STABLE SUSPENSIONS OF BIOMASS COMPRISING INORGANIC PARTICULATES

• US 20100275507A1
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MARD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BIOeCON International Holding NV
• Inventors: Daamen, Sjoerd, O'Connor, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,715,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 44/385
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 1/02 Cellulose; Modified cellulose
• 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 1/08 with moving catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/083 in the presence of a solvent
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/18 according to the "fluidised-bed" technique
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/805 Water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/32 consisting of coal-oil suspensions or aqueous emulsions or oil emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/44 on vegetable substances
• 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

Abstract

Liquid suspensions are disclosed comprising a suspending medium, small particles of biomass, and small particles of an inorganic material. The inorganic material stabilizes the suspension, so that it may be transported by pipeline or tank car without developing a sediment.

The suspension may be used in manufacturing a bio-fuel.

Claims

1. A stable liquid composition comprising a liquid suspension medium having suspended therein small particles of a biomass material and small particles of an inorganic material.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the suspension does not precipitate solid particles when centrifuged for 10 minutes at 5000 rpm.

3. The composition of claim 1 or 2 wherein the inorganic material is in crystalline or quasi-crystalline form.

4. The composition of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the biomass material comprises a polymeric material.

5. The composition of claim 4, wherein the polymeric material comprises cellulose and lignocellulose.

6. The composition of any one of the preceding claims wherein the particles of inorganic material have an average particle size in the range of from 3 mm to 50 micrometers, preferably from 1 mm to 0.1 mm.

7. The composition of any one of the preceding claims wherein the inorganic material is an inert inorganic material.

8. The composition of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the inorganic material has catalytic properties.

9. The composition of claim 8 wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of clays, silicas, silica-aluminas, transition metal hydroxides, metal hydroxyl salts, zeolites, cationic layered materials, anionic clays, layered double hydroxides, smectite clays, saponites, sepiolites and mixtures thereof.

28. The composition of any one of the preceding claims for use in the preparation of a bio-oil.

29. The composition of any one of the preceding claims for use as a binder.

30. The composition of any one of the preceding claims for use as a construction material.

31. The composition of any one of the preceding claims whereby the suspension is transported by pipe-line or road transport to a central processing location.

32. The composition of any one of the preceding claims whereby the suspension is used as a feedstock in a process whereby the biomass material is converted to liquid or gaseous fuels and/or to the valuable specialty chemicals.

33. The composition of claim 32 whereby the process is an oil refinery process such as Gasification, Steam reforming, Thermal Cracking, a Coking, Catalytic Cracking, a Hydro-cracking, or Hydro processing.

34. The composition of claims 32 and 33, whereby the inorganic material functions as a catalyst.

35. The composition of claim 33 or 34, whereby the process is a Fluid Catalytic Cracking process with a low cracking activity catalyst.

36. The composition of claims 34 and 35, whereby the suspension is fed into a low cracking activity zone of the FCC unit, such as the stripper or regenerator

10. A method for preparing a liquid composition of biomass material suspended in a liquid suspension medium, said composition being stabilized by small particles of an inorganic material, said method comprising the steps of:

a. contacting particles of the biomass with the liquid suspension medium having dissolved therein precursor material to the inorganic particles in;

b. allowing the solution to coat and/or penetrate the biomass material;

c. modifying the conditions to cause the formation of an inorganic particulate material from the precursor material.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the biomass comprises polymeric material

12. The method of claim 10 or 11 wherein the liquid suspension medium comprises water.

13. The method of claims 10-12 wherein the liquid suspension medium comprises an alcohol.

14. The method of claims 10-12 wherein the liquid suspension medium comprises a carboxylic acid.

15. The method of claim 10 or 14 wherein the liquid suspension medium further comprises a swelling agent.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the swelling agent is a Bronstedt acid or a Bronstedt base.

17. The method of any one of claims 10-15, wherein the modification of conditions in step c) comprises a change in temperature, a change in pH, evaporation of the liquid suspension medium, or a combination thereof

18. The method of any one of claims 10-17, wherein the polymeric material comprises cellulose and/or lignocellulose.

19. The method of any one of claims 10-18, wherein the inorganic material is in crystalline or quasi-crystalline form.

20. A method for preparing a cellulose-containing polymeric liquid suspension comprising small particles of an inorganic material said method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a cellulose-containing polymeric material;

b. providing an aqueous solution of a divalent metal and a trivalent metal;

c. soaking the cellulose polymeric material with the aqueous solution;

d. initiating the formation of a microcrystalline inorganic material.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the divalent metal is Mg.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21 wherein the trivalent metal is Al.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the microcrystalline inorganic material is an anionic clay.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the anionic clay is hydrotalcite.

25. A method for preparing a cellulose-containing polymeric liquid suspension comprising small particles of an inorganic material, said method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a cellulose-containing polymeric material, such as biomass;

b. providing an aqueous solution of a cation or anion of a metal capable of forming a particulate inorganic compound;

c. soaking the cellulose polymeric material with the aqueous solution;

d. initiating the formation of a precursor to a particulate inorganic compound;

e. aging to convert the precursor to the particulate inorganic compound.

26. The process of claim 25 wherein the cation of step b. is Al³⁺.

27. The process of claim 25 or 26 wherein the anion is an aluminate (Al₂O₄²⁻

).