Upgrading process streams

• US 9,637,802 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Cooper, Christopher, Mukherjee, Maia Stapleton
• Primary Examiner(s): Phasge, Arun S
• Application Number:
  US14/299,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20140318969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 205530, 205541
• 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 (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. Systems, methods and equipment are described for upgrading process streams using electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

pretreating a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material with ionizing radiation;

saccharifying the radiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to obtain saccharified biomass liquids; and

removing salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids, from the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a first electrodialysis system and converting the removed salt to its neutralized form utilizing a second electrodialysis system, wherein the second electrodialysis system comprises a bipolar membrane electrodialysis system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electrodialysis system utilizes electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation is in the form of accelerated electrons.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more enzymes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more acids.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids prior to electrodialysis is between about 500 and about 50,000 μ

S/cm, and wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids after electrodialysis in the first electrodialysis system is between 1 and 100 μ

S/cm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids removed utilizing the electrodialysis system comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of P, K, Mg, Na, Ca, S, O, Mn, Al, Zn, Si, Cl and Fe.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising purifying the saccharified biomass liquids by a method selected from the group consisting of chromatography, filtration, centrifugation, precipitation, distillation, complexation and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein precipitation comprises addition of one or more solvents or non-solvents to precipitate one or more undesired components.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, ethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is methanol.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more fermentation products.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise liquids that have had a fermentation product distilled therefrom.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fermentation product is an alcohol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising decolorizing the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a decolorizing agent.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the decolorizing agent is selected from the group consisting of powdered carbon, granular carbon, extruded carbon, bone char carbon, bead activated carbon, stryenic resins, acrylic resins, magnetic resins, decolorizing clays, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, hormite and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein after decolorizing the color of the solution is less than about 100 color units.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the first electrodialysis system comprises applying a voltage of between about 10 and 150V across ion selective membranes while flowing the saccharified biomass liquids past the membranes.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more saccharides.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids include a sugar selected from the group consisting of xylose, glucose, arabinose, fructose and mixtures thereof.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the sugar includes xylose and the purity of the xylose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is at least about 80 wt. %.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the sugar includes arabinose and the purity of the arabinose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is about 0 to 1 wt. %.