System and method for extracting valuable matter from biomass raw material

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system and a method for extracting valuable matter from a biomass raw material. [Solution] The present invention comprises: a culture device 301 for culturing microorganisms 201; a concentration device 302 for concentrating the cultured microorganisms 201; a solubilization treatment device 303 that subjects concentrated microorganisms 201A which have been concentrated to a hydrothermal solubilization treatment; a filtration device 304 that filters a solubilization treated liquid 211 from the solubilization treatment device 303; a drying device 305 that dries a microorganism filtered product 201B from the filtration device 304 to obtain a microorganism dried product 201C; and an extraction device 306 that extracts, in an extraction solvent 215, a valuable component in the microorganism dried product 201C.

Description

System and method for extracting valuable materials from biomass materials

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials, which extract valuable materials contained in biomass.

[0002] Global resource issues such as energy and food, CO ２ Biomass, such as microorganisms, is attracting attention as a way to solve environmental problems such as increasing emissions and realize a sustainable world. The energy efficiency of microbial production is extremely high compared to other plants and animals. Important issues facing these microorganisms include not only the technology to cultivate them, but also the technology to efficiently and cost-effectively extract valuable components from the various components contained in the cultivated microorganisms.

[0003] To obtain each component contained in a microorganism, a culture solution containing the microorganism is generally concentrated, and then the water content of the concentrate is removed using a drying method such as a dryer or sun exposure to produce dried algae. An extraction solvent is then added to and mixed with the dried algae, and the target component is transferred to the extraction solvent. The algae and the extraction solvent are then separated by filtration or other methods, and the filtrate is then subjected to vacuum distillation, drying, or other methods to remove the extraction solvent, thereby obtaining the target component. Specifically, a conventional method for extracting hydrocarbons from microorganisms involves freeze-drying or heating wet algae removed from a microbial culture solution by filtration or other methods, followed by immersing the dried algae in a solvent such as n-hexane or methanol-chloroform (1:1) to extract hydrocarbons (Phytochemistry, vol. 19, pp. 1081-1085, 1980) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-803

[0005] However, proposals such as those in Patent Document 1 have the problem that drying the concentrated liquid requires a large amount of energy and time, resulting in increased production costs and reduced production efficiency.On the other hand, if the concentrated liquid is not dried or if a raw material from which the concentrated liquid has been insufficiently dried is used, moisture remains in the raw material, preventing the solvent from effectively contacting the raw material, resulting in reduced extraction efficiency.

[0006] Furthermore, when soluble substances are eluted into the culture medium of a cultured microorganism, the efficiency of extraction of valuable substances decreases. Even in such cases, there is a strong demand for a method for efficiently extracting valuable substances from soluble substances.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a system and method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials, which can efficiently extract various components contained in biomass, such as microorganisms, at low cost.

[0008] One embodiment of the system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a culture device for culturing microorganisms; a concentration device for concentrating the cultured microorganisms; a solubilization treatment device for hydrothermal solubilization of the concentrated microorganisms; a filtration device for filtering the solubilization treatment liquid from the solubilization treatment device; a drying device for drying the microbial filtrate from the filtration device to produce a dried microbial material; and an extraction device for extracting valuable material components from the dried microbial material into an extraction solvent.

[0009] Another embodiment of the method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials is characterized by comprising: a microbial culture step of culturing microorganisms; a concentration step of concentrating the cultured microorganisms; a solubilization step of subjecting the concentrated microorganisms to hydrothermal solubilization; a filtration step of filtering the solubilization solution from the solubilization step; a drying step of drying the microbial filtrate from the filtration device to obtain a dried microbial material; and an extraction step of extracting valuable material components from the dried microbial material into an extraction solvent.

[0010] According to the present invention, even if cells are damaged and stressed during the concentration or other process of the culture solution, causing soluble substances to be dissolved in the culture solution, the extraction rate can be improved by performing a hydrothermal treatment after the concentration process and then extracting the cells, compared to drying an undamaged culture solution.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic process diagram of a method for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic process diagram of a method for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which cells in a culture solution have been damaged and soluble substances (DS) have increased. Fig. 6 is a schematic process diagram using an apparatus for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the states before and after cell rupture and after hydrothermal treatment.

