Processing cellulosic material utilizing atmospheric-pressure plasma
First Claim
1. A method for treating a cellulosic material, comprising subjecting the cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma to produce a plasma-treated cellulosic material.
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Abstract
Cellulosic material is treated by atmospheric-pressure (AP) plasma to enhance processes for extracting sugars from cellulosic material and fermenting sugars into alcohols or other chemicals. In one example, the AP plasma treatment is utilized to improve the release, activation or production of glucose and conversion of glucose to ethanol. The AP plasma treatment may be performed in conjunction with other processes such as depolymerization or degradation, for example hydrolysis, as well as fermentation. The AP plasma treatment may be performed as a substitute for pretreatment processes such as steam explosion, and in some implementations is sufficiently effective to serve as a substitute for hydrolytic processes or at least as an enhancement to hydrolytic processes or other depolymerization or degradation processes.
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Citations
81 Claims
- 1. A method for treating a cellulosic material, comprising subjecting the cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma to produce a plasma-treated cellulosic material.
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22. A method for treating a cellulosic material, comprising:
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subjecting the cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma to produce a plasma-treated cellulosic material; and
subjecting one or more components of the plasma-treated cellulosic material to a degradation process to produce a degradation-processed cellulosic material. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for treating a cellulosic material, comprising:
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subjecting the cellulosic material to a first degradation process to produce a first degradation-processed cellulosic material;
subjecting one or more components of the first degradation-processed cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma to produce a plasma-treated cellulosic material; and
subjecting one or more components of the plasma-treated cellulosic material to a second degradation process to produce a second degradation-processed cellulosic material. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method for treating a cellulosic material, comprising:
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subjecting the cellulosic material to a pretreatment process;
subjecting the cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma; and
subjecting the cellulosic material to a degradation process. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A cellulosic material treatment apparatus, comprising:
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a first electrode;
a second electrode;
means for providing a cellulosic material between the first and second electrodes; and
means for subjecting the cellulosic material to an atmospheric-pressure plasma between the first and second electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81)
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Specification