Processing biomass

• US 9,677,039 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Drodge, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/221,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20140206077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 3661512, 3661526, 3661632, 3661651, 366142, 366132, 366134, 366135, 3661731, 3661732, 366 2, 366 47, 366249, 366250, 366297, 366300, 4352891, 127 2, 127 3, 127 9, 127 14, 127 461, 44307, 44605, 44606
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/61 Glucose, Dextrose
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/211 the injectors being surrounded by guiding tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/212 the injectors being movable, e.g. rotating
• 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 27/117 Stirrers provided with conical-shaped elements, e.g. funnel-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/403 for mixing liquids B01F33/402, B01F33/405, B01F33/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/406 in receptacles with gas supply only at the bottom B01F33/405 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/408 Controlling
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 27/02 Stirrer or mobile mixing elements
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/48 Automatic or computerized control automatic analysis G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/02 by mechanical forces; Stirring; Trituration; Comminuting crushing, pulverizing, disintegrating in general B02C
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/00 Preparation of compounds containing saccharide radicals ketoaldonic acids C12P7/58
• 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 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 system comprising:

a vessel having an arcuate bottom surface;

a delivery system for delivering a lignocellulosic feedstock and a liquid medium to the vessel; and

a jet mixer, disposed within the vessel, the jet mixer comprising a jet-flow agitator having an impeller mounted at the distal end of a shaft and a shroud surrounding the impeller, a longitudinal axis of the shaft of the jet flow agitator being offset laterally from a longitudinal axis of the vessel; and

a monitoring device configured to monitor the sugar concentration and/or ethanol concentration of the liquid in the vessel and coupled to a fermentation control module.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the delivery system is configured to deliver a feedstock having a bulk density of less than about 0.5 g/cm³.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the jet mixer comprises a plurality of jet-flow agitators, each jet-flow agitator being configured to operate reversibly, pumping fluid towards the top of the vessel in a first mode, and towards the bottom of the vessel in a second mode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring a device is configured to monitor a glucose level of the liquid medium during operation of the jet mixer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the vessel comprises a tank.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the tank has a volume of at least 4000 L.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the tank has a volume of at least 40000 L.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the jet mixer comprises a motor having a power of at least 10 hp.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the motor has a power of at least 20 hp.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a saccharifying agent delivery device configured to deliver a metered amount of saccharifying agent to the tank.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the motor is capable of operating at 500 to 20,000 RPM.

12. The system of claim 5 wherein the tank comprises a port for removing material from the tank.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the jet mixer comprises a motor configured so that the torque of the motor is self-adjusting to maintain a relatively constant impeller speed.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the jet mixer further comprises a motor, and the system further comprises a torque monitor that monitors torque of the motor during mixing, and/or an amp monitor that monitors a full load amperage of the motor.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a controller that adjusts the operation of the feedstock delivery device and/or of a saccharifying agent delivery device based on input from the torque monitor.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising a heat monitoring system configured to monitor the temperature of the liquid medium and adjust a feed rate of the feedstock by the delivery system and/or the torque or full load amperage of the motor in response to increases in temperature.