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments of this specification, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

[0013] Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of a system for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram of a system for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2A is a schematic process diagram of a method for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to an embodiment. Fig. 2B is a schematic process diagram of a method for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstock according to another embodiment.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1A , a system 200A for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a culture device (hereinafter also referred to as the “culture device”) 301 for culturing microorganisms 201, a concentration device 302 for concentrating the cultured microorganisms 201, a solubilization treatment device 303 for hydrothermal solubilization of the concentrated microorganisms 201A, a filtration device 304 for filtering the solubilization treatment liquid 211 from the solubilization treatment device 303, a drying device 305 for drying the microbial filtrate 201B from the filtration device 304 to obtain a microbial dried material 201C, and an extraction device 306 for extracting valuable material components from the microbial dried material 201C into an extraction solvent 215 to obtain a valuable material solution 201D.

[0015] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1B, a system 200B for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstocks according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that, in addition to the system 200A shown in FIG. 1A, it further includes a valuable material recovery device 307 that recovers valuable materials (e.g., lipids) 214 from the valuable material solution 201D obtained from the extraction device 306.

[0016] In the present invention, microorganisms include, for example, microalgae, bacteria, animal cells, fungi (yeast, mold), etc. Specific examples of such microorganisms include, for example, Chlamydomonas, Nannochloropsis, Botryococcus, Cassia globulus, Lipomyces, etc., but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0017] The lipids, which are valuable materials produced by these microorganisms, are compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. These include fatty acids, neutral fats, triacylglycerols (TAGs), phospholipids, glycolipids, and sterols. In addition to lipids, proteins, sugars, and the like are also valuable materials.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the extraction systems 200A and 200B may have individual components that are independent of each other, or may have a plurality of components that are shared.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1A, a biomass treatment device 204 may be used that performs, within a single device, the functions of a solubilization treatment product filtration device 304 that filters the solubilization treatment liquid 211, which is the solubilized product from the solubilization treatment device 202, a drying device 305 that dries the filtered product (wet cake) 201B obtained by the filtration device 304, and an extraction device 306 that extracts valuable resources 214 from the dried product (dry cake) 201C obtained by the drying device 305 into a solvent (details will be described later).

[0020] Next, the biomass processing process will be described using Figure 2A. As shown in Figure 2A, the method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials of the embodiment includes a microbial culture process (S-11) for culturing microorganisms 201, a concentration process (S-12) for concentrating the cultured microorganisms 201, a solubilization process (S-13) for hydrothermal solubilization of the concentrated microorganisms 201A, a filtration process (S-14) for filtering the solubilization treatment liquid 211 from the solubilization process (S-13), a drying process (S-15) for drying the microbial filtrate 201B from the filtration process (S-14) to obtain a microbial dried product 201C, and a valuable component extraction process (S-16) for extracting valuable components from the microbial dried product 201C into an extraction solvent 215 to obtain a valuable component solution 201D.

[0021] Also, as shown in FIG. 2B, the method may include a valuable resource recovery step (S-17) for recovering valuable resources (lipids) 214 from the valuable resource solution 201D obtained in the extraction step (S-16).

[0022] In the valuable component extraction step (S16), valuable materials (lipids) are extracted using a non-polar solvent (e.g., hexane, etc.). The solubilization treatment device 303 is also called a hydrothermal solubilization treatment device or a soft hydrothermal treatment device (details of which will be described later).

[0023] The culture device 301 is a device for culturing microorganisms, and can be classified into a "closed culture device" that cultures in a sealed container (space) and an "open culture device" that cultures large quantities of microorganisms in an outdoor aquarium (pool). Examples of sealed container culture devices include, but are not limited to, closed photobioreactors made of glass or resin.

[0024] The concentrator 302 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device for concentrating the culture solution cultured in the culture device 301, and examples thereof include a centrifugal separator and a membrane separator (hollow fiber membrane separator, ceramic membrane separator), but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0025] In this concentrator 302, cells in the culture medium may be destroyed, ruptured, or damaged (hereinafter, in this embodiment, collectively referred to as "damaged") during the concentration step (S-12). If the cells are dried in this damaged state, the lipid extraction rate from the dried product after drying decreases. However, surprisingly, even in a damaged state, by performing hydrothermal treatment in the solubilization treatment device 303, the lipid extraction rate was improved compared to when the cells were not damaged.

