Processing biomass and petroleum containing materials

• US 9,186,646 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCAIG, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/482,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20140374237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/08 Processes employing the direct application of electric or wave energy, or particle radiation; Apparatus therefor application of shock waves B01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/081 employing particle radiation or gamma-radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/08 Processes employing the direct application of electric or wave energy, or particle radiation; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 1/00 Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof , e.g. pre-treatment, pre-soaking, activation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/00 Catalytic cracking, in the absence of hydrogen, of hydrocarbon oils cracking in direct contact with molten metals or salts C10G9/34
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 15/10 by particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1011 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oxygen-containing organic materials, e.g. fatty oils, fatty acids production from non-melting solid oxygen-containing carbonaceous materials C10G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/00 Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/04 essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/02 for internal combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2270/04 for turbines, planes, power generation
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/02 Combustion or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/06 Heat exchange, direct or indirect
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/26 Composting, fermenting or anaerobic digestion fuel components or materials from which fuels are prepared
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/34 Applying ultrasonic energy
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 : Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/543 : Distillation, fractionation or rectification for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• 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 5/00 : Preparation of hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/02 : acyclic C12P5/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/023 : Methane
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/02 : containing a hydroxy group
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 : acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/14 : Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 : Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1007 : with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised H01M8/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1013 : Other direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/16 : Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/22 : Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising carbon or oxygen or hydrogen and other elements; Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising only elements other than carbon, oxygen or hydrogen
• 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 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

directing charged particles having a mass greater than or equal to the mass of a proton to pass through a fluid, the fluid having been selectively introduced into the path of the charged particles based, at least in part, on an expected dose profile resulting from interaction between the charged particles and the biomass; and

then

directing the charged particles to be incident on a biomass material, the fluid being effective, at least in part, to impart a particular dose profile upon the biomass material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprise ions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprise two or more different types of ions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles are negatively charged.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ions, carbon ions, oxygen ions, nitrogen ions, halogen ions, and noble gas ions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, hydrogen, and reactive gases.

7. A method of treating biomass, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of negatively charged ions, and accelerating the negatively charged ions to a first energy;

removing a plurality of electrons from at least some of the negatively charged ions to form positively charged ions; and

accelerating the positively charged ions to a second energy;

adjusting the energy distribution of the positively charged ions using one or more output coupling elements, the adjusting based, at least in part, on an expected dose profile resulting from interaction between the positively charged ions and the biomass; and

directing the positively charged ions to be incident on the biomass.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein removing the plurality of electrons from at least some of the negatively charged ions comprises directing the negatively charged ions to be incident on a metal foil.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein accelerating the negatively charged ions to a first energy comprises directing the ions to pass through a plurality of electrodes at different electrostatic potentials.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising altering trajectories of the positively charged ions before the ions are accelerated to the second energy.

11. A method of treating biomass, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of charged particles;

accelerating the plurality of charged particles by directing each of the charged particles to make multiple passes through an accelerator cavity; and

exposing the biomass to the accelerated charged particles, to impart a dose profile upon the biomass based, at least in part, on an expected dose profile resulting from interaction between the charged particles and the biomass.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising directing each of the charged particles to make multiple passes through the accelerator cavity, wherein the accelerator cavity comprises a time-dependent electric field.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein an orientation of the electric field is selected to correspond to a direction of motion of the charged particles in the accelerator cavity.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the charged particles comprise ions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ions are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ions, carbon ions, oxygen ions, nitrogen ions, halogen ions, and noble gas ions.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising exposing the biomass to a plurality of electrons.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the acceleration cavity comprises multiple electrodes at different potentials.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the charged particles comprise ions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ions are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ions, carbon ions, oxygen ions, nitrogen ions, halogen ions, and noble gas ions.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising exposing the biomass to a plurality of electrons.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the accelerator cavity comprises multiple waveguides, each waveguide comprising an electromagnetic field.