SUPERCRITICAL FLUID BIOMASS CONVERSION SYSTEMS

• US 20100063271A1
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xtrudx Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xtrudx Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Allan, G. Graham, Loop, Thomas E., Flynn, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,955,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 536/124
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/087 employing electric or magnetic energy
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0854 employing electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/089 Liquid-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/182 horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/008 Processes carried out under supercritical conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0045 by means of a rotary device in the flow channel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/1836 Heating and cooling the reactor B01J8/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/20 with liquid as a fluidising medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/42 with fluidised bed subjected to electric current or to radiations this sub-group includes the fluidised bed subjected to electric or magnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1011 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/54 using solvents, e.g. supercritical solvents or ionic liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 using bio-feedstock

Abstract

Disclosed herein are supercritical fluid biomass conversion machines, systems, and methods for converting a wide range of biomass materials into a plurality of reaction products including fermentable sugars and various aromatic substances. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed that comprises the steps of: providing an extruder; conveying a mixture of the selected biomass material and water through the extruder and into a supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone; heating and further pressurizing the mixture within the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone to yield at least supercritical water, wherein heat energy is supplied by means of an induction heating coil positioned circumferentially about the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone; retaining the mixture within the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone for a period of time sufficient to yield the plurality of reaction products; and separating the plurality of reaction products into at least a water soluble fraction and an organic solvent soluble fraction.

Claims

1. A method for converting a selected biomass material into a plurality of reaction products, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an elongated biomass conveying zone that contains two or more elongated rotatable shafts having a plurality of flighted screws positioned lengthwise within an elongated conveying section housing, wherein the plurality of flighted screws are positioned about each respective two or more elongated rotatable shafts, and wherein the two or more elongated rotatable shafts are configured to continuously convey the selected biomass material together with water from an upstream biomass inlet to a supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone while increasing the pressure of the selected biomass material and water from about atmospheric at the biomass inlet to greater than about 22.1 MPa at the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone;

conveying a mixture of the selected biomass material and water through the elongated biomass conveying zone and into the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone;

heating and further pressurizing the mixture within the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone to yield at least supercritical water, wherein heat energy is supplied by means of an induction heating coil positioned circumferentially about the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone;

retaining the mixture within the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone for a period of time sufficient to yield the plurality of reaction products;

expelling the plurality of reaction products out of the supercritical fluid reaction zone and into a quenching/separation zone; and

separating the plurality of reaction products into at least a water soluble fraction and an organic solvent soluble fraction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the period of time ranges from about 0.4 to about 10 seconds.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of adding a phenolic compound to the plurality of reaction products for retarding the formation of degradation reaction products.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of adding a plurality of electrically conductive particles to the mixture of the selected biomass material and water such that the plurality of electrically conductive particles are heated while passing through the induction coil.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of adding a heat transfer agent to the mixture of the selected biomass material and water such that heat transfer agent is heated while passing through the supercritical fluid biomass conversion zone.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the heat transfer agent is an oil, a metal alloy, or a combination thereof.