Processing biomass

• US 10,704,196 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2019
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Nicholas E
• Application Number:
  US16/353,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20190211501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 1/02 Cellulose; Modified cellulose
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 97/02 Lignocellulosic material, e.g. wood, straw or bagasse manufacture of articles made from lignocellulosic material by dry processes B27N
• 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: C10G 15/00 Cracking of hydrocarbon oils by electric means, electromagnetic or mechanical vibrations, by particle radiation or with gases superheated in electric arcs
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oxygen-containing organic materials, e.g. fatty oils, fatty acids production from non-melting solid oxygen-containing carbonaceous materials C10G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 32/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils by electric or magnetic means, by irradiation, or by using microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 49/12 suspended in the oil, e.g. slurries
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2250/04 Additive or component is a polymer
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2250/06 Particle, bubble or droplet size
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/02 Combustion or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/26 Composting, fermenting or anaerobic digestion fuel components or materials from which fuels are prepared
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/34 Applying ultrasonic energy
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/38 Applying an electric field or inclusion of electrodes in the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/48 : Expanders, e.g. throttles or flash tanks
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/403 : on paper and paper waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/44 : on vegetable substances
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/442 : Wood or forestry waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/445 : Agricultural waste, e.g. corn crops, grass clippings, nut shells or oil pressing residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/46 : on sewage, house, or town refuse C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/04 : for producing gas, e.g. biogas digesters for manure with production of biogas A01C3/028, biological treatment of water, waste water or sewage C02F3/00, C02F11/02, preparation of natural gas or syngas C10L3/06, C10L3/10
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/12 : for producing fuels or solvents C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/00 : Means for pre-treatment of biological substances
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/02 : by mechanical forces; Stirring; Trituration; Comminuting crushing, pulverizing, disintegrating in general B02C
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/20 : Heating; Cooling heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory uses B01L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2405 : Glucanases
• 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 3/00 : Preparation of elements or inorganic compounds except carbon dioxide recovery of carbon dioxides as by-products C12F3/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/00 : Preparation of hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/02 : containing a hydroxy group
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 : acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/14 : Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 : Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/10 : by cutting actions
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/00 : After-treatment of cellulose pulp, e.g. of wood pulp, or cotton linters ; Treatment of dilute or dewatered pulp or process improvement taking place after obtaining the raw cellulosic material and not provided for elsewhere polysaccharides, derivatives thereof C08B; paper-making D21B - D21H
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/002 : by chemical means; preparation of dewatered pulp, e.g. in sheet or bulk form, containing special additives
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/007 : by mechanical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/08 : Mechanical or thermomechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/02 : Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 7/16 : the engines being only of turbine type the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure F01K7/32; the engines being of extraction or non-condensing type F01K7/34
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 9/00 : Plants characterised by condensers arranged or modified to co-operate with the engines by condensers structurally combined with engines F01K11/00; steam condensers per se F28BF01K23/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/00 : Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method solar heating F24S; jackets or other cooling means in which steam is generated and which serve for cooling other apparatus, see the subclasses for such apparatus
• 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 30/20 : using bio-feedstock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 : Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/64 : Paper recycling

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

preparing an untreated biomass feedstock comprising corn cobs by reducing one or more dimensions of individual pieces of biomass;

irradiating the untreated biomass feedstock with electron beam radiation at a dose rate of at least 1.0 Mrad/sec;

mechanically treating the irradiated biomass feedstock to reduce one or more dimensions of individual pieces of the irradiated biomass feedstock to produce a treated biomass feedstock; and

converting the treated biomass feedstock to a product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the treated biomass feedstock has an uncompressed bulk density of less than about 0.6 g/cm3, wherein bulk density is determined using ASTM D1895B.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the treated biomass feedstock includes fibers having a length/diameter (L/D) ratio of at least about 5.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically treating the irradiated biomass feedstock comprises milling the feedstock.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass feedstock further comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material selected from the group consisting of paper, paper products, paper waste, wood, particle board, sawdust, agricultural waste, sewage, silage, grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, switchgrass, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein irradiating is performed under conditions that increase the brittleness of the biomass feedstock.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the product comprises a fuel or sugar.