COMBINED THERMOCHEMICAL PRETREATMENT AND REFINING OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS

• US 20100285534A1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mascoma Corporation (Lallemand Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mascoma Corporation (Lallemand Inc.)
• Inventors: Garant, Herve I., Martin, Richard Lance, South, Colin R.
• Application Number:
  US12/596,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20100285534A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/72
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• 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 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of processing lignocellulosic material, comprising initial steam pretreatment to give pretreated lignocellulosic material with an average particle size, followed by refining to give refined lignocellulosic material with an average particle size, wherein the average particle of the pretreated lignocellulosic material is greater than the average particle size of the refined lignocellulosic material. In certain embodiments, the lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of grass, switch grass, cord grass, rye grass, reed canary grass, miscanthus, sugar-processing residues, sugar cane bagasse, agricultural wastes, rice straw, rice hulls, barley straw, corn cobs, cereal straw, wheat straw, canola straw, oat straw, oat hulls, corn fiber, stover, soybean stover, corn stover, forestry wastes, recycled wood pulp fiber, sawdust, hardwood, and softwood.

Claims

1. A method of processing lignocellulosic material, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a sample of lignocellulosic material in a pre-treatment reactor;

(b) injecting steam into said pre-treatment reactor, at a temperature, a steam pressure, and for a time, thereby producing pretreated lignocellulosic material with an average particle size; and

(c) processing said pretreated lignocellulosic material in a refiner to give a refined lignocellulosic material, wherein the average particle of said pretreated lignocellulosic material is greater than the average particle size of said refined lignocellulosic material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material contains, on a dry basis, at least about 20% (w/w) cellulose, at least about 10% (w/w) hemicellulose, and at least about 10% (w/w) lignin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of grass, switch grass, cord grass, rye grass, reed canary grass, miscanthus, sugar-processing residues, sugar cane bagasse, agricultural wastes, rice straw, rice hulls, barley straw, corn cobs, cereal straw, wheat straw, canola straw, oat straw, oat hulls, corn fiber, stover, soybean stover, corn stover, forestry wastes, recycled wood pulp fiber, sawdust, hardwood, and softwood.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material is hardwood;

and said hardwood is selected from the group consisting of willow, maple, oak, walnut, eucalyptus, elm, birch, buckeye, beech, and ash.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material is hardwood, and said hardwood is willow.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material is softwood;

and said softwood is selected from the group consisting of southern yellow pine, fir, cedar, cypress, hemlock, larch, pine, and spruce.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said lignocellulosic material is softwood, and said softwood is southern yellow pine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said steam pressure is between about 100 psig and about 700 psig.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said temperature is between about 165°

C. and about 210°

C.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said time is between about 5 seconds and about 15 minutes.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of exposing said refined lignocellulosic material to a saccharification enzyme, thereby producing a saccharified product mixture.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulases, endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, and β

-glucosidases.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of xylanases, endoxylanases, exoxylanases, β

-xylosidases, arabinoxylanases, mannases, galactases, pectinases, and glucuronidases.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of amylases, α

-amylases, β

-amylases, glucoamylases, α

-glucosidases, and isoamylases.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulases, endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, β

-glucosidases, xylanases, endoxylanases, exoxylanases, β

-xylosidases, arabinoxylanases, mannases, galactases, pectinases, glucuronidases, amylases, α

-amylases, β

-amylases, glucoamylases, α

-glucosidases, and isoamylases.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of subjecting said saccharified product mixture to an organism that produces ethanol as a metabolite;

wherein said organism is selected from the group consisting of bacteria, fungi, and yeast.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said organism is a yeast.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of exposing said refined lignocellulosic material to a recombinant organism that produces ethanol as a metabolite and produces a saccharification enzyme.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said recombinant organism is selected from the group consisting of Escherichia coli, Zymomonas mobilis, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Clostridia thermocellum, Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum, Pichia stipitis, Escherichia, Zymomonas, Saccharomyces, Candida, Pichia, Streptomyces, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said recombinant organism is a yeast.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulases, endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, and β

-glucosidases.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of xylanases, endoxylanases, exoxylanases, β

-xylosidases, arabinoxylanases, mannases, galactases, pectinases, and glucuronidases.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of amylases, α

-amylases, β

-amylases, glucoamylases, α

-glucosidases, and isoamylases.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein said saccharification enzyme is selected from the group consisting of cellulases, endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, β

-glucosidases, xylanases, endoxylanases, exoxylanases, β

-xylosidases, arabinoxylanases, mannases, galactases, pectinases, glucuronidases, amylases, α

-amylases, β

-amylases, glucoamylases, α

-glucosidases, and isoamylases.

10-11. -11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

20. (canceled)