Patents by Inventor Lu-Kwang Ju

Lu-Kwang Ju has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170265468
    Abstract: A biopesticide composition includes a solvent and a plurality of rhamnolipid complexes, each rhamnolipid complex including a rhamnolipid complexed with a cation. The biopesticide composition may include a slower-releasing rhamnolipid-based material and a faster-releasing rhamnolipid-based material. The biopesticide composition may be in the form of a coating or a pellet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Ashwin Sancheti
  • Publication number: 20170175151
    Abstract: A method of preparing a product derived from a rhamnolipid includes the steps of: providing a rhamnolipid, combining the rhamnolipid with a reagent, allowing the rhamnolipid and reagent to react to form a product derived from the rhamnolipid, and collecting the product derived from the rhamnolipid. An exemplary product is dimeric ?-hydroxy fatty acid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Shida Miao
  • Publication number: 20160304925
    Abstract: Improved enzyme based methods of separating protein from protein-rich material are provided. A method can include utilizing a modeling equation to more effectively hydrolyze the various types of carbohydrates present in a protein-rich material. A method can include a fed-batch method of incrementally adding a protein-rich material, an enzyme broth, or both a protein-rich material and an enzyme broth. A method can also include partially or completely recycling the hydrolysate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Patent number: 9468700
    Abstract: A wound dressing comprises a wound dressing substrate including one or more of gas vesicles, rhamnolipids, and sophorolipids. The wound dressing can be fabric-based or hydrogel-based. Methods for producing a wound dressing are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Soroosh Dashtbozorg, Napaporn Vongpanish
  • Publication number: 20160167995
    Abstract: A method for treating an oil-containing medium including oil or grease or both oil and grease includes the steps of combining algae with an oil-containing medium and allowing the algae to engulf or uptake at least a portion of the oil or grease in the oil-containing medium. A mixture for treating oil or grease or both oil and grease includes an oil-containing medium including oil or grease or both oil and grease and phagotrophic algae that engulf or uptake at least a portion of the oil or grease in the oil-containing medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang JU, Majid HUSSEINI
  • Publication number: 20160102007
    Abstract: A method for treating solid organic materials includes providing phagotrophic algae, providing solid organic material, combining the algae and the solid organic material, allowing the algae to grow by engulfing or uptaking the solid organic material, forming an algal product, and collecting the algal product. The method can also include a pretreatment step. The solid organic material can be waste activated sludge. A system for treating and disposing solid organic material is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang JU, Cong LI, Suo XIAO
  • Publication number: 20160090317
    Abstract: Phagotrophic algae are used in connection with aerobic or anaerobic digestion of solids, especially waste activated sludge (WAS), to more efficiently digest solids and to meet, over a shorter period of time, volatile solids standards and specific oxygen uptake rate requirements as well as pathogen reduction requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Hiren K. Trivedi
  • Publication number: 20150336066
    Abstract: A method for encapsulating a material, the steps include choosing a material to encapsulate; placing the material into a material solvent to form a material solution; forming a primary emulsion of the material solution in an immiscible liquid medium that is immiscible with the material solvent, wherein the material solution is the disperse phase and the immiscible liquid medium is the continuous phase of the primary emulsion, wherein the immiscible liquid medium contains an encapsulating agent dissolved therein, the encapsulating agent capable of being crosslinked, polymerized, gelled, hardened or solidified; adding the primary emulsion as droplets into a crosslinking medium, wherein the crosslinking medium is immiscible with the continuous phase immiscible liquid medium of the primary emulsion, and thereafter activating the crosslinking, polymerizing, gelling, hardening or solidifying of the encapsulating agent to envelope the material in a crosslinked, polymerized, gelled, hardened or solidified matrix form
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Uchechukwu Anozie
  • Patent number: 9107949
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to one or more methods of using naturally occurring vesicles as contrasting agents for ultrasound imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Patent number: 9062329
    Abstract: A method for producing arabitol, and more particularly to producing arabitol in a major amount based on a total weight of all polyols produced and in relatively high concentration from a mixture including a carbon source such as glycerol. The method includes in one embodiment utilizing select yeast strains to produce arabitol in high yield while minimizing the amounts of other polyols, using carbon sources such as glycerol as a component in a medium. In a beneficial embodiment, biodiesel byproduct glycerol is used as the substrate for arabitol production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Publication number: 20150118730
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to enzyme based methods for separating protein from protein-rich materials derived from plant seeds, fruit, or other biomass and products made therefrom. The protein content in the resulting products is improved by separating and removing the carbohydrates from around the proteins in, for example, soybean meal. This removal is facilitated by the enzymatic hydrolysis of poly- and oligomeric carbohydrates into monosaccharides and other water soluble sugars. The present invention provides for the production of three streams of useful materials. The first is an enriched protein material comparable to the known SPCs but without significant quantities of undigestible oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. The second is an SPI made from the soluble protein in the hydrolysate which is valuable for high-quality feed, food and industrial uses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Abdullah Loman, Anthony Coffman, Qian Li, Srujana Koganti
