PROCESS FOR ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS

• US 20140099690A1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.
• Original Assignee: GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.
• Inventors: BENSON, Robert Ashley Cooper, BENECH, Regis-Olivier
• Application Number:
  US14/105,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20140099690A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/165
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

A process for the production of ethanol wherein a hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass is fermented in the presence of a stillage residue. The fermentation of cellulosic hydrolysates is improved by adding prior to and/or during fermentation a stillage residue side stream from a corn starch-to-ethanol process as a nutrient source for the yeast organisms used in the fermentation. Stillage residues from the grain dry mill ethanol producing process, including the whole stillage, wet cake, thin stillage, and/or syrup are added to assist as a nitrogen and nutrient source for the fermentive processes. The stillage residue is produced by any grain-to-ethanol process.

Claims

1. A process for the production of ethanol, the process comprising the step of fermenting a hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass in the presence of a stillage residue, the stillage residue is produced by a whole grain starch-to-ethanol process.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the stillage residue is selected from the group consisting of whole stillage, thin stillage, wetcake, syrup, and any combination thereof.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising a propagation step whereby yeast is conditioned and grown prior to the step of fermentation.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass is produced by acid pre-treatment wherein the acid catalyst is a mineral acid or a carboxylic acid.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass is selected from the group consisting of agricultural residues, purpose grown crops, woody biomass, and any combination thereof.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass is obtained from corn cobs.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the ethanol is produced by fermentation with a ethanologenic organism.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the ethanologenic organism is a prokaryotic organism.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the ethanologenic organism is selected from the group consisting of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Zymomonas mobilis, Clostridium thermocellum.

10. The process of claim 7, wherein the ethanologenic organism is a eukaryotic organism.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the eukaryotic organism is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces cerevisia, Pichia stipitis.

12. A process for the propagation of yeast, the process comprising the step of propagating yeast in the presence of a stillage residue from a whole grain starch-to-ethanol process.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein the stillage residue is selected from the group consisting of whole stillage, thin stillage, wetcake, syrup, and any combination thereof.