[0026] Damage to cells in culture fluid is not limited to damage caused by concentrators. Microbial cells can be damaged in the following cases: 1) Damage during transport of the culture fluid using a transport means such as a pump. 2) Damage during compaction during centrifugation using a centrifuge. This is because damage can occur due to pressure even during centrifugation of the culture fluid. 3) Damage due to turbulence when the culture fluid is poured into the centrifuge. 4) Damage due to pressure during membrane concentration when separating the culture fluid through membrane separation, other than centrifugation. This is due to damage caused by pressure when concentrating microorganisms using a membrane (filter). Membrane filtration can be divided into dead-end and cross-flow methods. Cross-flow filtration is less prone to clogging, and the cross-flow method is often used for concentration. In the cross-flow method, concentration is performed while the raw liquid is circulating. 5) Damage during concentration of microorganisms in filtration operations using membranes such as hollow fibers. This is due to cell damage caused by the pressure applied when passing through the hollow fiber membrane. That is, because microorganisms cannot pass through the pores of the membrane, the membrane allows only the solution to pass through, while the microorganisms that do not pass through are concentrated, causing damage during this process. 6) Damage due to storage conditions after culturing microorganisms This is due to damage caused by environmental changes such as temperature during storage. That is, the cells are damaged because they are damaged by temperature changes. For example, when storing culture solution outdoors, the temperature may reach 30°C or higher. Such a temperature rise damages and kills the cells, resulting in cell damage. 7) Damage caused by shear force when stirring the culture solution 8) Damage due to temperature changes when storing the culture solution in a tank This is caused by storing the culture solution in an external tank for a certain period of time after the culture is completed.

[0027] In addition to damage, the greater the heat applied to the microorganisms (algal cells) during the heat treatment during concentration in the centrifuge, the greater the extraction rate of lipids from the algal cells after hydrothermal treatment.

[0028] In the present invention, damage refers to a state in which the structure of the substance covering the cell contents, such as the cell membrane or cell wall, has changed, making the contents more likely to leak out than when the cell is alive. This also includes a state in which the substance covering the cell contents has disappeared and the contents are completely exposed.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which cells in a culture medium are damaged and soluble solids (DS) increase. In FIG. 3, the left side (FIG. 3(A)) is a schematic diagram of the state before cell damage, and the right side (FIG. 3(B)) is a schematic diagram of the state after cell damage. In FIG. 3, the cell concentration (SS) refers to the value obtained by dividing the dry weight (g) remaining on the filter after filtering a cell-containing solution by the volume (L) of the filtered cell-containing solution. The sum of the cell concentration (SS) and the soluble solids (DS) refers to the value (X / Y) obtained by dividing the dry weight (g) remaining after evaporating water from the cell-containing solution by the volume (L) of the cell-containing solution. The soluble solids (DS) refer to the value obtained by dividing the dry weight (g) remaining after evaporating water from the filtrate during SS measurement by the volume (L) of the filtrate, or the value obtained by subtracting SS from TS. Therefore, "damage" refers to cell damage when soluble substances (DS) increase after a process that can cause damage. Also, in the case of a non-concentration process, cell damage is indicated when SS decreases and soluble substances (DS) increase.

[0030] Here, in order to quantify the degree of damage to cells in a concentrated solution, a parameter called "burst rate" will be used for explanation. In the present invention, the "burst rate indicating the burst state of the degree of damage to cells" is derived from the following formula (1). Burst rate = DSc / TSc (1) Here, TSc = TS - stock solution DS In other words, TSc means TS derived from cell components. Also, DSc = DS - stock solution DS In other words, DSc means DS derived from cell components. TS: Total Solid (total solid substance) DS: Dissolved Solid (soluble substance)

[0031] In addition, in order to calculate the burst rate more accurately, it is preferable that the DS of the stock solution matches the concentration of the medium components.

[0032] Furthermore, when water is added during concentration in the concentrator 302, the DS of the concentrate decreases due to the addition of water, and the burst rate of the concentrate cannot be calculated using the above formula (1). Therefore, when water is added to concentrate, the burst rate must be calculated taking into account the decrease in the DS of the concentrate due to the addition of water.

