in a sample. The technique can also provide an index by which different environments or treatments can be compared.
  • the method includes supplementing the cultivation with a nitrogen source.
  • the nitrogen source can be, for example, potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, ammonia, urea, and/or ammonium chloride. These nitrogen sources may be used independently or in a combination of two or more.
  • the method can provide oxygenation to the growing culture.
  • One embodiment utilizes slow motion of air to remove low-oxygen containing air and introduce oxygenated air.
  • the oxygenated air may be ambient air supplemented daily through mechanisms including impellers for mechanical agitation of liquid, and air spargers for supplying bubbles of gas to liquid for dissolution of oxygen into the liquid.
  • the method can further comprise supplementing the cultivation with a carbon source.
  • the carbon source is typically a carbohydrate, such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, trehalose, mannose, mannitol, and/or maltose; organic acids such as acetic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, propionic acid, malic acid, malonic acid, and/or pyruvic acid; alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, isobutanol, and/or glycerol; fats and oils such as soybean oil, canola oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, com oil, sesame oil, and/or linseed oil; etc.
  • These carbon sources may be used independently or in a combination of two or more.
  • growth factors and trace nutrients for microorganisms are included in the medium. This is particularly preferred when growing microbes that are incapable of producing all of the vitamins they require.
  • Inorganic nutrients including trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, manganese, molybdenum and/or cobalt may also be included in the medium.
  • sources of vitamins, essential amino acids, and microelements can be included, for example, in the form of flours or meals, such as com flour, or in the form of extracts, such as yeast extract, potato extract, beef extract, soybean extract, banana peel extract, and the like, or in purified forms.
  • Amino acids such as, for example, those useful for biosynthesis of proteins, can also be included.
  • inorganic salts may also be included.
  • Usable inorganic salts can be potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium chloride, iron sulfate, iron chloride, manganese sulfate, manganese chloride, zinc sulfate, lead chloride, copper sulfate, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium carbonate, and/or sodium carbonate.
  • These inorganic salts may be used independently or in a combination of two or more.
  • the method for cultivation may further comprise adding additional acids and/or antimicrobials in the medium before, and/or during the cultivation process.
  • Antimicrobial agents or antibiotics are used for protecting the culture against contamination.
  • antifoaming agents may also be added to prevent the formation and/or accumulation of foam during submerged cultivation.
  • the pH of the mixture should be suitable for the microorganism of interest. Buffers, and pH regulators, such as carbonates and phosphates, may be used to stabilize pH near a preferred value. When metal ions are present in high concentrations, use of a chelating agent in the medium may be necessary.
  • the microbes can be grown in planktonic form or as biofilm.
  • the vessel may have within it a substrate upon which the microbes can be grown in a biofilm state.
  • the system may also have, for example, the capacity to apply stimuli (such as shear stress) that encourages and/or improves the biofilm growth characteristics.
  • the method for cultivation of microorganisms is carried out at about 5° to about 100° C, preferably, 15 to 60° C, more preferably, 25 to 50° C. In a further embodiment, the cultivation may be carried out continuously at a constant temperature. In another embodiment, the cultivation may be subject to changing temperatures.
  • the equipment used in the method and cultivation process is sterile.
  • the cultivation equipment such as the reactor/vessel may be separated from, but connected to, a sterilizing unit, e.g., an autoclave.
  • the cultivation equipment may also have a sterilizing unit that sterilizes in situ before starting the inoculation. Air can be sterilized by methods know in the art. For example, the ambient air can pass through at least one filter before being introduced into the vessel. In other embodiments, the medium may be pasteurized or, optionally, no heat at all added, where the use of low water activity and low pH may be exploited to control undesirable bacterial growth.
  • the subject invention further provides a method for producing microbial metabolites such as, for example, biosurfactants, enzymes, proteins, ethanol, lactic acid, beta-glucan, peptides, metabolic intermediates, polyunsaturated fatty acid, and lipids, by cultivating a microbe strain of the subject invention under conditions appropriate for growth and metabolite production; and, optionally, purifying the metabolite.
  • microbial metabolites such as, for example, biosurfactants, enzymes, proteins, ethanol, lactic acid, beta-glucan, peptides, metabolic intermediates, polyunsaturated fatty acid, and lipids.
  • the metabolite content produced by the method can be, for example, at least 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70 %, 80 %, or 90%.
  • the microbial growth by-product produced by microorganisms of interest may be retained in the microorganisms or secreted into the growth medium.
  • the medium may contain compounds that stabilize the activity of microbial growth by-product.
  • the biomass content of the fermentation medium may be, for example, from 5 g/1 to 180 g/1 or more, or from 10 g/1 to 150 g/1.
  • the cell concentration may be, for example, at least 1 x 10 6 to 1 x 10 12 , 1 x 10 7 to 1 x 10 11 , 1 x 10 8 to 1 x 10 10 , or 1 x 10 9 CFU/ml.
  • the method and equipment for cultivation of microorganisms and production of the microbial by-products can be performed in a batch, a quasi-continuous process, or a continuous process.
  • all of the microbial cultivation composition is removed upon the completion of the cultivation (e.g., upon, for example, achieving a desired cell density, or density of a specified metabolite).
  • this batch procedure an entirely new batch is initiated upon harvesting of the first batch.
  • biomass with viable cells, spores, conidia, hyphae and/or mycelia remains in the vessel as an inoculant for a new cultivation batch.
  • the composition that is removed can be a cell-free medium or contain cells, spores, or other reproductive propagules, and/or a combination of thereof. In this manner, a quasi-continuous system is created.
  • the method does not require complicated equipment or high energy consumption.
  • the microorganisms of interest can be cultivated at small or large scale on site and utilized, even being still-mixed with their media.
  • the subject invention provides a “microbe-based composition,” meaning a composition that comprises components that were produced as the result of the growth of microorganisms or other cell cultures.
  • the microbe-based composition may comprise the microbes themselves and/or by-products of microbial growth.
  • the microbes may be in a vegetative state, in spore form, in mycelial form, in any other form of propagule, or a mixture of these.
  • the microbes may be planktonic or in a biofilm form, or a mixture of both.
  • the by-products of growth may be, for example, metabolites, cell membrane components, expressed proteins, and/or other cellular components.
  • the microbes may be intact or lysed.
  • the microbes may be present in or removed from the composition.
  • the microbes can be present, with broth in which they were grown, in the microbe-based composition.
  • the cells may be present at, for example, a concentration of at least 1 x 10 3 , 1 x 10 4 , 1 x 10 5 , 1 x 10 6 , 1 x 10 7 , 1 x 10 8 , 1 x 10 9 , 1 x IO 10 , 1 x 10 11 , 1 x IO 12 , 1 x 10 13 or more CFU per milliliter of the composition.
  • the subject invention further provides “microbe-based products,” which are products that are to be applied in practice to achieve a desired result.
  • the microbe-based product can be simply a microbe-based composition harvested from the microbe cultivation process.
  • the microbe-based product may comprise further ingredients that have been added. These additional ingredients can include, for example, stabilizers, acids, buffers, carriers, such as water, salt solutions, or any other appropriate carrier, added nutrients to support further microbial growth, non-nutrient growth enhancers, and/or agents that facilitate tracking of the microbes and/or the composition in the environment to which it is applied.
  • the microbe-based product may also comprise mixtures of microbe-based compositions.
  • the microbe-based product may also comprise one or more components of a microbe-based composition that have been processed in some way such as, but not limited to, filtering, centrifugation, lysing, drying, purification and the like.
