United States Patent Application: 0110065157
We won't be able to explain it well, but, as one among our number here can personally attest, the major Coal Country corporate citizen, with headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, and a couple of industrial manufacturing sites in West Virginia, the well-known Bayer Corporation, strives to maintain, as components of its company culture, a sense of mission centered on social responsibility, coupled with a drive for competitiveness based on that socially-responsible sense of mission.
Again, we can't explain it in polished words like Bayer would want and could, and we certainly can't speak for them. But, as a function of their corporate culture, they try, in some respects, to "look ahead", to get a sense for where the world is headed, perceive what needs might arise, and, then, develop products and technologies that can fulfill those needs before those needs are even upon us.They used to look for those opportunities that were so attractive, that, once they demonstrated through their technical developments that certain things could be achieved, other companies would see them, realize the potentials and value, and want to get involved using products, usually raw materials, provided by Bayer.
It was a tactic they at least used to call "Pull-through Marketing". And, it worked.
Briefly, as one example which might resonate among some of our readers in the Coal community, Bayer introduced the technology for rock strata consolidation with polyurethane grout to the American Coal mining industry. Some of our readers on the West Virginia Coal Association's web site will be familiar with the process, and with the "glue men" who work with it. We don't want to go into great detail about it, but:
In Europe, specifically Germany, where Bayer's world headquarters are located, they long ago mined out the seams of Coal that were "easy". Coal was still essential, but they had to not only go deeper, into much more difficult geologic terrain, to get it, they also had to maximize the amount of it they could extract to make the whole effort even halfway worthwhile.
Those factors were in part behind Europe's development of the "longwall" mining technique, which is able to extract a larger percentage of the Coal in place than the traditional "room and pillar" process, and which is now fairly common in the United States, as well.
Longwall mining brings with it, though, some rather special challenges related to what is technically known as "ground control"; which, for the non-miners among our audience, pertains, basically, to how you keep the danged rocks from falling on your noggin while you're taking out the Coal that holds the rocks up.
Since, with longwall mining, you're able to extract more of the Coal; that means more of the rocks that the Coal once supported want to fall on your noggin.
Bayer, in concert with German government and the German mining industry researchers, developed the technology for injecting the broken overhead rock in underground Coal mines with the liquid components of polyurethane plastic foam, that is, the same sort of stuff, basically, you likely have your butt planted on, in the cushion of your chair, while you're reading this, only a version that's much more rigid and a lot stronger. The liquids mix and react as they fill the cracks in the rock, foaming and expanding a bit as they react, thus filling more of the cracks, and getting "sticky"; then, quickly "setting", or curing, into a solid mass of plastic and plastic foam that usually does a pretty good job of holding things together, keeping the mine roof safely in place.
And, well before much of the American Coal mining industry had ventured into deeper, more difficult seams and well before longwall mining became fairly commonplace, but, perceiving that those would be future American mining eventualities, Bayer introduced polyurethane rock strata consolidation to the US Coal mining industry.
If interested, have a look at:
CDC Stacks | Reinforcing Coal Mine Roof with Polyurethane Injection: 4 Case Studies - 10016 | NIOSH
"23rd International Conference on Ground Control in Mining; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA, August 3–5, 2004; 'Evaluation Of Polyurethane Injection for Beltway Roof Stabilization in a West Virginia Coal Mine'; Gregory M. Molinda, Research Geologist; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Polyurethane injection for ground stabilization in coal mines was first developed by the German coal mine research organization Bergbau-Forschung GmbH in the early 1960’s (Stewart and Hesse,1985). It became a standard stabilization method in Germany since its commercial introduction in 1971 (Knoblauch, 1994). With the introduction of the RokLok binder system in 1977 (by Bayer Corporation), polyurethane stabilization, particularly in longwall recovery, has become common in the U.S. (Stewart and Hesse, 1985). Polyurethane injection in coal mines is most commonly used in difficult ground conditions including fractured rock in headgates and tailgates, and as a stabilization remedy to prevent longwall face caving. It may also be used as a replacement for roof meshing in shield recovery, and as a sealant to prevent groundwater inflow".
In any case, in similar forward-thinking fashion, Bayer has taken it upon themselves to begin introducing the concept of, and developing the technologies for, utilizing CO2 - - as it arises in only a small way, relative to natural sources of emission, such as the Earth's inexorable processes of planetary volcanism, from our essential use of Coal in the generation of genuinely abundant and truly affordable electric power - - as a valuable raw material, almost an "ore", as it were, from which a wide array of valuable organic compounds can be refined and synthesized.
