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System for the treatment of biomass

  • US 10,533,203 B2
  • Filed: 03/18/2011
  • Issued: 01/14/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for producing a fermentation product from biomass comprising:

  • (a) preparing the biomass into prepared biomass;

    (b) pre-treating the biomass into pre-treated biomass comprising polymeric glucan;

    (c) continuously supplying the pretreated biomass to a liquefaction stirred reactor;

    (d) continuously treating the pretreated biomass by application of a first enzyme formulation to at least partially hydrolyze at least a portion of the polymeric glucan into oligomeric glucan and glucose and form a liquefied component, wherein the liquefaction stirred reactor is in parallel fluid communication with two or more batch saccharification stirred reactors of a batch saccharification system so that the liquefaction stirred reactor can operate in a continuous manner, wherein the first enzyme formulation comprises a cellulase enzyme mixture, and wherein the first enzyme formulation comprises endoglucanase activity, wherein a viscosity of the pretreated biomass is reduced during the continuously treating the pretreated biomass by application of the first enzyme formulation, wherein the continuously treating the pretreated biomass by application of the first enzyme formulation is performed at a solids loading from 10% to 30% solids dry weight, and wherein a retention time of the pretreated biomass in the continuously treating the pretreated biomass by application of the first enzyme formulation is from 1 hour to 30 hours;

    (e) continuously supplying liquefied component to the batch saccharification system to supply liquefied component to each of the two or more batch saccharification reactors, wherein a portion of the liquefied component is supplied to a first of the two or more batch saccharification stirred reactors;

    (f) treating the portion of the liquefied component by application of a second enzyme formulation to hydrolyze polymeric glucan and oligomeric glucan to form a saccharified component so that glucose is made available, wherein treating occurs in the first batch saccharification stirred reactor according to a batch process, wherein the second enzyme formulation comprises a cellulase enzyme mixture, and wherein the second enzyme formulation comprises cellobiohydrolase activity and betaglucosidase activity;

    (g) supplying the saccharified component to a fermentation reactor;

    (h) supplying an ethanologen to the saccharified component so that the glucose can be converted to ethanol; and

    (i) supplying an additional portion of the liquefied component to a second of the two or more batch saccharification stirred reactors,wherein the biomass comprises lignocellulosic material; and

    wherein the lignocellulosic material comprises at least one of corn cobs, corn plant husks, corn plant leaves and corn plant stalks.

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