Patent ID: 8101387
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: C12M,C12P,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A process for the production of a liquid product from a gas feed comprising at least one of CO, and CO2 and H2 by its partial consumption by microorganisms as it passes serially through groups of conversion modules to produce a liquid product comprising at least one of ethanol, butanol, hexanol, acetic acid, butyric acid, and combinations thereof, wherein the process comprises: a. passing a feed gas in parallel flow at a first volumetric rate and a first gas flow velocity to a first group of modules comprising membrane elements wherein each module defines a uniform gas flow area to collectively provide a first gas flow area for contacting the feed gas with a gas contact surface therein to convert a portion of the gas feed to a liquid product by contact with microorganisms; b. passing a first stream of liquid media to a first liquid contact surface defined by the membrane elements of said first group of modules to recover the liquid product from the liquid contact surface; c. recovering the remainder of feed gas from the first gas flow area as a first effluent gas; d. passing at least a portion of the first effluent gas at a second volumetric flow rate and a second gas flow velocity to a group of second modules comprising membrane elements wherein each module defines the same uniform gas flow area as each module in the first group of modules to collectively provide a second gas flow area for contacting the feed gas with a gas contact surface therein to convert an additional portion of the feed gas to the liquid product by contact with microorganisms wherein first group of modules contains more modules than the second group of modules, and the second volumetric rate is less than the first volumetric rate; and, e. passing a second stream of liquid media to a liquid contact surface defined by the membrane elements of said second group of modules to recover the liquid product from the second liquid contact surface.