Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100200498 | Process for Maximizing PHA Production in Glycogen Accumulating Organisms - A process is provided for increasing the production of PHA in a mixed culture biomass. In a first stage of the process, organic material associated with a substrate is converted to volatile fatty acids. In the case of a wastewater treatment process, if the wastewater includes sufficient volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to support the process, then it is unnecessary to convert organic material to VFAs. In a second stage of the process, an anaerobic-aerobic selection process is utilized to select glycogen accumulating organisms that cause these organisms to proliferate and dominate the open mixed culture biomass. By providing relatively high organic loading in the form of VFAs in the anaerobic treatment phase of the selection process, glycogen accumulating organisms having a relatively high level of stored glycogen are produced. In a third stage, the PHA accumulation process is practiced where the glycogen rich organisms are fed VFAs under anaerobic or aerobic conditions or combinations thereof. Through the consumption of externally supplied VFAs and internally stored glycogen, relatively high levels of PHA in the biomass are produced. Thereafter PHA is separated from the residual biomass. | 08-12-2010 |
20120305478 | Method of Treating Wastewater and Producing an Activated Sludge Having a High Biopolymer Production Potential - A method or process is provided for treating wastewater and producing a polyhydroxyalkanote (PHA)-storing biomass. The method or process entails biologically treating wastewater and in one process a filamentous biomass is selected and caused to proliferate so as to dominate an activated sludge. The filamentous biomass is utilized to treat the wastewater and to remove contaminants therefrom. As a part of this process, there is provided an enhancement for PHA production potential in the said biomass. This entails enhancing the PHA production potential of the filamentous biomass by subjecting the biomass to alternating feast and famine conditions where under feast conditions more biodegradable organic substrate is available to the filamentous biomass than under famine conditions. In another process, wastewater is treated with an activated sludge. The wastewater is treated in a main stream and as a part of the process, the activated sludge and biomass contained therein is concentrated and directed to a side stream. In the side stream, at least a portion of the enhancement for PHA production potential in the biomass from the process is carried out. In one particular process, the activated sludge and the biomass contained therein is concentrated by a separator and the concentrated biomass is directed to a side stream and subjected to famine conditions. | 12-06-2012 |
20130029388 | Method for Accumulation of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Biomass with On-Line Monitoring for Feed Rate Control and Process Termination - A method or process for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in biomass. The process entails feeding an organic carbon containing substrate to biomass enriched in PHA accumulating bacteria. Particularly the process entails intermittently supplying the substrate to the biomass at least three separate times over a selected period. The object of the process is to produce PHA having a relatively high molecular weight, at least 400,000 g/mole. By controlling the frequency at which the substrate is supplied to the biomass and by feeding a sufficient amount of the substrate to the biomass, the method or process produces the PHA having the relatively high molecular weight. | 01-31-2013 |
20130199997 | Method of Treating Municipal Wastewater and Producing Biomass with Biopolymer Production Potential - A method of biologically treating wastewater and removing contaminants from the wastewater is disclosed. In the course of treating the wastewater, biomass is produced. In addition to removing contaminants from the wastewater, the process or method of the present invention entails enhancing the PHA accumulation potential of the biomass. Disclosed are a number of processes that are employed in a biological wastewater treatment system for enhancing PHA accumulation potential. For example, enhanced PHA accumulation potential is realized by exposing the biomass to feast and famine conditions and, after exposing the biomass to famine conditions, stimulating the biomass into a period of feast by exposing the biomass to feast conditions for a selected period of time by applying an average peak stimulating RBCOD feeding rate of greater than 5 mg-COD\L\MIN in combination with an average peak specific RBCOD feeding rate greater than 0.5 mg-COD\g-VSS\MIN. In another example, the PHA accumulation potential of the biomass is enhanced by subjecting the biomass to feast conditions that cause the biomass to reach a peak respiration rate that is at least 40% of the extant maximum respiration rate of the biomass. Other processes are discussed that can contribute to enhancing PHA accumulation potential of biomass. | 08-08-2013 |
20130203954 | Method for Recovery of Stabilized Polyhydroxyalkanoates from Biomass that has been used to Treat Organic Waste - The invention is directed to a method of increasing the chemical and/or thermal stability of PHA in biomass where the biomass is contained within mixed liquor, and wherein the mixed liquor is treated by a combination of removing water from the mixed liquor and pH adjustment of the mixed liquor or maintenance of the pH of the mixed liquor within a selected pH range, and wherein the method includes reducing the pH of the mixed liquor below 6, or maintaining the pH of the mixed liquor below 6 for a selected period of time, and wherein the pH adjustment of the mixed liquor to below 6 or the maintenance of the pH of the mixed liquor below 6 gives rise to an increase in chemical and/or thermal stability of the PHA in the biomass. | 08-08-2013 |
20150291768 | METHOD OF PRODUCING POLYHYDROXYALKANOATE COMPOUNDED PLASTICS HAVING IMPROVED MECHANICAL PROPERTIES - A method of enhancing mechanical properties of compounds formed with polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) recovered by biomass where the biomass comprises PHA and non-PHA materials. The method includes dissolving the PHA and non-PHA materials in a solution and separating the PHA and non-PHA materials from the solution. Further, the method includes compounding the separated PHA material and at least some of the separated non-PHA material into a compounded plastic having improved mechanical properties. | 10-15-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100090876 | CONTINUOUS SYNCHRONIZATION FOR MULTIPLE ADCS - A system, apparatus and method for continuous synchronization of multiple ADC circuits is described. The ADC circuits can be arranged in a master-slave configuration within the system so that the converter clock is subdivided into slower speeds for the data output clock or for the control of de-multiplexing the outputs onto a wider bus, while maintaining ADC-to-ADC synchronization resilient to perturbations from noise and other upset sources. The configuration of the ADCs in the master-slave configuration can be varied according to overall system requirements in any one of a sequential configuration, a parallel configuration or a tree type of configuration, as well as others. Digital and/or analog timing adjustments can be made to each of the ADC circuits. The master clocking signals can be generated by a master clock generator circuit, which is either internally implemented in an ADC circuit, or externally implemented as a separate master clock generator circuit. | 04-15-2010 |
20100201559 | Continuous synchronization for multiple ADCs - A system, apparatus and method for continuous synchronization of multiple ADC circuits is described. The ADC circuits can be arranged in a master-slave configuration within the system so that the converter clock is subdivided into slower speeds for the data output clock or for the control of de-multiplexing the outputs onto a wider bus, while maintaining ADC-to-ADC synchronization resilient to perturbations from noise and other upset sources. The configuration of the ADCs in the master-slave configuration can be varied according to overall system requirements in any one of a sequential configuration, a parallel configuration or a tree type of configuration, as well as others. Digital and/or analog timing adjustments can be made to each of the ADC circuits. The master clocking signals can be generated by a master clock generator circuit, which is either internally implemented in an ADC circuit, or externally implemented as a separate master clock generator circuit. | 08-12-2010 |