[0033] Here, an example of a method for measuring the cell concentration (SS) will be described. First, a diluted solution of the concentrate concentrated in the concentrator 302 or a solution after hydrothermal treatment is filtered under reduced pressure using a filtration device (e.g., glass fiber filter paper) and washed with distilled water three or more times. The solution is then dried for one hour or more in, for example, a constant-temperature oven with a blower set at 105 to 110°C, and the dry weight (g) of the solid matter remaining on the glass fiber filter paper is measured. This dry weight is then divided by the volume of the filtered solution (L) to obtain the cell concentration (SS).

[0034] An example of a method for measuring total solids (TS) is described below. The concentrated liquid concentrated in concentrator 302 or the liquid after solubilization (hydrothermal treatment) in solubilization treatment device 303 is placed in, for example, an aluminum container and dried for at least one hour in a constant temperature dryer with a constant airflow temperature set at 105 to 110°C, and the dry weight (g) is measured and divided by the amount of solution (L) used for evaporation to obtain the total solids (TS).

[0035] As for the burst rate of the sample, the burst rate of the concentrated liquid used in the test example and comparative examples 1 and 2 was 32%, as will be described later.

[0036] The range of rupture rate that is considered to be damaged is a rupture rate of 1% or more.

[0037] As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 3 (FIG. 3(A)), if the concentration of solids (SS: cells) 401 in the culture solution 400 is 10 parts before damage, then after damage, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 3 (FIG. 3(B)), two parts disappear 41A (the concentration of SS: cells decreases). As a result, the amount of soluble substances (DS) increases. For example, if a culture solution is concentrated at an increased rotation speed in a concentrator to obtain a concentrate, and then the concentrate is dried to extract lipids, the extraction rate of the valuable lipids will be low. In contrast, by performing hydrothermal treatment using the solubilization treatment device 303 and then extracting valuables, as in this embodiment, the extraction rate is actually higher than when the undamaged material is dried.

[0038] <Test Example and Comparative Example> A test example demonstrating the effects of the present invention will be described in comparison with a comparative example. [Test Procedure] Chlamydomonas was cultured using an outdoor closed culture device (a closed glass photobioreactor) installed on the company's premises, and the culture was separated using a separation device to obtain a dried product. This dried product was extracted using hexane as a nonpolar solvent to extract valuable lipids (triacylglycerol: TAG).

[0039] In the test example, concentration was performed using a centrifuge as the concentrator 302, and solubilization treatment was performed in the solubilization treatment device 303. Then, in the biomass treatment device 204 shown in FIG. 4 (described later), the filtration step (S-15) and the drying step (S-15) (temperature: 105 ° C.) were performed in one device to obtain a dried product (dried cake). The solubilization treatment conditions were as follows: concentrated microorganism 201A, which is a concentrated liquid, was subjected to hydrothermal solubilization treatment at 180 ° C. for 1 hour. The centrifuge used for the concentrator was the Mitsubishi Selfjector "SJ-10F (trade name)" manufactured by Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha, Ltd.

[0040] In Comparative Example 1, no solubilization treatment was carried out in the test example.

[0041] In Comparative Example 2, the concentrated solution in the test example was further concentrated using a tabletop centrifuge (Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd., product name "CT6EL"), the supernatant was replaced with distilled water, and the concentrated solution was dried in a dryer, and the hydrothermal solubilization treatment in the test example was not performed.

[0042] In Comparative Example 3, the concentration treatment was carried out using a tabletop centrifugal separator (Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd., product name "CT6EL"), and the concentrate was dried as it was to obtain a dried product.

[0043] The dried product was extracted by the Soxhlet extraction method using hexane as an extraction solvent, and the extraction rate was determined. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0044]

[0045] As shown in Table 1, damage was observed in the cultured cells in the Test Example and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. In contrast, no damage was observed in the cultured cells in the tabletop centrifuge in Comparative Example 3. The extraction rate was 1.65% in this Test Example, compared to 0.32% in Comparative Example 1, 0.34% in Comparative Example 2, and 1.02% in Comparative Example 3. The rupture rate in the Test Example and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was 32%.

