Product and processes from an integrated forest biorefinery

• US 8,668,806 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Original Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Inventors: Amidon, Thomas E., Francis, Raymond, Scott, Gary M., Bartholomew, Jeremy, Ramarao, Bandaru V., Wood, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fortuna, Jose
• Application Number:
  US13/683,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20130112359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 162/14, 162/17, 162/19, 162/24, 162/26, 162/29, 162/30.11, 162 41- 43, 162/47, 162/52, 162/55, 162 63- 67, 162/70, 162/72, 162/78, 162/82, 162/87
• US Class Current: 162/14
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 1/02 with water or steam
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 11/0007 Recovery of by-products, i.e. compounds other than those necessary for pulping, for multiple uses or not otherwise provided for volatile compounds obtained by decomposition of spent liquors in order to regenerate them D21C11/125; compounds obtained by fractionating the liquors in order to regenerate them D21C11/0042
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 3/00 Pulping cellulose-containing materials digesters D21C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 3/02 with inorganic bases or alkaline reacting compounds, e.g. sulfate processes
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 3/04 with acids, acid salts or acid anhydrides D21C3/003 and D21C3/222 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 3/222 Use of compounds accelerating the pulping processes
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 5/005 Treatment of cellulose-containing material with microorganisms or enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/1057 Multistage, with compounds cited in more than one sub-group D21C9/10, D21C9/12, D21C9/16
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/1063 with compounds not otherwise provided for, e.g. activated gases
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/123 with Cl2O
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/147 with oxygen or its allotropic modifications D21C9/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/163 with peroxides
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/02 Chemical or chemomechanical or chemothermomechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/08 Mechanical or thermomechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/10 Mixtures of chemical and mechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/005 Microorganisms or enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/32 Bleaching agents bleaching cellulose pulp D21C9/10

Abstract

An omnibus process of pulping and bleaching lignocellulosic materials in which a charge of a lignocellulosic material is biopulped and/or water extracted prior to pulping and bleaching. The lignocellulosic material may be mechanically pulped and bleached in the presence of an enzyme that breaks lignin-carbohydrate complexes. The aqueous extract in embodiments including a water extract step is separated into acetic acid and hemicellulose sugar aqueous solutions.

Claims

1. A method of producing a paper product, the method comprising:

(a) providing a charge of lignocellulosic material;

(b) contacting the charge of lignocellulosic material with water, the water and charge of lignocellulosic material maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 130°

C. and about 180°

C. and lowering the pH to between about 3 and about 6.9 by producing acid from the reaction of the water and lignocellulosic material for a period in the range of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours, wherein an aqueous extract and extracted lignocellulosic materials are obtained and wherein the acid comprises acetic acid;

(c) pulping the extracted lignocellulosic materials to produce a pulp, wherein the pulp has a viscosity of greater than about 30 cP;

(d) recovering hydrolyzate from the pulp;

(e) contacting the pulp with at least one alkali;

(f) mechanically refining the pulp; and

(g) forming the paper product using the pulp.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the paper product is a paperboard product.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the paperboard product is selected from the group consisting of folding boxboard, kraft board, solid bleached board, container board, corrugated medium, a molded product and linerboard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulping step (c) is effectuated by a process selected from the group consisting of mechanical pulping, chemical pulping and a combination of mechanical and chemical pulping.

5. The pulp according to claim 1, wherein the pulp has a specific surface area between about 15,000 cm²/g and about 25,000 cm²/g.

6. The pulp according to claim 1, wherein the pulp has a specific volume between about 2.75 cm³/g and about 3.75 cm³/g.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the water and charge of lignocellulosic material are maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 140°

C. and about 180°

C.

8. A method of producing a pulp, the method comprising:

(a) providing a charge of lignocellulosic material;

(b) contacting the charge of lignocellulosic material with water, the water and charge of lignocellulosic material maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 130°

C. and about 180°

C. and lowering the pH to between about 3 and about 6.9 by producing acid from the reaction of the water and lignocellulosic material for a period in the range of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours, wherein an aqueous extract and extracted lignocellulosic materials are obtained and wherein the acid comprises acetic acid; and

(c) pulping the extracted lignocellulosic materials to produce the pulp, wherein the pulp has a viscosity of greater than about 30 cP.

9. The pulp according to claim 8, wherein the pulp has a specific surface area between about 15,000 cm²/g and about 25,000 cm²/g.

10. The pulp according to claim 8, wherein the pulp has a specific volume between about 2.75 cm³/g and about 3.75 cm³/g.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the water and charge of lignocellulosic material are maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 140°

C. and about 180°

C.

12. A method of producing a pulp, the method comprising:

(a) providing a charge of lignocellulosic material;

(b) contacting the charge of lignocellulosic material with water, the water and charge of lignocellulosic material maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 130°

C. and about 180°

C. and lowering the pH to between about 3 and about 6.9 by producing acid from the reaction of the water and lignocellulosic material for a period in the range of between about 10 minutes and about 6 hours, wherein an aqueous extract and extracted lignocellulosic materials are obtained and wherein the acid comprises acetic acid;

(c) pulping the extracted lignocellulosic materials to produce the pulp; and

(d) refining the pulp, wherein the pulp has a viscosity of greater than about 30 cP.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of forming a paper product with the pulp.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the paper product is a paperboard product.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the paperboard product is selected from the group consisting of folding boxboard, kraft board, solid bleached board, solid unbleached board, container board, corrugated medium, a molded product and linerboard.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the pulping step (c) is effectuated by a process selected from the group consisting of mechanical pulping, chemical pulping and a combination of mechanical and chemical pulping.

17. The pulp according to claim 12, wherein the pulp has a specific surface area between about 15,000 cm²/g and about 25,000 cm²/g.

18. The pulp according to claim 12, wherein the pulp has a specific volume between about 2.75 cm³/g and about 3.75 cm³/g.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the water and charge of lignocellulosic material are maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 140°

C. and about 180°

C.