Methods and systems for processing a sucrose crop and sugar mixtures

• US 9,476,106 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virdia LLC (Stora Enso Oyj)
• Original Assignee: Virdia, Inc. (Stora Enso Oyj)
• Inventors: Eyal, Aharon, Jansen, Robert, Vitner, Asher, Mali, Revital
• Primary Examiner(s): Reifsnyder, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/807,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20140190470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C13B 10/02 Expressing juice from sugar cane or similar material, e.g. sorghum saccharatum
• CPC Class Codes: C13B 5/04 Shredding sugar cane
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 11/00 Fructose separation from invert sugar C13K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/00 Sugars not otherwise provided for in this class
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

A method comprising: (a) providing a partially processed sucrose crop product containing at least 2% optionally at least 5% of the sucrose content of said crop at harvest on a dry solids basis, cellulose and lignin; (b) hydrolyzing said partially processed crop product with HCl to produce an acid hydrolyzate stream and a lignin stream; and (c) de-acidifying said hydrolyzate stream to produce a de-acidified sugar solution and an HCl recovery stream. Additional, methods, systems and sugar mixtures are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to mannose of at least 0.4, wherein said hydrolysate mixture further comprises hydroxymethylfurfural.

2. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 1, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to mannose does not exceed 4.8.

3. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 1, further characterized by a ratio of fructose to total dimeric sugars of at least 0.05.

4. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 3, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to total dimeric sugars does not exceed 0.6.

19. A method comprising:

(a) providing a fermentor; and

(b) fermenting a medium comprising the hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to any one of claim 1, 5, 10, 12, or 14 in the fermentor to produce a fermentation product.

5. A hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to xylose of at least 0.4, wherein said hydrolysate mixture further comprises hydroxymethylfurfural.

6. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 5, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to xylose does not exceed 4.6.

7. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 6, further characterized by a ratio of fructose to galactose of between 0.3 and 3.2.

8. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 7, further characterized by a ratio of fructose to total monomeric sugars of between 0.023 and 0.2.

9. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 6, further characterized by a ratio of fructose to total monomeric sugars of between 0.023 and 0.2.

10. A hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to galactose of at least 0.3, wherein said hydrolysate mixture further comprises hydroxymethylfurfural.

11. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 10, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to galactose does not exceed 3.2.

12. A hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to arabinose of at least 1.0, wherein said hydrolysate mixture further comprises hydroxymethylfurfural.

13. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 12, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to arabinose does not exceed 11.

14. A hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to total monomeric sugars of at least 0.023, wherein said hydrolysate mixture further comprises hydroxymethylfurfural.

15. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 14, characterized in that said ratio of fructose to total monomeric sugars does not exceed 0.2.

16. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 14, characterized by a ratio of fructose to mannose of at least 0.4.

17. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 14, characterized by a ratio of fructose to xylose of at least 0.4.

18. The hydrolysate mixture of sugars according to claim 14, characterized by a ratio of fructose to galactose of at least 0.3.

20. An acid hydrolysate mixture of sugars characterized by a ratio of fructose to mannose of at least 0.4, wherein the acid hydrolysate mixture of sugars was produced by contacting a partially processed crop with an acid.