Method for treating biomass and organic waste with the purpose of generating desired biologically based products

• US 8,506,716 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cambi Bioethanol APS
• Original Assignee: Cambi Bioethanol APS
• Inventors: Munck, Jens, Ahring, Birgitte Kir
• Primary Examiner(s): Brunsman, David M
• Application Number:
  US11/575,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,881 Days
• Field of Search: 127/36, 127/37, 127/42, 127/43, 127/44, 127/45, 162/21, 162/65, 162/78
• US Class Current: 127/37
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 1/003 Preparation of cellulose solutions, i.e. dopes, with different possible solvents, e.g. ionic liquids solutions used in the manufacture of monocomponent artificial filaments or cellulose or derivatives thereof D01F2/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2201/00 Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/08 produced as by-product or from waste or cellulosic material substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for treatment of lignocellulosic organic waste or biomass, by which the carbohydrates are rendered more available for subsequent hydrolysis, e.g. by means of addition of enzymes or direct fermentation to one or more desired products. The invention more specifically relates to a method comprising a combination of the following process steps: thermal hydrolysis, wet oxidation and wet explosion. The method according to the present invention can operate with undivided or only poorly divided substrate having a high dry matter concentration.

Claims

1. Method for treatment of a material consisting of biomass or organic waste containing lignocellulosic material, wherein said material has particle/fiber sizes between 4 and 50 cm and:

is subjected to thermal hydrolysis at a temperature above 140°

C. maintained for 5-30 minutes followed by

oxidation at a pressure of 15-35 bar and a temperature of 170-210°

C. maintained for 1-30 minutes followed by

wet explosion carried out by means of reducing the pressure from 5-35 bar to atmospheric pressure,

with the aim of rendering carbohydrates of the material more available for a subsequent reaction by enzymatic hydrolysis and/or fermentation.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method is carried out as a batch process.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material contains more than 5% (w/w) lignin.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the material has a dry matter content between 10 and 50%.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the material is chosen from the group consisting of straw, wood, fibres, baits, paper pulp, slurry and household waste.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the material has particle/fiber sizes between 5 and 20 cm.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the material has particle sizes in the range of 5-20 cm.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic material is treated with acid as a pre-treatment step.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal hydrolysis is carried out by means of heating to 140-200°

C. at saturation pressure, and where said conditions are maintained for 5-30 minutes.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the thermal hydrolysis is carried out by means of heating to 160-180°

C.

11. Method according to claim 9, wherein said conditions are maintained for 10-20 minutes.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation is carried out by means of

adding oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and/or air in an amount corresponding to 2-20% of the chemical oxygen demand content of said material,

heating to 180-200°

C., and

maintaining these conditions for 5-25 minutes,

wherein the pressure of the biomass after termination of the oxidation reaction optionally is released to 5-10 bar.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the conditions are maintained for 10-20 minutes.