WO2013001389A1 - Thermal de-polymerisation and algae photosynthesis - Google Patents

Thermal de-polymerisation and algae photosynthesis Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013001389A1
WO2013001389A1 PCT/IB2012/052882 IB2012052882W WO2013001389A1 WO 2013001389 A1 WO2013001389 A1 WO 2013001389A1 IB 2012052882 W IB2012052882 W IB 2012052882W WO 2013001389 A1 WO2013001389 A1 WO 2013001389A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
hydrocarbons
algae
organic material
combustion
electricity
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2012/052882
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Graeme HULME-JONES
Original Assignee
GARDNER, Colleen
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 GARDNER, Colleen filed Critical GARDNER, Colleen
Publication of WO2013001389A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013001389A1/en

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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
    • C12M21/00—Bioreactors or fermenters specially adapted for specific uses
    • C12M21/02—Photobioreactors
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
    • C12M43/00—Combinations of bioreactors or fermenters with other apparatus
    • C12M43/04—Bioreactors or fermenters combined with combustion devices or plants, e.g. for carbon dioxide removal
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
    • C12M43/00—Combinations of bioreactors or fermenters with other apparatus
    • C12M43/08—Bioreactors or fermenters combined with devices or plants for production of electricity

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering method of recycling organic (e.g. plastic) waste for production of electricity, fuel oil, bio-oil, biomass (e.g. organic fertilizer) and/or carbohydrate-derived products
  • organic e.g. plastic
  • biomass e.g. organic fertilizer
  • Modern societies produce enormous quantities of waste plastic materials and the volume of the materials, as well as their resistance to biodegradation cause difficulty in discarding these materials in environmentally responsible manners.
  • the materials can be incinerated and heat from the incineration put to use (e.g. to generate electricity or for heating inhabited spaces), but the incineration produces large volumes of carbon dioxide and other gasses that are harmful to the environment, among other reasons, because of their contribution to global warning.
  • the present invention seeks to provide an energy efficient and environmentally responsible method for processing waste organic material, e.g. plastic materials, with a low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering environmental impact.
  • a method of consuming organic material and generating electricity in a low carbon cycle comprising: depolymerising the organic material to produce hydrocarbons;
  • Some of the mass of the algae produced by the algae photosynthesis may be used as fuel for the generation of electricity and some of the algae mass may be used to produce biomass products and/or hydrocarbon fuel - some of which may be used to generate electricity through combustion.
  • the hydrocarbons produced by depolymerising of the organic material may include long chain hydrocarbons and/or short chain hydrocarbons. Any combination of the hydrocarbons, biomass products, and hydrocarbon fuel may be used as a combustible energy source.
  • the method may include producing water during the combustion of the
  • the method of the present invention is intended to put waste plastic and/or other organic materials (including thermoplastics, elastomers, and the like) to use.
  • the combination of these materials can vary, but an input of these waste organic materials in the form of waste plastic materials, is generally referred to herein with reference numeral 10.
  • the plastic material 10 is used as a feedstock in a thermal depolymerisation process 12, which yields hydrocarbons, typically including long chain hydrocarbons (liquids) such as a mixture of fuel oils 18 and short-chain hydrocarbons (gasses) 16, as well as other by-products 14 (which could include carbon dioxide and water).
  • hydrocarbon gasses 16 are recaptured and are used to power the depolymerisation process 12.
  • the fuel oils 18 can be separated into components such as diesel, kerosene, gasoline, heavy oil, or the like, or can remain in a mixture of fuel oils.
  • the carbon dioxide would in many instances be discharged to atmosphere and increase carbon footprint, but instead, in the present invention, it is consumed in the algae photosynthesis and oxygen is given off, removing any carbon footprint of the waste material consumption.
  • Algae biomass 24 produced in the photo-bioreactor 22 can be used to produce bio- products and hydrocarbon fuel, e.g.:
  • the algae biomass 24 is used as follows:
  • Biodiesel 26 is produced from the extraction of oil from harvested algae lipids in the biomass.
  • Ethanol 28 is produced from carbohydrates of the harvested algae.
  • the leftover biomass 30 is used directly as biomass fuel or it is used for animal or pet feed or as a natural fertiliser.
  • Hydrocarbon fuel (which in the preferred example includes the biodiesel 26 and ethanol 28) is combined with the fuel oil 18 (from the thermal depolymerisation 12) and the combination of fuels is fed to a generator 32 where the fuels are combusted in the production of electricity 34.
  • Emissions from the generator 32 are passed through a catalytic converter 36 to provide carbon dioxide and water 38, which are combined with any carbon dioxide and water 14 (from the thermal depolymerisation 12) for use in the algae
  • photosynthesis in the photo-bioreactor 22 rendering the production of electricity as low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Bioinformatics & Cheminformatics (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Genetics & Genomics (AREA)
  • Biotechnology (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Microbiology (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)

