PROCESS FOR TREATING BIOMASS TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY OF POLYSACCARIDES CONTAINED THEREIN TO HYDROLYSIS AND SUBSEQUENT FERMENTATION, AND POLYSACCHARIDES WITH INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY
First Claim
1. A process for producing fermentable sugars derivable from a biomass that contains polysaccharide comprising the steps of:
- obtaining the biomass;
treating the biomass with a swelling agent and;
contacting the biomass with a disrupting agent to produce a polysaccharide with increased accessibility; and
converting the polysaccharide with increased accessibility to fermentable sugars by hydrolysis, wherein the polysaccharide with increased accessibility exhibits an increase in its soluble portion from its initial solids as determined by a relevant Enzyme Accessibility Test.
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Abstract
In this invention, a process for producing fermentable sugars derivable from biomass that contains polysaccharide, such as cellulose, which has been made increasingly accessible as a substrate for enzymatic degradation or other methods of depolymerization. The process of the present invention increases accessibility of polysaccharides, typically present in biomass and produces polysaccharides with increased accessibility. The polysaccharides with increased accessibility may be subsequently saccharified to yield fermentable sugars. These fermentable sugars are subsequently able to be fermented to produce various target chemicals, such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones or acids.
25 Citations
86 Claims
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1. A process for producing fermentable sugars derivable from a biomass that contains polysaccharide comprising the steps of:
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obtaining the biomass; treating the biomass with a swelling agent and; contacting the biomass with a disrupting agent to produce a polysaccharide with increased accessibility; and converting the polysaccharide with increased accessibility to fermentable sugars by hydrolysis, wherein the polysaccharide with increased accessibility exhibits an increase in its soluble portion from its initial solids as determined by a relevant Enzyme Accessibility Test. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A process for producing a target chemical derivable from biomass containing polysaccharide comprising the steps of:
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obtaining a biomass that contains polysaccharide; treating the biomass with a swelling agent and; contacting the biomass that contains polysaccharide with a disrupting agent producing a polysaccharide with increased accessibility; converting the polysaccharide with increased accessibility to fermentable sugars by hydrolysis under suitable conditions to produce fermentable sugars; and contacting the fermentable sugars with at least one biocatalyst able to ferment the fermentable sugars to produce a target chemical under suitable fermentation conditions, wherein the polysaccharide with increased accessibility exhibits an increase in its soluble portion of initial solids as determined by a relevant Enzyme Accessibility Test. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A process for producing a polysaccharide with increased accessibility comprising the steps of:
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obtaining the polysaccharide; treating the polysaccharide with a swelling agent and; contacting the polysaccharide with a disrupting agent to produce a polysaccharide with increased accessibility, wherein the polysaccharide with increased accessibility exhibits an increase in its soluble portion from its initial solids as determined by a relevant Enzyme Accessibility Test. - View Dependent Claims (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 polysaccharide with increased accessibility comprising
a polysaccharide, and a disrupting agent, wherein the disrupting agent is physically adsorbed onto, substantive to, or entrapped in the polysaccharide with increased accessibility and wherein the polysaccharide with increased accessibility exhibits an increase in its soluble portion from its initial solids as determined by a relevant Enzyme Accessibility Test.
Specification