[0046] From these results, it was found that even if the material was damaged, valuable lipids could be recovered by hydrothermal treatment, as shown in the test examples, and the highest extraction rate was achieved.

[0047] Figure 6 shows the state of cells before and after damage (rupture) and after hydrothermal treatment. The state of lipids in microorganisms before and after cell damage (rupture) (Figures 6(A) and (B)) and the state of lipids after damage (rupture) and hydrothermal treatment (Figure 6(C)) are shown.

[0048] It is possible that damage (rupture) prevented hexane from contacting the lipids after simple drying. Figure 6(A) shows the state before concentration, in which cells cover lipids 503 with membrane proteins 502 and amphipathic molecules 501, such as phospholipids. For example, if cells are damaged (ruptured) during concentration, as shown in Figure 6(B), the intracellular solution 504 is expelled, and some of the membrane proteins 502 and amphipathic molecules 501, such as phospholipids, adhere to the lipids 503, making it difficult for the lipids to come into contact with the hexane extracting solvent. Furthermore, when solubilization (hydrothermal treatment) is performed, as shown in Figure 6(C), the membrane proteins 502 and amphipathic molecules 501, such as phospholipids, are detached or hydrolyzed, exposing the lipids. This allows the lipids to come into contact with the hexane extracting solvent, enabling successful extraction.

[0049] 1 is composed of a sealed container into which biomass raw materials are placed and sealed, and a means for introducing steam into the sealed container or a means for heating the container. The biomass raw materials are placed into the sealed container, and then the inside of the sealed container is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 120°C to 240°C) for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 to 60 minutes) to perform hydrothermal solubilization.

[0050] In the solubilization treatment device 303, the inside of a sealed container that can withstand high pressure is heated to maintain the temperature inside the sealed container at, for example, 160 to 170°C, and the biomass raw material is modified by thermal hydrolysis (hydrothermal reaction) to improve the water solubilization rate.

[0051] An example of the solubilization treatment device 303 will now be described with reference to FIG. 5. The solubilization treatment device 303 is composed of a preheating section 303A, a reaction section 303B, and a cooling section 303C. As shown in FIG. 5, the concentrated microorganisms 201A from the concentrator 302 are first preheated in the preheating section 303A and then sent to the reaction section 303B where the solubilization treatment is performed. Steam 303a may be introduced into this reaction section 303B to perform the solubilization treatment. The solubilization treatment liquid 211 after the reaction in the reaction section 303B is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the cooling section 303C. The preheating section 303A and the cooling section 303C may be installed as needed.

[0052] The reaction section 303B may be a continuous treatment system using pipes (for example, double or triple reaction tubes), or may be a continuous treatment system using a tank instead of pipes.

[0053] In this embodiment, a filtration step (S14) is carried out inside the biomass treatment device 204 to filter the suspended solubilization treatment liquid 211. This filtration operation is carried out in order to reduce the volume of water in the solubilization treatment liquid 211 solubilized in the solubilization treatment device 202.

[0054] Thereafter, the filtered material (wet cake) 201B obtained in the filtration step (S14) is subjected to a drying treatment in a drying step (S15) inside the biomass treatment device 204. By carrying out this drying step (S15), the moisture content (moisture content) of the filtered material (wet cake) 201B can be further reduced.

[0055] A specific example will be described using a culture solution of microorganisms or the like as the biomass raw material, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The ratio of solids to moisture (solid-liquid ratio) of the wet biomass raw material, which is the solubilization treatment liquid 211 obtained by the solubilization treatment step (S13), is initially, for example, "10 / 90". However, by performing the "filtration step (S14)", the ratio of solids to moisture (solid-liquid ratio) in the filtrate (wet cake) 201B becomes "50 / 50". Then, by performing the "drying step (S15)" on the filtrate (wet cake) 201B, the ratio of moisture (solid-liquid ratio) in the microbial dried product (dried cake) 201C can be "90 / 10". Note that the ratio of moisture (solid-liquid ratio) in the microbial dried product (dried cake) 201C is not limited in the present invention, and can be "90 / 10" or less, such as "95 / 5".

[0056] In this embodiment, by providing this drying step (S15), when the hydrophobic extraction solvent used in the downstream extraction step (S16) is used to extract the substance to be extracted (oil), the affinity with the oil is improved, thereby improving the extraction efficiency of the oil.