Abstract

A method is provided for consuming organic material (10) such as plastics and generating electricity (34) in a low carbon cycle. The method includes depolymerising (12) the organic material to produce hydrocarbons (16, 18), using hydrocarbon gasses (16) from the depolymerisation process (12) as an energy source for the depolymerisation process, using hydrocarbon fuel oils (18) from the depolymerisation process (12) to generate electricity (34) through combustion (32), and consuming carbon dioxide (38) from the combustion (32) of hydrocarbons (18), by algae photosynthesis (22). The algae biomass (24) produced during the algae photosynthesis is used to produce hydrocarbon fuels (26, 28) and/or biomass products (30), which may be used as combustible energy sources – e.g. for the generation of electricity.

Description

THERMAL DE-POLYMERISATION AND ALGAE PHOTOSYNTHESIS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering method of recycling organic (e.g. plastic) waste for production of electricity, fuel oil, bio-oil, biomass (e.g. organic fertilizer) and/or carbohydrate-derived products In this specification, the term "organic" is refers broadly to carbon-based
compounds, hydrocarbons and their derivatives and this includes naturally occurring organic materials (typically derived from living organisms) and also includes synthetic materials such as plastic materials. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Modern societies produce enormous quantities of waste plastic materials and the volume of the materials, as well as their resistance to biodegradation cause difficulty in discarding these materials in environmentally responsible manners. The materials can be incinerated and heat from the incineration put to use (e.g. to generate electricity or for heating inhabited spaces), but the incineration produces large volumes of carbon dioxide and other gasses that are harmful to the environment, among other reasons, because of their contribution to global warning.
The present invention seeks to provide an energy efficient and environmentally responsible method for processing waste organic material, e.g. plastic materials, with a low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering environmental impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a method of consuming organic material and generating electricity in a low carbon cycle, said method comprising: depolymerising the organic material to produce hydrocarbons;
using at least some of the hydrocarbons from the depolymerisation process as an energy source for the depolymensation process;
using at least some of the hydrocarbons from the depolymerisation process to generate electricity through combustion; and
consuming carbon dioxide from said combustion of hydrocarbons, by algae photosynthesis.
Some of the mass of the algae produced by the algae photosynthesis may be used as fuel for the generation of electricity and some of the algae mass may be used to produce biomass products and/or hydrocarbon fuel - some of which may be used to generate electricity through combustion.
The hydrocarbons produced by depolymerising of the organic material may include long chain hydrocarbons and/or short chain hydrocarbons. Any combination of the hydrocarbons, biomass products, and hydrocarbon fuel may be used as a combustible energy source.
The method may include producing water during the combustion of the
hydrocarbons and/or during depolymerisation of the organic material, and using said water in the algae photosynthesis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying schematic diagram of a method according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Referring to the drawing, the method of the present invention is intended to put waste plastic and/or other organic materials (including thermoplastics, elastomers, and the like) to use. The combination of these materials can vary, but an input of these waste organic materials in the form of waste plastic materials, is generally referred to herein with reference numeral 10.
The plastic material 10 is used as a feedstock in a thermal depolymerisation process 12, which yields hydrocarbons, typically including long chain hydrocarbons (liquids) such as a mixture of fuel oils 18 and short-chain hydrocarbons (gasses) 16, as well as other by-products 14 (which could include carbon dioxide and water). The hydrocarbon gasses 16 are recaptured and are used to power the depolymerisation process 12. The fuel oils 18 can be separated into components such as diesel, kerosene, gasoline, heavy oil, or the like, or can remain in a mixture of fuel oils.
Any carbon dioxide and water 14 from the thermal depolymerisation 12 and from the catalysed combustion products 38 (see below), are combined with algae and nutrients in a feeding vessel 20 and this combination is fed to a photo-bioreactor 22 to drive photosynthesis in the algae. The carbon dioxide would in many instances be discharged to atmosphere and increase carbon footprint, but instead, in the present invention, it is consumed in the algae photosynthesis and oxygen is given off, removing any carbon footprint of the waste material consumption.
Algae biomass 24 produced in the photo-bioreactor 22 can be used to produce bio- products and hydrocarbon fuel, e.g.:
biodiesel by extraction or transestrification;
ethanol by fermentation;
methane by anaerobic digestion of the biomass or methanation of syngas
produced from the biomass; or
hydrogen or other hydrocarbon fuels from gasification/pyrolysis of the biomass and processing of the resulting syngas.
However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the algae biomass 24 is used as follows:
• Biodiesel 26 is produced from the extraction of oil from harvested algae lipids in the biomass.
• Ethanol 28 is produced from carbohydrates of the harvested algae.
• The leftover biomass 30 is used directly as biomass fuel or it is used for animal or pet feed or as a natural fertiliser.
Hydrocarbon fuel (which in the preferred example includes the biodiesel 26 and ethanol 28) is combined with the fuel oil 18 (from the thermal depolymerisation 12) and the combination of fuels is fed to a generator 32 where the fuels are combusted in the production of electricity 34.
Emissions from the generator 32 are passed through a catalytic converter 36 to provide carbon dioxide and water 38, which are combined with any carbon dioxide and water 14 (from the thermal depolymerisation 12) for use in the algae
photosynthesis in the photo-bioreactor 22, rendering the production of electricity as low-carbon, carbon-neutral and/or carbon sequestering.