See, for instance, the fairly recent Bayer Corporation article in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Bayer Reveals "Hidden Value" of Coal: Carbon Dioxide | Research & Development; "'CO2 as New Carbon Source for Chemical Industry'; March 27, 2012; Hidden Value - If one thinks about coal-fired power plants, what is it that comes first into one's mind? The picture of high-value starting materials or rather the picture of low value carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions?
Advanced research shows that it (CO2) could be used as new source of carbon - thus replacing at least partially crude oil from which the element is normally extracted. ... Replacing petroleum as product feedstock is ... ongoing research. The chemical industry is looking for realistic alternatives, for example biomass, coal or gas. ... How about CO2?"
And, Bayer affirmed their "ongoing research" goals in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Bayer Corporation Promotes Carbon Dioxide Recycling | Research & Development; concerning: "The Bayer Scientific Magazine; 'Three atoms for a clean future: CO2 destined to become a valuable raw material for innovative substances. Oil is becoming increasingly scarce, and carbon dioxide an ever greater problem for the world’s climate. For this reason, chemists are constantly on the lookout for new ways to replace fossil raw materials and make good use of the greenhouse gas. Together with a group of partners, Bayer researchers are making good progress in this direction, and have found a way to incorporate CO2 into the molecular structure of polyurethanes, thus saving oil. ... CO2 can be incorporated into the polyols that serve as raw materials for the production of (polyurethanes)".
More than that, they are, in Europe, reducing those goals to practice, as we reported in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Bayer Is Converting Coal Power Plant CO2 Into Plastics | Research & Development; concerning: "'Bayer Material Science CO2-to-Plastics Pilot Plant, Germany'; In February 2011, Bayer MaterialScience started a new pilot plant (in the) North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany for producing plastics from carbon dioxide (CO2). It will be used to develop polyurethanes from the waste gas released during power generation".
Bayer's technology involves the direct chemical utilization of Carbon Dioxide; and, as a corporation, even though they have divisions devoted to both human and animal health and medicine, they don't really seem to be involved in what we might think of as "biotechnology", as perhaps exemplified in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | California Bugs Convert CO2 into Methane | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20110171711 - Methods and Compositions for Production of Methane Gas; 2011; Inventor: Daniel E. Koshland, Jr.; (Presumed eventual Assignee of Rights: University of California, Berkeley); Abstract: The present invention provides methods and compositions for sustained methane production from atmospheric CO2 and solar energy from the sun. In general the methods involve culturing cyanobacteria in a first culture vessel and collecting and diverting the photosynthesis products, including glucose or acetic acid, to a second culture vessel including methanogenic bacteria. The photosynthesis products are then used as nutrients by the methanogenic bacteria in the second culture vessel in the production of methane. The methane produced is subsequently collected and used as a clean energy source. The invention also features compositions, including genetically modified cyanobacteria and systems for use in the methods of the invention".
Note, however, in the above Abstract of "United States Patent Application 20110171711", the need for "culture vessel"s for "culturing" photosynthetic "cynanobacteria", aka Blue-Green Algae, which serve in the total process of converting Carbon Dioxide into Methane. Which "culture vessel", presumably, would need to be not only strong, but transparent to the solar light spectrum, so as to enable the photosynthetic conversion of Carbon Dioxide into, ultimately, Methane.
It wouldn't hurt if, unlike glass, the material those vessels were composed of was tough, resistant to impact and breakage, and easily molded or formed into large shapes, as well.
And, as we see herein, via excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch, Bayer is guiding the way, pulling us through, providing a product technology for which the need hasn't yet been fully, publicly acknowledged:
"United States Patent Application 20110065157 - Photobioreactor for Algae Growth
Patent US20110065157 - PHOTOBIOREACTOR FOR ALGAE GROWTH - Google Patents
PHOTOBIOREACTOR FOR ALGAE GROWTH - Gorny, Rudiger
Date: March, 2011
Inventors: Rudiger Gorny, et. al., Pennsylvania and Germany
(Note: As we've many times acknowledged, early, web-accessible versions of United States Patent Applications most often do not name the eventual Assignee of Rights to the invention, if different from the inventor or inventors. However, as can be learned from supplemental US Patent Office utilities, via:
USPTO Assignments on the Web; the rights to any US Patent arising from our subject, "United States Patent Application 20110065157", will be divided between Bayer Material Science, LLC, Pittsburgh, and Bayer Material Science AG, Germany; which is reflective of Bayer's internal division of responsibilities for international marketing and sales. Further, other web-accessible references indicate that all the named inventors are employees of Bayer, either in the Pittsburgh, PA, area, or in Germany.)
