METHODS FOR INCREASING SUGAR YIELD WITH SIZE-ADJUSTED LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS PARTICLES

• US 20150125907A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University)
• Original Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University)
• Inventors: Balan, Venkatesh, Dale, Bruce E., Harun, Shuhaida
• Granted Patent: US 10,202,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/99
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/30 from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes, e.g. using yeasts or enzymes, A23K10/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/32 from hydrolysates of wood or straw
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/37 from waste material from hydrolysates of wood or straw A23K10/32; from molasses A23K10/33
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/111 Aromatic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/08 Ethanol
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/10 containing three carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/18 Apparatus specially designed for the use of free, immobilized or carrier-bound enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/02 by mechanical forces; Stirring; Trituration; Comminuting crushing, pulverizing, disintegrating in general B02C
• 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 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: C12P 7/16 Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

A method of increasing sugar yield in a bioproduct production process is provided comprising pretreating one or more size-adjusted lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) particles with a pretreatment, such as an ammonia pretreatment, wherein the one or more size-adjusted LCB particles form a substrate, with the one or more particles having an average particle size in at least one dimension greater than 5 mm.

Claims

1. A method of increasing sugar yield in a bio-product production process comprising pretreating size-adjusted lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) particles with a pretreatment, wherein said LCB particles form a substrate, further wherein each of said LCB particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension between about 1 cm and about 10 cm in at least one dimension and glucan loading is between about 1% and about 9%.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the average particle size is between about 4.5 and about 5.5 cm in at least one dimension and the substrate is subjected to a high severity ammonia pretreatment, wherein a downstream xylose concentration is more than two times higher than a xylose concentration of a similarly-sized substrate subjected to a low severity ammonia pretreatment.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the downstream sugar yield is increased by at least 1% up to about 150% or higher as compared to a similarly-sized substrate subjected to a low severity ammonia pretreatment.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the pretreatment process is selected from dilute acid, concentrated acid, dilute ammonium hydroxide, hydro-thermolysis, liquid hot water, acid catalyzed steam explosion, wet oxidation, organosolv pretreatment and heat.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the LCB particles are selected from a perennial grass, an annual grass and agricultural residue.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the annual grass is rice straw and the agriculture residue is switchgrass or corn stover.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the bio-product is a biofuel or animal feed.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the biofuel is ethanol or butanol.

15. An animal feed produced according to the method of claim 1.

16. A biofuel produced according to the method of claim 1.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said LCB particles are hydrolyzed with one or more enzymes.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the one or more enzymes comprise a cellulase enzyme or a beta-glucosidase enzyme.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the glucan loading is between about 1% and about 6%.

2. (canceled)

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the AFEX pretreatment process is selected from gaseous ammonia, aqueous ammonia, anhydrous liquid ammonia and extractive ammonia.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the ammonia pretreatment process is a high severity ammonia pretreatment process

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the high severity ammonia pretreatment process operates at a temperature of no less than 140°

C. and a residence time of no less than 30 minutes.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein an ammonia to lignocellulosic biomass ratio is between about 0.5:

1 and about 4;

1 and a moisture content of the lignocellulosic biomass is between about 10% and 130%, on a dry weight basis.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein an ammonia to lignocellulosic biomass ratio is no more than 1:

1 and a moisture content of the lignocellulosic biomass is no less than 130%, on a dry weight basis.

17-18. -18. (canceled)

21. A system comprising:

a size-adjusting device for producing size-adjusted non-fine biomass having an average partile size between about 1 cm and about 10 cm; and

a pretreatment facility for pretreating the size-adjusted biomass to produce pretreated size-adjusted biomass, wherein the pretreated size-adjusted biomass increases sugar yield in a bio-product production facility as compared to fine biomass wherein the glucan loading is between about 1% and about 9%.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising the bio-product production facility.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the glucan loading is between about 1% and about 6%.

23-24. -24. (canceled)