Claims

A method of consuming organic material (10) and generating electricity (34) in a low carbon cycle, said method comprising:
depolymerising (12) the organic material to produce hydrocarbons (16,18); using at least some of the hydrocarbons (16) from the depolymerisation process (12) as an energy source for the depolymerisation process; using at least some of the hydrocarbons (18) from the depolymerisation process (12) to generate electricity (34) through combustion (32); and consuming carbon dioxide (38) from said combustion (32) of hydrocarbons (18), by algae photosynthesis (22).
A method according to claim 1 , characterized by using at least part of a mass (24) of the algae produced by the algae photosynthesis (22) as fuel for the generation (32) of electricity (34).
A method according to claim 2, characterized by using at least part of said algae mass (24) to produce biomass products (30).
A method according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized by using at least part of said algae mass (24) to produce hydrocarbon fuel (26,28).
A method according to claim 4, characterized by using at least part of said hydrocarbon fuel (26,28) to generate electricity (34) through combustion (32).
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hydrocarbons (18) produced by depolymerising (12) of the organic material, includes long chain hydrocarbons.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hydrocarbons (16) produced by depolymerising (12) of the organic material, includes short chain hydrocarbons.
8. A method according to claim 5, characterized by using any combination of the hydrocarbons (16,18), biomass products (30), and hydrocarbon fuel (26,28) as a combustible energy source.
9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by producing water (38) during the combustion (32) of the hydrocarbons (18) and using said water in the algae photosynthesis (22).
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by producing water (14) during the depolymerisation (12) of the organic material (10) and using said water in the algae photosynthesis (22).
PCT/IB2012/052882 2011-06-28 2012-06-07 Thermal de-polymerisation and algae photosynthesis WO2013001389A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ZA2011/04771 2011-06-28
ZA201104771 2011-06-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2013001389A1 true WO2013001389A1 (en) 2013-01-03

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH03154616A (en) * 1989-11-10 1991-07-02 Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd Recovery and fixation of carbon dioxide
FR2810367A1 (en) * 2000-06-20 2001-12-21 Raymond Tissot Multiple fuel power station uses synthetic and conventional fuels to supply turbine or thermal engine
US20060048920A1 (en) * 2003-02-25 2006-03-09 Donald Helleur Energy reclaiming process
WO2009138746A1 (en) * 2008-05-14 2009-11-19 Aston University Biomass processing
WO2012100093A2 (en) * 2011-01-19 2012-07-26 Algae Aqua-Culture Technology, Inc. Biorefinery system, components therefor, methods of use, and products derived therefrom

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH03154616A (en) * 1989-11-10 1991-07-02 Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd Recovery and fixation of carbon dioxide
FR2810367A1 (en) * 2000-06-20 2001-12-21 Raymond Tissot Multiple fuel power station uses synthetic and conventional fuels to supply turbine or thermal engine
US20060048920A1 (en) * 2003-02-25 2006-03-09 Donald Helleur Energy reclaiming process
WO2009138746A1 (en) * 2008-05-14 2009-11-19 Aston University Biomass processing
WO2012100093A2 (en) * 2011-01-19 2012-07-26 Algae Aqua-Culture Technology, Inc. Biorefinery system, components therefor, methods of use, and products derived therefrom

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