[0057] Here, when extracting, for example, "lipids" as the valuable resource 214, the extraction solvent may be a non-polar solvent such as hexane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, or benzene, or an organic solvent such as ethanol, acetone, or ethyl acetate, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0058] The conditions for the drying step (S15) are, for example, 110° C., preferably 60 to 120° C. The extraction conditions for the extraction step (S16) are, for example, 60° C., preferably 30 to 80° C.

[0059] The valuable resource recovery step (S17) in the valuable resource recovery device 307 is performed outside the system of the biomass treatment device 204. In the extraction step (S16), a valuable resource (oil) is extracted using a non-polar solvent, for example, hexane, and then the hexane extract is filtered to remove residue from the extraction solvent.The filtrate is then dried in the valuable resource recovery step (S17), and the valuable resource (oil) 214 that is the extraction target can be obtained.

[0060] Here, the hydrothermal treatment in the solubilization treatment device 202 involves placing the biomass raw material 201 in a sealed container that can withstand high pressure, and while stirring with stirring means such as a stirring blade, heating the biomass raw material (microorganisms) 201 with, for example, a heat transfer heater, an electric heater, a jacket or heat exchanger using steam or oil as a heat medium, microwaves, etc. Therefore, the biomass treatment device 204 is provided with means that can perform these processes.

[0061] In the solubilization treatment device 202, the pressure inside the sealed container is increased by the pressure of the steam generated, causing the temperature of the biomass material 201 to rise above its boiling point at atmospheric pressure while remaining in a liquid state, and the biomass material is subjected to hydrothermal treatment.

[0062] When performing an extraction operation in the biomass processing device 204, the biomass raw material 201 and extraction solvent 215 are placed in a container and extracted while being stirred with a stirring blade. The extraction temperature may be room temperature, heated, or cooled, depending on the components to be extracted. For heating, an electric heater, or a jacket or heat exchanger using hot water, steam, oil, or the like as a heat medium, or microwaves, may be used. For cooling, a jacket or heat exchanger using cold water, an organic solvent, or the like as a refrigerant may be used.

[0063] Here, the steps of the biomass treatment device 204 of this embodiment will be described using Figure 4. In this embodiment of Figure 4, a case will be described in which a biomass treatment device 204 is used that performs, within a single device, a solubilization treatment product filtration step (S14) of filtering the solubilization treatment liquid 211, which is the solubilized product from the solubilization treatment device 202, a drying step (S15) of drying the filtrate (wet cake) 201B obtained in the solubilization treatment product filtration step (S14), and an extraction step (S16) of extracting valuable resources 214 from the dried microbial product (dried cake) 201C obtained in the drying step (S15) into a solvent.

[0064] As shown in Figure 4, the biomass treatment device 204 is composed of a sealed container body 3, an agitator blade 5 installed inside the container body 3 and rotated by an agitator shaft 4, an inlet pipe 36 for introducing the solubilization treatment liquid 211 into the inside, a filter medium 34 for filtering the treated material, and a discharge pipe 35 for discharging the treated material to the outside.

[0065] A solubilized liquid 211 from a hydrothermal solubilization treatment (soft hydrothermal treatment) not shown is introduced into the main body 31 of the biomass treatment device 204 via an introduction pipe 36 as shown in FIG. 4( a ).

[0066] Next, after stirring with the stirring blades 5, a filtration step (S14) is carried out to discharge the liquid portion (filtrate) 212a of the solubilized liquid, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0067] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4(c), a drying step (S15) is carried out in which the filtered product (wet cake) 201B is dried to obtain a dried microbial product (dry cake) 201C.

[0068] Next, as shown in Fig. 4(d), an extraction solvent 215 is introduced into the dried microbial material 201C through an introduction pipe 36. The introduced extraction solvent 215 is stirred and then filtered to obtain a valuable substance dissolved solution 201D.

[0069] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4( e ), this valuable resource dissolving liquid 216 is discharged into a liquid receiving container (not shown) provided outside the biomass treatment device 204 , and the valuable resource recovery step ( S17 ) is carried out.

