Process for treating lignocellulosic feedstock comprising wet oxidation

• US 10,421,667 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Original Assignee: Iogen Corporation
• Inventors: Foody, Patrick J., Foody, Brian, Dechman, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Underdahl, Thane
• Application Number:
  US15/550,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20180029896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/164 Ammonium chloride
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/24 Sulfates of ammonium C01C1/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C01D 5/00 Sulfates or sulfites of sodium, potassium or alkali metals in general sulfites in general C01B17/62
• CPC Class Codes: C01D 5/04 Preparation of sulfates with the aid of sulfurous acid or sulfites, e.g. Hargreaves process pyrosulfites or metabisulfites C01D5/145
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 3/00 Fertilisers containing other salts of ammonia or ammonia itself, e.g. gas liquor
• CPC Class Codes: C05D 1/02 Manufacture from potassium chloride or sulfate or double or mixed salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 17/10 Addition or removal of substances other than water or air to or from the material during the treatment for activating or stimulating the treatment C05F17/20
• CPC Class Codes: C07G 1/00 Lignin; Lignin derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C12F 3/00 Recovery of by-products
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/02 Monosaccharides 2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/14 produced by the action of a carbohydrase (EC 3.2.x), e.g. by alpha-amylase , e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2201/00 Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2203/00 Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/023 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/22 aromatic
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/40 : Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Abstract

A process for producing one or more products from a lignocellulosic feedstock comprising treating the lignocellulosic feedstock to produce sugar in one or more stages comprising addition of acid, base or a combination thereof and introduction of heat. The addition of the acid, base, or a combination thereof produces a salt. The sugar is fermented to produce a fermentation product and the fermentation product is recovered. A stream comprising the salt is treated by wet oxidation with the introduction of heat. A stream comprising salt resulting from the wet oxidation is provided for use as a salt product or a process chemical for introduction within the process. Heat from the wet oxidation may be supplied to any stage of the process in which heat is introduced.

Claims

1. A process for producing one or more products from a lignocellulosic feedstock comprising:

(i) treating the lignocellulosic feedstock to produce sugar in one or more stages comprising addition of acid, base, or a combination thereof, wherein the addition of acid, base or a combination thereof provides at least one of a sulfite, a sulfite salt, sulfurous acid, and a sulfonic acid,

wherein step (i) optionally comprises addition of cellulase enzymes to produce glucose;

(ii) fermenting sugar produced in one or more of the stages of step (i) to produce a fermentation product;

(iii) recovering the fermentation product, thereby producing a stream of concentrated fermentation product;

(iv) treating an upstream process stream by wet oxidation to produce a treated stream comprising a salt, the process stream originating from the process and comprising;

(a) lignin,

(b) a lignosulfate, or

(c) a combination thereof; and

(v) providing a stream comprising salt from the treated stream of step (iv) for use as a salt product, as a process chemical for introduction within the process, or a combination thereof.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein a product-depleted stream is produced upon recovering the fermentation product, and wherein the upstream process stream comprises the product-depleted stream.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the treated stream comprising the salt is concentrated prior to the step of providing.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the treated stream comprising the salt is concentrated by evaporation, reverse osmosis, or a combination thereof, prior to the step of providing.

7. The process of claim 5, wherein the treated stream comprising the salt is subjected to a solids-liquid-separation prior to the step of concentrating.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the treating of the lignocellulosic feedstock comprises the addition of sulfurous acid, sulfur dioxide, or a combination thereof.

9. The process claim 1, wherein the salt product is a fertilizer and the step of providing comprises directly or indirectly passing the fertilizer to a user that applies the fertilizer to land.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the wet oxidation comprises the addition of air or oxygen.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the salt is ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, or a combination thereof.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein step (i) of treating comprises introduction of steam to achieve a temperature of at least 160°

C.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the step (i) of treating is conducted with the addition of an amount of steam, and wherein the wet oxidation produces an amount of steam that is at least the amount of steam for pretreating.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the wet oxidation is conducted at a temperature of at least 160°

C.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the stream of concentrated fermentation product is produced by distillation.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein during the process at least 90% of the heat provided to the step (i) of treating is from the wet oxidation.

17. The process of claim 1, comprising introducing steam energy from step (iv) to a step of the process in which heat is input.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein the steam energy from step (iv) is introduced into step (i) of treating.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein the acid comprises sulfur dioxide, sulfurous acid, or a combination thereof.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein the salt comprises a sulfate salt.

21. The process of claim 1, wherein the acid comprises sulfur dioxide, sulfurous acid, or a combination thereof.

22. The process of claim 1, wherein the salt comprises a sulfate salt.

23. The process of claim 1, wherein the process stream comprises (a) lignin, and wherein the lignin comprises native or sulfonated solid lignin.

24. The process of claim 1, wherein the process stream comprises (a) lignin, and wherein the lignin comprises dissolved lignin.

2. A process for producing one or more products from a lignocellulosic feedstock comprising:

(i) treating the lignocellulosic feedstock by contacting same with an acid or base with addition of heat to produce a pretreated feedstock;

(ii) adjusting the pH of the pretreated feedstock with an acid or base to produce a pretreated feedstock having a pH at which cellulase enzymes can hydrolyze cellulose to glucose, wherein the addition of acid or base provides at least one of a sulfite, a sulfite salt, sulfurous acid, and a sulfonic acid;

(iii) hydrolyzing the pretreated feedstock with cellulase enzymes to produce glucose;

(iv) fermenting at least the glucose to produce a fermentation product;

(v) recovering the fermentation product, thereby producing a stream of concentrated fermentation product;

(vi) treating an upstream process stream, which originates from the process and comprises the at least one of a lignin, a lignosulfate, and a combination thereof, by wet oxidation to produce a treated stream comprising a salt; and

(vii) providing a stream comprising salt from the treated stream of step (vi) for use as a salt product, as a process chemical for introduction within the process, or a combination thereof.

3. A process for producing one or more products from a lignocellulosic feedstock comprising:

(i) treating the lignocellulosic feedstock by contacting same with at least heat to produce a pretreated feedstock, the treatment including adding an acid;

(ii) optionally adjusting the pH of the pretreated feedstock with a base to produce a pretreated feedstock having a pH at which cellulase enzymes can hydrolyze cellulose to glucose, wherein the addition of the acid, base, or combination thereof provides at least one of a sulfite, a sulfite salt, sulfurous acid, and a sulfonic acid;

(iii) hydrolyzing the pretreated feedstock with cellulase enzymes to produce glucose;

(iv) fermenting at least the glucose to produce a fermentation product;

(v) recovering the fermentation product, thereby producing a stream of concentrated fermentation product;

(vi) treating an upstream process stream, which originates from the process and comprises lignin, a lignosulfate, or a combination thereof by wet oxidation, to produce a treated stream comprising a salt;

(vii) introducing steam energy from step (vi) to the step of pretreating; and

(viii) providing a stream comprising salt from the treated stream of step (vi) for use as a salt product, as a process chemical for introduction within the process, or a combination thereof.