PROCESSING AND TRANSFORMING BIOMASS

• US 20150361457A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: MEDOFF, Marshall, MASTERMAN, Thomas Craig, FINN, Michael W., PAPOULIS, Andrew, KORYABKINA, Natalya A.
• Application Number:
  US14/433,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20150361457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/02 with moving adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/32 by electrical effects other than those provided for in group B01D61/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/44 Ion-selective electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/445 with bipolar membranes; Water splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0869 Feeding or evacuating the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0886 Gas-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/00 Jigging conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/04 Conveying materials in bulk pneumatically through pipes or tubes; Air slides
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/40 Feeding or discharging devices
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/149 with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/12 containing four carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/023 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0476 Biodiesel, i.e. defined lower alkyl esters of fatty acids first generation biodiesel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 9/08 by heat treatments, e.g. calcining
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/00 : Means for after-treatment of the produced biomass or of the fermentation or metabolic products, e.g. storage of biomass filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/10 : Separation or concentration of fermentation products bioreactors combined with means for distillation or extraction of liquid fuel C12M43/02
• 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 2203/00 : Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source ethanol C12P7/10
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 : acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 : Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/52 : Propionic acid; Butyric acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/56 : Lactic acid
• 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: D21C 9/007 : by mechanical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/92 : Protection against other undesired influences or dangers buildings providing protection against external dangers E04H9/00; shielding against dangerous radiation G21F
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/925 : Protection against harmful electro-magnetic or radio-active radiations, e.g. X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 7/00 : Shielded cells or rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 : with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/202 : Movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31 : Processing objects on a macro-scale
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3165 : Changing chemical properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 : Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/33 : using wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/40 : Valorisation of by-products of wastewater, sewage or sludge processing

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. The saccharified biomass is fermented in two steps to form two separate products. The second product can be a carboxylic acid which is reacted with an alcohol to form an ester. The alcohol used for the esterification may be obtained from the biomass. The ester is hydrogenated to alcohols with catalysts.

Claims

1. A method of making a product, the method comprising:

producing one or more acids from saccharified biomass sugars;

converting the one or more acids into one or more esters; and

hydrogenating the one or more esters utilizing a catalyst and hydrogen to produce one or more products including alcohols.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more acids are produced by fermentation of the saccharified biomass sugars.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more acids comprise butyric acid or acetic acid.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the saccharified biomass sugars are produced by saccharification of a cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass material with a method selected from the following group consisting of one or more enzymes, one or more acids, and combinations of these.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising recalcitrance reducing the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material by electron beam irradiation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the dose of irradiation is between 10 and 200 Mrad.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst includes a metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Os, Re, Ru, Rb, Ni, Co, Mo, W, Zn, Cr, Cu, oxides of these and combinations of these.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising applying a hydrogen pressure between about 5 and 120 atm. while utilizing catalyst to produce alcohols.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising isolating at least one of the acids prior to converting the one or more acids into one or more esters.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the ester is selected from the group consisting of ethyl butyrate, butyl butyrate, hexyl butyrate and octyl butyrate.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising fermenting the biomass to at least two fermentation products where the two of the products are the acid and an alcohol which are, in turn, reacted to form an ester.

11. A method of making a product, the method comprising:

converting the product of the fermentation of a saccharified treated lignocellulosic material to an ester, and

producing an alcohol by passing the ester over a first catalyst in the presence of hydrogen.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising passing the ester over a second catalyst.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second catalyst are different catalysts.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second catalyst are the same catalyst.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising applying a first pressure of hydrogen while passing the ester over the first catalyst and applying a second pressure of hydrogen while passing the ester over the second catalyst, wherein the first pressure is higher than the second pressure by at least 10 psi.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising heating the first catalyst to a first temperature while passing the ester over the first catalyst and heating the second catalyst to a second temperature while passing the ester over the second catalyst, wherein the first temperature is higher than the second temperature by at least 10°

C.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second catalyst comprise metals selected from the group consisting of Pt, Re, Os, Ru, Rb, Ni, Co, Mo, W, Zn, Cr, oxides of these and combinations of these.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising applying a hydrogen pressure between about 5 and 100 atm. while passing the hydrogen over the first and/or second catalyst.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the product of the fermentation comprises a carboxylic acid.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the carboxylic acid has from 1 to 20 carbons and 1 to 5 carboxylic acid groups.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the carboxylic acid is butyric acid.

22. The method of claim 11 wherein the fermentation product comprises an alcohol.

23. The method of claim 11 wherein the ester is selected from the group consisting of ethyl butyrate, butyl butyrate, hexyl butyrate and octyl butyrate.