Systems and methods for extracting lipids from and dehydrating wet algal biomass

摘要

Exemplary methods include centrifuging a wet algal biomass to increase a solid content of the wet algal biomass to between approximately 10% and 40% to result in a centrifuged algal biomass, mixing the centrifuged algal biomass with an amphiphilic solvent to result in a mixture, heating the mixture to result in a dehydrated, defatted algal biomass, separating the amphiphilic solvent from the dehydrated, defatted algal biomass to result in amphiphilic solvent, water and lipids, evaporating the amphiphilic solvent from the water and the lipids, and separating the water from the lipids. The amphiphilic solvent may be selected from a group consisting of acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanone, dimethyl ether, and propionaldehyde. Other exemplary methods include filtering a wet algal biomass through a membrane to increase a solid content of the wet algal biomass to between approximately 10% and 40% to result in a filtered algal biomass.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
mixing algal biomass with an amphiphilic solvent; separating the amphiphilic solvent from algal solids, or from any part of the algal biomass not dissolved in the amphiphilic solvent, to result in amphiphilic solvent, water and lipids; evaporating most or substantially all of the amphiphilic solvent from the water and the lipids, to result in a mixture of the water and the lipids; and separating the lipids from the mixture.