Patent ID: 8323501

Claim:
A method of selectively separating products from a wet algal biomass comprised of intact algal cells, the method comprising: a. combining a wet algal biomass with an about 1:1 by weight isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture, to make a first extraction mixture, wherein the weight of the isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture set is about the same as the weight of the wet algal biomass; b. separating the first extraction mixture into a first liquid fraction comprising proteins and a first biomass fraction; c. combining the first biomass fraction with an about 1:1 by weight isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture to make a second extraction mixture, wherein the weight of the isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture is about the same as the weight of the first biomass fraction; d. separating the second extraction mixture into a second liquid fraction comprising polar lipids and a second biomass fraction; e. combining the second biomass fraction with an about 1:1 by weight isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture to make a third extraction mixture, wherein the weight of the isopropyl alcohol-ethanol mixture is about the same as the weight of the second biomass fraction; f. separating the third extraction mixture into a third liquid fraction comprising neutral lipids and a third biomass fraction, wherein the first liquid fraction has a higher protein concentration than the second and third liquid fractions, the second liquid fraction has a higher polar lipids concentration than the first and third liquid fractions, and the third liquid fraction has a higher neutral lipids concentration than the first and second liquid fractions.