CELLULOSE CO-FEED FOR DRY MILL CORN ETHANOL OPERATIONS

• US 20140315259A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Edeniq, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Edeniq, Inc.
• Inventors: Woods, Richard Root, Kacmar, James
• Application Number:
  US14/211,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20140315259A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/99
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/02 Monosaccharides 2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60
• 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 2203/00 Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/06 obtained by saccharification of starch or raw materials containing starch
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present application provide methods for producing ethanol from a biomass. The methods combine sugars produced from a feedstock containing starch with sugars produced from a cellulosic biomass. The methods allow increased amounts of ethanol to be produced from a given solids concentration in the fermenters. The methods also encompass filtering the liquefied feedstock mash through a filter comprising biomass fibers. The biomass filter produces a post-filtered mash stream comprising a high concentration of sugars and a low concentration of non-fermentable solids. The methods provide numerous advantages described herein.

Claims

1. A method for processing a cellulosic biomass, comprising:

a) generating a liquefied mash from a feedstock comprising non-cellulosic biomass;

b) filtering the liquefied mash through cellulosic biomass to generate a first liquids stream comprising dissolved sugars and a first solids stream comprising the cellulosic biomass and non-dissolved components from the liquefied mash;

c) treating the first solids stream under conditions sufficient to convert components of the biomass to cellulosic sugars, thereby producing a mixture comprising solids, liquids, and dissolved cellulosic sugars;

d) separating the mixture into a second liquids stream comprising dissolved sugars and a second solids stream;

e) contacting the second liquids stream with feedstock to form a slurry; and

f) processing the slurry to produce liquefied mash, thereby producing a mash comprising both cellulosic and non-cellulosic sugars.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the first liquid stream under conditions suitable to produce a product from the sugars and a whole stillage stream.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising processing the whole stillage stream to generate a third liquids stream and a third solids stream, wherein a portion of the third liquids stream and the first solids stream are mixed under conditions suitable to convert components of the biomass to sugars.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein water is recovered from at least a portion of the third liquids stream and the water is mixed with the first solids stream under conditions suitable to convert components of the biomass to sugars.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mixture is treated with a high shear reactor.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first liquids stream is fermented to produce the product.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the product is ethanol, succinic acid, butanol(s), methanol, propanol(s), isoprene(s), aromatics, farnesene, acetic acid, lactic acid(s), or levulinic acid(s).

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising recovering an oil co-product from the mixture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering step comprises filtering the mash through biomass comprising fiber.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the mixture into a filtrate comprising sugars and a retentate comprising solids and enzymes and contacting a portion of the solids to step (c).

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising contacting at least a portion of the third liquids stream with the first solids stream prior to or during step (c) and/or step (d).

12. A method for producing ethanol from a cellulosic biomass in an ethanol facility, comprising:

a) separating a whole stillage into a first liquid stream and a first solids stream;

b) contacting the cellulosic biomass with at least a portion of the first liquid stream under conditions suitable to convert components of the biomass to sugars, thereby producing a mixture comprising solids, liquids and dissolved cellulosic sugars;

c) contacting the mixture with feedstock comprising non-cellulosic biomass to form a slurry; and

d) processing the slurry under conditions sufficient to produce ethanol, thereby co-producing ethanol from the cellulosic sugars and the non-cellulosic feedstock.

13. A method of claim 12, further comprising:

e) recovering water from at least a portion of the first liquid stream; and

f) contacting the cellulosic biomass with the recovered water under conditions suitable to convert components of the biomass to sugars, thereby producing a mixture comprising solids, liquids and dissolved cellulosic sugars.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

separating the mixture into a second liquid stream comprising fermentable sugars and a second solids stream comprising non-converted biomass, and

contacting the second liquid stream with feedstock to form the slurry.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising washing the second solids stream with an aqueous solution and adding the post-wash aqueous solution to the slurry.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a portion of the second solids stream is contacted with the biomass under conditions suitable to convert components of the biomass to sugars, thereby producing sugars.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the cellulosic biomass comprises corn stover, wheat straw, bagasse, wood or any other cellulosic fiber, and the cellulosic biomass is pretreated or non-pretreated.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedstock comprises corn, wheat, milo, rice, barley, sugar cane, sugar beets, tubers or Jerusalem artichokes.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the biomass and/or mixture is treated with a high shear reactor.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the conditions suitable to convert include contacting the biomass with enzymes comprising cellulases such that the enzymes hydrolyze at least a portion of the biomass to sugars.