Enclosures for treating materials

• US 10,549,241 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Paradis, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Nicholas A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raphael, Colleen M
• Application Number:
  US14/299,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20140284205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,066 Days
• Field of Search: 2041576-15814, 422186
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/02 with moving adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/32 by electrical effects other than those provided for in group B01D61/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/44 Ion-selective electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/445 with bipolar membranes; Water splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0869 Feeding or evacuating the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0886 Gas-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/00 Jigging conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/04 Conveying materials in bulk pneumatically through pipes or tubes; Air slides
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/40 Feeding or discharging devices
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/149 with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/12 containing four carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/023 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0476 Biodiesel, i.e. defined lower alkyl esters of fatty acids first generation biodiesel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 9/08 by heat treatments, e.g. calcining
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/00 : Means for after-treatment of the produced biomass or of the fermentation or metabolic products, e.g. storage of biomass filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/10 : Separation or concentration of fermentation products bioreactors combined with means for distillation or extraction of liquid fuel C12M43/02
• 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 ethanol C12P7/10
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 : acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 : Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/52 : Propionic acid; Butyric acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/56 : Lactic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 : obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 : Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/007 : by mechanical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/92 : Protection against other undesired influences or dangers buildings providing protection against external dangers E04H9/00; shielding against dangerous radiation G21F
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/925 : Protection against harmful electro-magnetic or radio-active radiations, e.g. X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 7/00 : Shielded cells or rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 : with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/202 : Movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31 : Processing objects on a macro-scale
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3165 : Changing chemical properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• 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: Y02E 60/16 : Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/33 : using wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/40 : Valorisation of by-products of wastewater, sewage or sludge processing

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in two or more vaults that can share a common wall.

Claims

1. A method of processing a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, the method comprising:

conveying a layer of particulate cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a first enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a first dose of ionizing radiation to produce a first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and

conveying the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a second enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a second dose of ionizing radiation to produce a second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material;

wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using a beam of accelerated electrons and wherein the first enclosure shares one or more common walls with the second enclosure; and

enzymatically saccharifying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to produce a sugar solution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons from one or more electron accelerators.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrons are accelerated to an energy of between about 0.3 MeV and about 5 MeV.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dose is between about 0.5 Mrad and about 20 Mrad.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sum of the first and second dose is between about 10 Mrad and about 40 Mrad.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein walls of both the first and second enclosures are fabricated from discrete interconnecting blocks to provide photon-tight structures.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material into the first enclosure and then conveying the first treated biomass out of the first enclosure and into the second enclosure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conveying into and/or out of enclosures occurs continuously.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material out of the second enclosure.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic into a third enclosure, conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic within the third enclosure and exposing the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a third dose of ionizing radiation to produce a third treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conveying into and within the third enclosure utilizes a pneumatic conveyor system and/or a screw conveyer system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons produced by an accelerator, each accelerator operating at a power of between about 100 kW and about 400 kW.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises comminuted corn cob.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer has a substantially uniform average thickness of from about 0.1 to 1 inch.