PROCESSING BIOMASS

• US 20150368684A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: MEDOFF, Marshall, MASTERMAN, Thomas Craig
• Application Number:
  US14/758,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20150368684A1
• 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. Two or more sugars can be produced and these can be further processed and purified. For example, a mixture of the two or more sugars can be selectively fermented to leave one or more sugars in the mixture along with a product. The unfermented sugar may be fermented with a different fermenting system and produce a second product.

Claims

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

saccharifying a reduced recalcitrance cellulosic and/or reduced recalcitrance lignocellulosic material in a liquid, to form a mixture comprising two or more sugars, and

contacting the saccharified material with an organism, wherein the organism selectively ferments a sugar released during saccharification of the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to provide one or more unfermented sugars, fermentation solids and a first fermentation product.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising isolating the first fermentation product from unfermented sugars and fermentation solids.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising isolating the first fermentation product by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising distilling the fermentation product from the one or more unfermented sugars and fermentation solids.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising isolating the one or more unfermented sugars from the fermentation solids.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising isolating the one or more unfermented sugars by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing the fermentation solids as a nutrient source.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising utilizing the fermentation solids for a second fermentation.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the fermentation solids contain living organisms or remnants of living organisms.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising converting the one or more unfermented sugars to another product.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein one of the two or more sugars is glucose, and wherein the organism selectively ferments glucose.

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

13. The method of claim 11 wherein a product of the fermentation comprises ethanol.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the organism comprises a yeast, or a mixture of organisms.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the another product is xylitol.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the recalcitrance of the biomass material is reduced by irradiation with ionizing radiation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the ionizing radiation comprises accelerated electrons from an electron beam.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 10 Mrad and about 200 Mrad.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising isolating lignin-derived compounds from the saccharified material prior to contacting the saccharified material with the fermenting organism.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the saccharified material comprises at least two monosaccharides dissolved in the liquid.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the monosaccharides comprise at least 50 wt. % of total carbohydrates available in the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the two of the monosaccharides are glucose and xylose.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein glucose comprises at least 10 wt. % of the monosaccharides present in the saccharified material.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the liquid is aqueous.

33. The method of claim 7 wherein the fermentation solids are used as nutrient source for mammals.

34. The method of claim 4 wherein the fermentation solids are isolated as distillation bottoms.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the second fermentation uses distillation bottoms as a nutrient source for the second fermentation.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein saccharifying the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic and/or reduced recalcitrance lignocellulosic material comprises using one or more enzymes.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein the organism comprises a yeast, or a mixture of organisms.

40. The method of claim 18 wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 15 Mrad and about 75 Mrad.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 20 Mrad and about 50 Mrad.

42. The method of claim 19 wherein the lignin-derived compounds comprise soluble lignin-derived compounds.

43. The method of claim 1 wherein the first fermentation product is selected from the group consisting of sugars, sugar alcohols, alcohols, organic acids, unsaturated acids, carboxylic esters, unsaturated esters, anhydrides, aldehydes, ketones, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, fuels, biodiesel and combinations thereof.

24. A method of making a first product, the method comprising:

producing a mixture comprising a liquid, a first sugar, a second sugar, and a saccharified cellulosic or lignocellulosic residue material produced by saccharification of an irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and

fermenting the first sugar to produce the first product.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the second sugar is produced at a concentration of at least about 20 g/L.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

filtering the slurry to provide a filtrate comprising a liquid solution of the second sugar and the residue.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising isolating the first product from the second sugar by distilling the first product.

28. A method of making a second fermentation product, the method comprising:

producing a mixture comprising a liquid, a first sugar, a second sugar, and a saccharified cellulosic or lignocellulosic residue material produced by saccharification of an irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and

fermenting the first sugar to produce a first product, isolating the first product leaving at least a second sugar and fermentation byproducts, and fermenting the second sugar to produce a second product.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising isolating the second product from unfermented sugars and fermentation solids.

30. The method of claim 29 comprising isolating the second product by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the first or second product is selected from the group consisting of sugars, sugar alcohols, alcohols, organic acids, unsaturated acids, carboxylic esters, unsaturated esters, anhydrides, aldehydes, ketones, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, fuels, biodiesel and combinations thereof.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein the product of the fermentation is an organic acid.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the product is acetic or butyric acid.