  • One microbe-based product of the subject invention is simply the fermentation medium containing the microorganisms and/or the microbial metabolites produced by the microorganisms and/or any residual nutrients.
  • the product of fermentation may be used directly without extraction or purification. If desired, extraction and purification can be easily achieved using standard extraction and/or purification methods or techniques described in the literature.
  • microorganisms in the microbe-based products may be in an active or inactive form, or in the form of vegetative cells, reproductive spores, conidia, mycelia, hyphae, or any other form of microbial propagule.
  • the microbe-based products may also contain a combination of any of these forms of a microorganism.
  • different strains of microbe are grown separately and then mixed together to produce the microbe-based product.
  • the microbes can, optionally, be blended with the medium in which they are grown and dried prior to ixing.
  • the microbe-based products may be used without further stabilization, preservation, and storage.
  • direct usage of these microbe-based products preserves a high viability of the microorganisms, reduces the possibility of contamination from foreign agents and undesirable microorgani sms, and maintains the activity of the by-products of microbial growth.
  • further components can be added as the harvested product is placed into containers or otherwise transported for use.
  • the additives can be, for example, buffers, carriers, other microbe-based compositions produced at the same or different facility, viscosity modifiers, preservatives, nutrients for microbe growth, surfactants, emulsifying agents, lubricants, solubility controlling agents, tracking agents, solvents, biocides, antibiotics, pH adjusting agents, chelators, stabilizers, ultra-violet light resistant agents, other microbes and other suitable additives that are customarily used for such preparations.
  • the product can be stored prior to use.
  • the storage time is preferably short.
  • the storage time may be less than 60 days, 45 days, 30 days, 20 days, 15 days, 10 days, 7 days, 5 days, 3 days, 2 days, 1 day, or 12 hours.
  • the product is stored at a cool temperature such as, for example, less than 20° C, 15° C, 10° C, or 5° C.
  • a biosurfactant composition can typically be stored at ambient temperatures.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Emulsifying, Dispersing, Foam-Producing Or Wetting Agents (AREA)
  • Micro-Organisms Or Cultivation Processes Thereof (AREA)
  • Separation Of Suspended Particles By Flocculating Agents (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Sludge (AREA)
  • Preparation Of Compounds By Using Micro-Organisms (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne des compositions sûres et respectueuses de l'environnement et des procédés efficaces de déshydratation. Plus spécifiquement, la présente invention concerne des compositions dérivées de micro-organismes pour la déshydratation, qui peuvent être utilisées pour augmenter le taux de déshydratation et/ou la quantité de particules déshydratées.
EP23840422.2A 2022-07-11 2023-07-08 Compositions et procédés de déshydratation Pending EP4554902A4 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202263388020P 2022-07-11 2022-07-11
US202363503225P 2023-05-19 2023-05-19
PCT/US2023/069842 WO2024015720A1 (fr) 2022-07-11 2023-07-08 Compositions et procédés de déshydratation

Publications (2)

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EP4554902A1 true EP4554902A1 (fr) 2025-05-21
EP4554902A4 EP4554902A4 (fr) 2026-01-28

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CN (1) CN119546557A (fr)
AU (1) AU2023307697A1 (fr)
CA (1) CA3261421A1 (fr)
CL (1) CL2025000055A1 (fr)
MX (1) MX2025000347A (fr)
PE (1) PE20250607A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2024015720A1 (fr)

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JP3820180B2 (ja) * 2002-05-02 2006-09-13 新日本製鐵株式会社 汚染土壌の浄化方法
CN105016601A (zh) * 2015-07-03 2015-11-04 天津霍普环保科技有限公司 一种生物污泥的电渗透脱水工艺
CN108423962B (zh) * 2017-02-14 2020-12-29 湖南省环境保护科学研究院 一种改善污泥脱水性能的方法
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EP4554902A4 (fr) 2026-01-28
MX2025000347A (es) 2025-02-10
WO2024015720A1 (fr) 2024-01-18
CN119546557A (zh) 2025-02-28
CL2025000055A1 (es) 2025-05-16
CA3261421A1 (fr) 2024-01-18
PE20250607A1 (es) 2025-02-26
AU2023307697A1 (en) 2025-01-23

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