  • Publication number: 20150037852
    Abstract: A method for reducing the free fatty acid content of a feedstock includes the steps of providing a free-fatty-acid-containing feedstock, treating the free-fatty-acid-containing feedstock to reduce the free fatty acid content thereof, where the step of treating includes combining at least one of an algae and a coagulant to the free-fatty-acid-containing feedstock, and producing a product from the treated feedstock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Majid Hosseini
  • Publication number: 20140364381
    Abstract: A wound dressing comprises a wound dressing substrate including one or more of gas vesicles, rhamnolipids, and sophorolipids. The wound dressing can be fabric-based or hydrogel-based. Methods for producing a wound dressing are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Soroosh Dashtbozorg, Napaporn Vongpanish
  • Publication number: 20140113138
    Abstract: A method for encapsulating a material comprises the steps of choosing a material to encapsulate; placing the material into a material solvent to form a material solution; forming a primary emulsion of the material solution in an immiscible liquid medium that is immiscible with the material solvent, the material solution serving as the disperse phase and the immiscible liquid medium serving as the continuous phase of the primary emulsion, wherein the immiscible liquid medium contains an encapsulating agent dissolved therein, the encapsulating agent being capable of being crosslinked, polymerized, gelled or otherwise hardened or solidified; adding the primary emulsion as droplets into a crosslinking medium, and thereafter activating the crosslinking, polymerizing, gelling, hardening or solidifying of the encapsulating agent to envelope the material in a crosslinked, polymerized, gelled or otherwise hardened or solidified matrix forming the droplets into beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Uchechukwu Anozie
  • Publication number: 20140038247
    Abstract: A method for increasing the lipid content of algae includes combining algae and a lipid-precipitating addition in a growth-inhibitive medium, the growth-inhibitive medium being deficient in at least one nutrient that is necessary for reproductive growth of algae, thus frustrating algae reproduction, the lipid-precipitating addition selected from hydroxyl-containing compounds and amine-containing compounds. An organic acid addition may also be combined with the lipid-precipitating addition and algae in the growth-inhibitive medium, the organic acid addition including compounds containing carboxylic acid functionality. Direct production of biodiesel is also achieved by the use of particular lipid-precipitating additions and organic acid additions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Cong Li
  • Publication number: 20130116475
    Abstract: A method for producing arabitol, and more particularly to producing arabitol in a major amount based on a total weight of all polyols produced and in relatively high concentration from a mixture including a carbon source such as glycerol. The method includes in one embodiment utilizing select yeast strains to produce arabitol in high yield while minimizing the amounts of other polyols, using carbon sources such as glycerol as a component in a medium. In a beneficial embodiment, biodiesel byproduct glycerol is used as the substrate for arabitol production.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Patent number: 8148108
    Abstract: Various methods for the production of cellulase are disclosed. In one embodiment the method for producing cellulase includes contacting a culture comprising a sophorolipid producer and a cellulase producer with a substrate that is consumed by the sophorolipid producer. In addition, a microorganism culture made from a sophorolipid producer and a cellulase producer is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Publication number: 20110027858
    Abstract: Provided is a method of modifying fungal morphology. The method comprises introducing an amount of a surfactant to a fungus, or to a growing mixture comprising a fungus, wherein said amount of a surfactant is sufficient to induce a change in the morphology of said fungus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: University of Akron
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Narayanan Srinivasan, Nicholas V. Callow
  • Publication number: 20100297714
    Abstract: A multi-step method for producing an algae product comprising, a microorganism consumption step, another step, and an algae product collection step. The microorganism consumption step comprises, combining a liquid growth medium comprising microorganisms with a phagotrophic algae capable of producing a desired algae product, consuming said microorganisms by said phagotrophic algae, and growing said phagotrophic algae. Another step comprises either a microorganism growth step or a photosynthetic algal growth step. A microorganism growth step comprises providing a liquid growth medium comprising nutrients and microorganisms capable of said consuming said nutrients, consuming said nutrients by said microorganisms, and growing said microorganisms. A photosynthetic algal growth step comprises providing a substantially organic nutrient depleted liquid medium, providing a microorganism population comprising said phagotrophic algae, photosynthetic growth of said phagotrophic algae.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: University of Akron
    Inventor: Lu-Kwang Ju
  • Publication number: 20090008325
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to methods for purifying and/or concentrating compounds from or in solutions and/or mixtures. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for purifying and/or concentrating a compound from a solution or mixture. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for purifying/concentrating a compound from a solution or mixture that utilizes, in whole or part, foam purification and/or concentration. In still another embodiment, the present invention can be used to separate, concentrate and/or purify any material, including biological products and/or biomaterials, that can be selectively bound to a binding agent, thereby yielding a complex that will readily partition onto bubble surfaces in a foam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
    Inventors: Lu-Kwang Ju, Qin Zhang