[0070] In the valuable resource recovery step (S17) in the valuable resource recovery device 307, the extraction solvent 215 is separated and recovered from the valuable resource dissolved solution 201D to obtain a valuable resource (oil) 214. The recovered extraction solvent is reused.

[0071] According to this embodiment, prior to extraction in the extraction step (S16), the solubilization treatment liquid 211 is separated into solid and liquid components in advance in the biomass treatment device 204, and then solvent extraction is performed, thereby significantly reducing the amount of extraction solvent used. In particular, when a water-insoluble extraction solvent is used, thorough mixing of the raw material and extraction solvent during extraction improves extraction efficiency. In addition, separation of the raw material and extraction solvent after extraction is also facilitated, enabling low-cost and efficient extraction.

[0072] According to this embodiment, the solubilization of the biomass raw material, which is the culture solution, is promoted by the solubilization treatment device 202, and then the biomass raw material is treated by the biomass treatment device 204, thereby shortening the filtration time and the overall processing time from the solubilization treatment to the extraction of valuable materials.

[0073] Furthermore, even if cells are stressed and damaged during the concentration of the culture medium, causing soluble substances to leach into the culture medium, the extraction rate can be improved by performing a hydrothermal treatment after the concentration process and then extracting valuable substances, compared to drying undamaged culture medium.

[0074] The present invention is applicable to systems and methods for extracting valuable materials from biomass feedstocks in general.

[0075] 200A, 200B Extraction system 201 Microorganism (biomass raw material) 201A Concentrated microorganism 201B Microorganism filtrate 201C Dried microorganism 201D Valuable material dissolved solution 202 Solubilization treatment device 204 Biomass treatment device 205 Valuable material recovery device 211 Solubilization treatment solution 214 Valuable material 215 Extraction solvent 216 Valuable material dissolved solution 301 Cultivation device 302 Concentration device 303 Solubilization treatment device 304 Filtration device 305 Drying device 306 Extraction device 307 Valuable material recovery device S11 Cultivation step (cultivation step) S12 Microorganism concentration step (concentration step) S13 Microorganism solubilization treatment step (solubilization treatment step) S14 Solubilization treatment solution filtration step (filtration step) S15 Microorganism drying process (drying process) S16 Valuables component extraction process S17 Valuables recovery process

Claims

1. A system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials, comprising: a culture device for culturing microorganisms; a concentration device for concentrating the cultured microorganisms; a solubilization treatment device for hydrothermal solubilization of the concentrated microorganisms; a filtration device for filtering the solubilization treatment liquid from the solubilization treatment device; a drying device for drying the microbial filtrate from the filtration device to produce a dried microbial material; and an extraction device for extracting valuable material components from the dried microbial material into an extraction solvent.

2. The system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 1, further comprising a valuable material recovery device that recovers valuable materials from the valuable material dissolved solution obtained from the extraction device.

3. A system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are damaged and soluble substances in the cells are dissolved in the culture medium.

4. A system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the concentrating device, the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are damaged and soluble substances in the cells are dissolved in the culture solution.

5. A system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are heat treated during concentration.

6. A system for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are heat-treated during concentration in the concentration device.

7. A method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials, comprising: a microbial culture step of culturing microorganisms; a concentration step of concentrating the cultured microorganisms; a solubilization step of hydrothermal solubilization of the concentrated microorganisms; a filtration step of filtering the solubilization liquid from the solubilization step; a drying step of drying the microbial filtrate from the filtration device to obtain a dried microbial material; and an extraction step of extracting valuable material components from the dried microbial material into an extraction solvent.

8. The method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 7, further comprising a valuable material recovery step of recovering valuable materials from the valuable material solution obtained from the extraction step.

9. A method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are damaged and soluble substances in the cells are dissolved in the culture medium.

10. [Replenishment based on Rule 26 06.06.2025] A method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials as described in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that in the concentration process, the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are damaged and soluble substances in the cells are dissolved in the culture medium.

11. [Amendment under Rule 26 06.06.2025] A method for extracting valuable substances from biomass raw materials according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are heat-treated during concentration.

12. [Replenishment under Rule 26 06.06.2025] A method for extracting valuable materials from biomass raw materials according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that in the concentration step, the cells in the concentrated microorganisms are heat-treated during concentration.

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