US 11,891,646 B2
Bioprocess and microbe engineering for total carbon utilization in biofuel production
Gregory Stephanopoulos, Winchester, MA (US)
Assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Oct. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/074,682.
Application 17/074,682 is a division of application No. 13/007,325, filed on Jan. 14, 2011, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/295,302, filed on Jan. 15, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2021/0214756 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. C12P 7/649 (2022.01); C12P 7/6463 (2022.01); C12P 7/10 (2006.01); C12P 7/54 (2006.01); C12P 7/16 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC C12P 7/649 (2013.01) [C12M 23/58 (2013.01); C12M 43/00 (2013.01); C12P 7/10 (2013.01); C12P 7/16 (2013.01); C12P 7/54 (2013.01); C12P 7/6463 (2013.01); Y02E 50/10 (2013.01); Y02E 50/30 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising
(a) culturing in a liquid medium a first organism in the presence of a carbon source under aerobic conditions suitable for the first organism to oxidize the carbon source, wherein the conditions are oxidizing conditions, wherein the first organism produces CO2 as part of the oxidation process; and
(b) culturing in a liquid medium a second organism in the presence of CO2 produced in (a) under anaerobic conditions suitable for the second organism to reduce the CO2, wherein the conditions are reducing conditions, wherein the second organism produces a carbon substrate as part of the reduction process;
wherein the culturing of (a) and of (b) is carried out in separate fermenters; and
wherein the carbon substrate produced in (b) is used as a carbon source by the organism of (a).
 
11. A method of producing lipids comprising:
providing CO2 to a first organism in an anaerobic fermentor, wherein the first organism converts the CO2 to a carbon substrate;
removing the carbon substrate from the anaerobic fermentor; and
providing the carbon substrate to a second organism in an aerobic fermentor, wherein the second organism converts the carbon substrate to a lipid or a precursor thereof and CO2;
wherein the anaerobic fermentor and the aerobic fermentor are separate fermentors.