APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR FERMENTATION OF BIOMASS HYDROLYSATE

• US 20110059497A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GeoSynfuels, LLC
• Original Assignee: GeoSynfuels, LLC
• Inventors: Singer, Christine A., Evans, John H. IV, Beckler Andersen, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/856,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20110059497A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/161
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/10 the carrier being a carbohydrate
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• 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: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

A process for converting biomass hydrolysate into biofuel, the process comprising the steps of: obtaining a biomass hydrolysate solution comprising monosaccharides; immobilizing Pachysolen tannophilus; contacting the solution with the immobilized Pachysolen tannophilus; and recovering a fermented biofuel.

Claims

1. A process for converting biomass hydrolysate into biofuel, the process comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining a biomass hydrolysate solution comprising monosaccharides;

b. immobilizing Pachysolen tannophilus;

c. contacting the biomass hydrolysate solution with the immobilized Pachysolen tannophilus; and

d. recovering a fermented biofuel.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein Pachysolen tannophilus is immobilized in calcium alginate.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the calcium alginate is in the form of beads ranging from 0.1 mm to 5 mm in diameter.

4. The process according to claim 2, wherein the calcium alginate is in the form of a coating applied to a natural matrix.

5. The process according to claim 2, wherein the calcium alginate is in the form of a coating applied to a synthetic matrix.

6. The process according to claim 2, further comprising the step of treating the calcium alginate immobilized Pachysolen tannophilus with a yeast growth medium.

7. The process according to claim 3, further comprising the step of recovering and recycling calcium alginate used to immobilize the Pachysolen tannophilus.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein the calcium alginate used to immobilize the Pachysolen tannophilus is recovered and recycled by a process comprising the steps of:

a. treating the calcium alginate with a calcium chelator and monovalent counter-ion to thereby form a solution; and

b. performing dialysis on the solution against an inorganic salt to form sodium alginate.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the biomass hydrolysate solution comprises a substantial amount of fermentation inhibitors.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the solution of monosaccharides has furfural levels in the range of about 0.01 to 10 g/L.

11. The process according to claim 9, wherein the solution of monosaccharides has 5-hydroxymethylfurfural levels in the range of about 0.01 to 10 g/L.

12. The process according to claim 9, wherein the solution of monosaccharides has acetic acid levels in the range of about 0.5 to 20 g/L.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein more than 80% of the monosaccharides in the solution are converted to ethanol.

14. The process according to claim 1, wherein the biomass hydrolysate is obtained by pressing a pretreated biomass.

15. The process according to claim 1, wherein the biomass hydrolysate is obtained by pressing biomass subjected to a pretreatment process and a saccharification process.

16. The process according to claim 2, wherein the calcium alginate is hardened to increase structural stability.

17. A process for converting biomass hydrolysate into biofuel, the process comprising the steps of:

a. contacting the biomass hydrolysate solution with a first immobilized microbe strain;

b. contacting the biomass hydrolysate solution with a second immobilized microbe strain; and

c. recovering a fermented biofuel.

18. The process according to claim 17, wherein the first immobilized microbe strain is a bacterium and the second immobilized microbe strain is a yeast.

19. The process according to claim 17, wherein the first immobilized microbe strain is contained in a first reactor and the second immobilized microbe strain is contained in a second reactor.

20. The process according to claim 17, wherein the first immobilized microbe strain and the second immobilized microbe strain are immobilized together within the same immobilization medium.

21. The process according to claim 20, wherein the immobilization medium is a calcium alginate bead.

22. The process according to claim 17, wherein the first immobilized microbe strain is immobilized in a first immobilization medium and the second immobilized microbe strain is immobilized in a second immobilization medium.

23. The process according to claim 22, wherein the first immobilization medium is a first plurality of calcium alginate beads and the second immobilization medium is a second plurality of calcium alginate beads.

24. The process of claim 17 wherein the second immobilized microbe strain is capable of fermenting a hexose mannose to a biofuel.

25. A process for converting biomass hydrolysate into biofuel, the process comprising the steps of:

a. flowing a biomass hydrolysate solution comprising monosaccharides and one or more inhibitory secondary products through a continuous flow reactor containing an immobilized microbe strain and contacting the immobilized microbe strain with the biomass hydrolysate;

e. recovering a fermented biofuel.

26. The process according to claim 25, wherein the flow rate of the biomass hydrolysate exceeds the sedimentation rate of the immobilized microbe strain in a “

free”

condition.

27. The process according to claim 25, wherein the continuous flow reactor is an upflow reactor.

28. The process according to claim 25, wherein the productivity of the biofuel conversion process is at least 0.3 g/L·

h for a flow rate corresponding to a 10 hour retention time.

29. The process according to claim 25, wherein the productivity of the biofuel conversion process is at least 0.42 g/L·

h for a flow rate corresponding to a 5 hour retention time.

30. A medium for fermenting biomass hydrolysate, the medium comprising:

calcium alginate beads ranging from 0.1 mm to 5 mm in diameter;

a microbe strain capable of fermenting pentoses immobilized in the calcium alginate beads, wherein the immobilized microbe strain is capable of converting at least 70% of available pentoses in a biomass hydrolysate to a biofuel.

31. A medium for fermenting biomass hydrolysate, the medium comprising:

an immobilization substance capable of providing a micro environment for a microbe strain;

a microbe strain capable of fermenting pentoses into a biofuel immobilized in the immobilization substance, wherein the microbe strain comprises about 5% by volume of the immobilization substance.

32. A process for converting biomass hydrolysate into biofuel the process comprising the steps of:

contacting a biomass hydrolysate solution with an immobilized fermentative microbe strain for a sufficient reaction time to convert monosaccharides in the biomass hydrolysate to biofuel; and

recovering biofuel from the fermented hydrolysate.

33. The process according to claim 32, wherein the immobilized fermentative microbe strain is a yeast and the process further comprises the step of treating the yeast with a yeast regeneration medium.

34. The process according to claim 32, further comprising the step of conditioning the biomass hydrolysate by passing the hydrolysate over activated carbon, strong acid ion exchange resin and weak base ion exchange resin.

35. The process according to claim 32, wherein the immobilized fermentative microbe strain is immobilized in calcium alginate and the process further comprises the step of recovering and recycling the calcium alginate.

36. The process according to claim 32, wherein the biomass hydrolysate solution contains inhibitory secondary products sufficient to prevent more than 50% conversion of pentoses by the fermentative microbes in their “

free”

state.

37. The process according to claim 32, wherein the immobilized fermentative microbe strain is at least one strain selected from the group consisting of Pichia, Candida, Klyveromyces and Zymomonas mobilis NREL strain 8b.

38. The process according to claim 32, wherein the immobilized fermentative microbe strain converts about 30% more pentoses than the same fermentative microbe strain in a “

free”

condition.