Abstract: The present invention provides a flow-through photobioreactor containing at least one thermoplastic multi-wall sheet having an upper layer and a lower layer having arranged there between at least two sidewalls, at least one inner wall and two or more end caps. Also provided is a process for the production of a biofuel with the inventive photobioreactor. The photobioreactor and process of the present invention have the following advantages: genetically engineered microbes that give higher yields cannot escape into the environment, water in the system does not evaporate, no weeding (presence of unwanted algae), UV light from the sun is filtered out by the reactor walls, temperature control is possible (and:)
CO2 from power plants ... can be artificially fed to increase yield.
The inventive photobioreactor is also less expensive to build than pipe reactors and may have low energy costs to operate, because little or no energy is needed for agitation and pumping in a preferred gravity assisted embodiment.
Claims: A flow-through photobioreactor comprising at least one thermoplastic multi-wall sheet having an upper layer and a lower layer having arranged there between at least two sidewalls, at least one inner wall and two or more end caps (and) wherein the upper layer and the lower layer are each made of one material independently selected from ... transparent or translucent polycarbonate, ... thermoplastic polyurethane and transparent or translucent blends thereof.The flow-through photobioreactor ... wherein the inner cap layer is made of a member selected from the group consisting of co-polycarbonate ... thermoplastic polyurethane, transparent or translucent blends thereof and clearcoats (and) further including an algae reservoir attached to the thermoplastic multi-wall sheet.
(Much of the Claims section is given over to description of the photobioreactor design, which is obviously intended to maximize exposure of the Algae to sunlight and nutrient flows, and, thus, production.)
The flow-through photobioreactor ... wherein the upper layer of the thermoplastic multi-wall sheet has a light transmission of greater than 70% (to) greater than 87%.
A process for the production of a biofuel comprising: flowing an algae solution into a flow-through photobiorcactor (as described); exposing the algae solution to sunlight; harvesting the algae; drying the algae; extracting oil from the dried algae; and converting the oil to a biofuel.
The process ... wherein the biofuel is selected from the group consisting of biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, and biobutanol.
(In honesty, we haven't yet seen a published report of technology wherein Algae are made capable of directly producing such a thing as "biogasoline". But, if Bayer used the term herein, it's probably out there, somewhere. We'll look for it. However, "biobutanol" is a fuel alcohol that has an energy density which, unlike ethanol or methanol, is pretty close to that of Gasoline; and, which has other physical characteristics that make it beneficial for use in automotive fuel systems, even as a direct replacement for Gasoline. See:
West Virginia Coal Association | Algae Recycle More CO2 and Produce Butanol | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20110177571 - Designer Calvin-Cycle-Channeled Production of Butanol; 2011; Inventor: James Weifu Lee; (Potential Assignees of Rights: USDOE/Johns Hopkins University); Abstract: Designer Calvin-cycle-channeled and photosynthetic ... pathways, the associated designer genes and designer transgenic photosynthetic organisms for photobiological production of butanol and related higher alcohols from carbon dioxide and water".)
Background and Field: The present invention relates in general to microbe growth and more specifically to a multi-wall thermoplastic, flow-through photobiorcactor for cultivation of algae for the production of biofuel.Due to the ever escalating price of petroleum and the increasing competition between foods and other biofuel sources, there is a greater interest in algaculture (farming algae) for making biofuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, and biobutanol. One proposed benefit from the production of biofuels from algae lies in helping to stabilize the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at its present level because during photosynthesis, algae and other photosynthetic organisms capture carbon dioxide and sunlight and convert those into oxygen and biomass.
As those skilled in the art are aware, there are two basic processes used to grow microbes such as algae and/or bacteria, in large amounts e.g. for the biodiesel generation. One process is to use open ponds and the other is to use closed reactors.
