초록 ▼

The present invention describes a process for the production of ethanol by harvesting starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae to form a biomass, initiating cellular decay of the biomass in a dark and anaerobic environment, fermenting the biomass in the presence of a yeast, and t

The present invention describes a process for the production of ethanol by harvesting starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae to form a biomass, initiating cellular decay of the biomass in a dark and anaerobic environment, fermenting the biomass in the presence of a yeast, and the isolating the ethanol produced. The present invention further relates to processing of the biomass remaining after ethanol production to recovering biodiesel starting materials and/or generation of heat and carbon dioxide via combustion.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A process for forming ethanol from algae, comprising: (a) growing starch-accumulating, filament-forming or colony-forming algae in an aqua culture environment; (b) harvesting the grown algae to form a biomass; (c) placing the biomass in a dark and anaerobic aqua environment t

What is claimed is: 1. A process for forming ethanol from algae, comprising: (a) growing starch-accumulating, filament-forming or colony-forming algae in an aqua culture environment; (b) harvesting the grown algae to form a biomass; (c) placing the biomass in a dark and anaerobic aqua environment to initiate decay of the biomass; (d) contacting the decaying biomass with a yeast capable of fermenting it to form a fermentation solution; and, (e) separating the resulting ethanol from the fermentation reaction. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae is an alga in a phylum selected from Zygnemataceae, Cladophoraceae, Oeologoniales, or a combination thereof. 3. The process of claim 2, wherein the starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae is an alga selected from spirogyra, cladophora, oedogonium, or a combination thereof. 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae is spirogyra. 5. The process of claim 3, wherein the starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae is cladophora. 6. The process of claim 3, wherein the starch-accumulating filament-forming or colony-forming algae is oedogonium. 7. The process of claim 1, wherein the growing forms an algal bloom. 8. The process of claim 1, wherein animal waste is used as a phosphate source in the aqua culture. 9. The process of claim 8, wherein the animal waste is selected from hog waste and chicken waste. 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the aqua culture is open to atmospheric conditions. 11. The process of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide level in the aqua culture is raised above atmospheric levels by the external addition of carbon dioxide. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein the yeast is selected from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces uvarum. 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 14. The process of claim 1, wherein the yeast is Saccharomyces uvarum. 15. The process of claim 1, wherein the separating is started once the level of ethanol in the fermentation solution is about 14-17% by volume. 16. The process of claim 1, further comprising: (f) collecting the carbon dioxide generated during fermentation. 17. The process of claim 16, further comprising: (g) supplying the collected the carbon dioxide to the aqua culture.