Processing biomass

• US 9,534,242 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): UNDERDAHL, THANE E
• Application Number:
  US14/745,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20150284755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/44 Mixing of ingredients for microbiology, enzymology, in vitro culture or genetic manipulation
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231 by bubbling mixers with gas or liquid agitation, e.g. with air supply tubes B01F33/40
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2331 characterised by the introduction of the gas along the axis of the stirrer or along the stirrer elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23341 with tubes surrounding the stirrer
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/211 the injectors being surrounded by guiding tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/2122 Rotating during jetting
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/2125 Moving to adjust the direction of jetting, the injectors being fixed during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/50 Circulation mixers, e.g. wherein at least part of the mixture is discharged from and reintroduced into a receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/091 with elements co-operating with receptacle wall or bottom, e.g. for scraping the receptacle wall
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/1122 anchor-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/2122 Hollow shafts
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/7111 the guiding means being tubes surrounding the propellers
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/12 for producing fuels or solvents C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/18 Apparatus specially designed for the use of free, immobilized or carrier-bound enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 27/00 Means for mixing, agitating or circulating fluids in the vessel by introduction of gas C12M29/06, C12M29/14, mixing in general or mixers per se B01F; mixing in apparatus for chemical or physical processes B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/06 Nozzles; Sprayers; Spargers; Diffusers per se B01F23/231, B01J19/26
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/34 of gas
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/48 Automatic or computerized control automatic analysis G01N35/00
• 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 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• 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

Biomass feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can convert feedstock materials to a sugar solution, which can then be fermented to produce ethanol. Biomass feedstock is saccharified in a vessel by operation of a jet mixer, the vessel also containing a fluid medium and a saccharifying agent.

Claims

1. A method of saccharifying lignocellulosic material, the method comprising:

providing in a vessel, a slurry comprising a lignocellulosic material, water, and an enzyme, the slurry having greater than 20 weight percent solids; and

drawing slurry material from the vessel and jetting the slurry material into the vessel, while saccharifying at least a portion of the lignocellulosic material, producing a sugar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein jetting the slurry material comprises providing a jet mixer having a nozzle, and directing the slurry material through the nozzle under pressure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a pump generates the pressure, the nozzle being in fluid communication with the pump.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the nozzle comprises a shroud surrounding an impeller, the impeller configured to provide jet flow through the nozzle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the jet mixer directs slurry material in a first direction through a first end of a nozzle when operating in a first mode, and in a second direction through a second end of the nozzle when operating in a second mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein jetting the slurry material comprises directing the slurry material through a plurality of nozzles under pressure, the pressure generated by one or more pumps, each of the plurality of nozzles being in fluid communication with at least one of the one or more pumps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein jetting the slurry material comprises drawing slurry material through an inlet to a pump, the inlet being in fluid communication with the vessel;

and pumping the slurry material through a nozzle under pressure, the nozzle being in fluid communication with the pump.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pump is located outside of the vessel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the inlet draws slurry material from near the surface of the slurry in the vessel.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the inlet draws slurry material from near the bottom surface of the vessel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the slurry material jets into the vessel through a nozzle at a velocity between 5 to 150 meters per second.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein jetting the slurry material into the vessel causes a secondary entrained flow of aqueous slurry material in the vessel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein jetting the slurry material into the vessel provides effective mixing in the vessel while minimizing damage to the enzyme.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel has a flat bottom surface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel has an arcuate bottom surface.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel has a volume of at least 4,000 L.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel has a volume of at least 40,000 L.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial solids concentration of the lignocellulosic material in the slurry is at least 20 weight percent, and wherein the lignocellulosic material comprises corn cob.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic material has been exposed to irradiation, the irradiation provided by one or more of:

an ion beam and an electron beam.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the lignocellulosic material has received at least at least 10 Mrad of irradiation.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the lignocellulosic material has received irradiation at a dose rate of at least 1 Mrad per second.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic material has a bulk density of less than about 0.5 g/cm³.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the enzyme comprises a cellulase.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising fermenting at least a portion of the sugar with a microorganism.