EPA omega-3 production from biodiesel waste glycerol
This technology uses a microorganism called Pythium (a mold-like organism) to convert crude glycerol — a low-value waste byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing — into EPA, a high-value omega-3 fatty acid used in dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, and aquaculture feed. The crude glycerol is first treated to strip out contaminants like soap and methanol, then fed to Pythium cultures as their primary food source. The microorganism converts this cheap waste stream into a fatty-acid-rich biomass that can be harvested for EPA. This creates a potential revenue stream from what would otherwise be a disposal problem for biodiesel producers.
What you could build
A fermentation-based EPA production process sold or licensed to biodiesel producers or nutraceutical/aquaculture ingredient companies seeking a cost-advantaged, non-fish-derived omega-3 supply; buyers would be specialty lipid ingredient manufacturers or vertically integrated biodiesel companies looking to monetize waste streams.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia biodiesel producers and agricultural bioprocessing companies, as well as aquaculture feed ingredient suppliers operating in the Chesapeake Bay region, would have direct interest in this waste-valorization approach.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Zhiyou Wen, Sneha Athalye
- Granted
- June 19, 2012
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 8202713
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.