Process for producing ethanol
First Claim
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1. A method to produce ethanol, comprising:
- a. treating a material containing cellulose, hemicellulose or mixtures thereof, to produce a fermentation medium;
b. culturing a homofermentative organism in the fermentation medium to produce acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof; and
c. chemically converting the acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof into ethanol.
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Abstract
A process for producing ethanol including a combination of biochemical and synthetic conversions results in high yield ethanol production with concurrent production of high value coproducts. An acetic acid intermediate is produced from carbohydrates, such as corn, using enzymatic milling and fermentation steps, followed by conversion of the acetic acid into ethanol using esterification and hydrogenation reactions. Coproducts can include corn oil, and high protein animal feed containing the biomass produced in the fermentation.
158 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method to produce ethanol, comprising:
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a. treating a material containing cellulose, hemicellulose or mixtures thereof, to produce a fermentation medium; b. culturing a homofermentative organism in the fermentation medium to produce acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof; and c. chemically converting the acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof into ethanol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method to produce ethanol, comprising:
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a. treating wood with at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of an amylase, a glycosidase, a xylonase, a cellulase, and a protease, to produce a fermentation medium; b. culturing a homofermentative organism of the genus Clostridium in the fermentation medium to produce acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof; and c. chemically converting the acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof into ethanol. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method to produce ethanol, comprising:
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a. subjecting wood to acid hydrolysis using a strong mineral acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and perchloric acid, to produce a fermentation medium; b. culturing a homofermentative organism of the genus Clostridium in the fermentation medium to produce acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof; and c. chemically converting the acetic acid, acetate or mixtures thereof into ethanol. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification