Processing materials

• US 9,371,550 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Paradis, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): IPPOLITO, NICOLE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US14/299,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20140284501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 250/453.11, 250/454.11, 250/455.11, 250/492.1, 250/492.3, 422/22, 422/23
• 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 feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, novel systems, methods and equipment for conveying and/or cooling treated biomass are described.

Claims

1. A method of processing a biomass material, the method comprising;

providing a biomass material to a first treatment cell equipped with a first electron beam device, irradiating the biomass material with electron beams using the first electron beam device, and cooling and conveying the biomass material with a screw conveyor from the first treatment cell.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the biomass material to a second treatment cell equipped with an second electron beam device and irradiating the biomass material with an electron beam using the second electron beam device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein irradiating with the second electron beam device delivers a dose at a rate of at least 1 Mrad per second to the biomass material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the screw conveyor comprises interior portions that are cooled.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the interior portions are cooled using a chilled liquid.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the interior portions are cooled using water or glycol water mixtures.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling reduces the temperature of the biomass material by between about 1°

C. and 110°

C.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling reduces the temperature of the biomass material by between about 10°

C. and about 75°

C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling reduces the temperature of the biomass material by between about 10°

C. and about 50°

C.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a total dose delivered is between about 1 and 200 Mrad.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a total dose delivered is between about 10 Mrad and about 50 Mrad.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a total dose delivered is between about 20 Mrad and about 40 Mrad.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the biomass material during the irradiation does not exceed about 160°

C.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the biomass material during irradiation increases by between about 75°

C. and about 150°

C.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass comprises a lignocellulosic material.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass is selected from the group consisting of wood, particle board, sawdust, agricultural waste, sewage, silage, grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, switchgrass, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the screw conveyor comprises two or more screws.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating with the first electron beam delivers a dose at a rate of at least 1 Mrad per second to the biomass material.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the screw conveyor has a material inlet and a material discharge, and wherein a difference in temperature of the biomass material between the material at the inlet and at the discharge is less than about 110°

C.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass material is comminuted while it is conveyed.