The open pond process has the advantages of being easy to build and operate; having low energy costs to operate; providing for easy cleaning of the reactor; and the microbes use CO2 from the environment. However, the open pond method has certain disadvantages including that genetically engineered microbes may not be used due to governmental regulations; water evaporates and thus must be replenished; the microbe culture is susceptible to contamination by other microbes that will result in lower yields; UV light from the sun kills microbes; it is difficult to control the temperature; and artificially feeding microbes with CO2 for higher yields is difficult. (We have previously discussed the trade-offs between using open ponds and, as herein, closed systems, to biologically recycle Carbon Dioxide in US Coal Country. One word explains why the closed bioreactors are better: Winter. Further, as we have, we believe, earlier documented, but, as we will in the future further document, sunlight collection and distribution systems, based on optical fibers in some cases, have been developed to ensure that adequate sunlight is distributed throughout the bioreactor to reach all of the Algae; a function which Bayer seems to accomplish herein through a gravity-based circulation process. Further, it has also been elsewhere suggested that waste power plant heat could be utilized to keep the critters warm and productive during the colder months.)
Closed bioreactors have the advantages that genetically engineered microbes that give higher yields cannot escape into the environment, the water in the system does not evaporate, lack of contamination by other microbes, UV light from the sun that kills microbes can be filtered out by the reactor walls, temperature control, although still difficult, can be manageable; and CO2, from power plants, breweries, etc. can be artificially fed to increase yield.
Closed bioreactors too have disadvantages, such as being expensive to build; having higher energy costs to operate; bag reactors need less energy than pipe reactors that require the microbe solution to be pumped through the pipes; pipe reactors with high diameters need high turbulent flow to expose all algae to sunlight which results in high energy needs; pipe reactors with high diameters need high wall thicknesses which lowers the light transmission; and CO2 needs to be artificially fed.
Thus, there continues to exist a need in the art for photobioreactors for algae growth (e.g. for biofuel generation) that are less expensive to set up and to operate than conventional pipe reactors and which give high algae yields.
Summary: Accordingly, the present invention provides such a photobioreactor. The inventive flow-through photobioreactor contains at least one thermoplastic multi-wall sheet having an upper layer and a lower layer having arranged there between at least two sidewalls, at least one inner wall and two or more end caps. Also provided is a process for the production of a biofuel with the inventive flow-through photobioreactor involving flowing an algae solution into a photobioreactor containing at least one thermoplastic multi-wall sheet having an upper layer and a lower layer having arranged there between at least two sidewalls, at least one inner wall and two or more end caps, exposing the algae solution to sunlight, harvesting oil from the algae and converting the oil to a biofuel.The flow-through photobioreactor and process of the present invention have the following advantages: genetically engineered microbes that give higher yields cannot escape into the environment, water in the system does not evaporate, no weeding (presence of unwanted algae), UV light from the sun is filtered out by the reactor walls, temperature control is possible, and CO2 from power plants, breweries, etc. can be artificially fed to increase yield. The inventive photobioreactor is also less expensive to build than pipe reactors and may have low energy costs to operate, because little or no energy is needed for agitation and pumping in a gravity assisted embodiment."
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We headlined our report "Bayer Corporation Converts CO2 into 'Biogasoline'", since, let's face it, the "gasoline" part of it is a hot button. But, don't lose sight of the fact that the Bayer technology disclosed herein would also help to enable, as Bayer specifies, the conversion of Carbon Dioxide into, as they allude to in their discussion of Background, "biomethanol" and "bioethanol", and, we remind you of a recent report:
West Virginia Coal Association | Ethane Cracker Realities | Research & Development; which included reference to: "United States Patent 4,247,731 - Manufacture of Lower Alkenes from Methanol and Dimethyl Ether; 1981; Inventor: Friedrich Wunder, et. al., Germany; Assignee: Hoechst AG, Frankfurt; Abstract: Lower alkenes, especially ethylene, are produced from methanol and/or dimethyl ether in the presence of aluminum silicate catalysts containing manganese";
with which we began to further document the fact, that, once we have something like "methanol", or, as Bayer herein seems to prefer, "biomethanol", made one way or another from Carbon Dioxide, that Methanol can be used and consumed in the synthesis of various plastics - - high-value and high-volume plastics, wherein the Carbon Dioxide consumed in the synthesis of the Methanol would be productively, profitably, and permanently, "sequestered".
We rather expect, that, given all of the above, we will be hearing more from Bayer regarding such productive use, via multiple routes, whether artificial or biological, of Carbon Dioxide; and, we will do our best to keep you apprised of any future developments.
Nonetheless, it is already demonstrated, once again, that:
Carbon Dioxide, as it is generated from a wide variety of human enterprises and natural processes, is a valuable, perhaps even a precious, raw material resource. As a truly major, and truly astute, multinational science-based corporation, Bayer, herein explains, we can reclaim Carbon Dioxide, from whatever handy source, and, then, using the biochemical "leverage" of microorganisms, convert that CO2 into such seemingly-desirable things as "biogasoline".