METHODS OF PRODUCING SUGARS FROM BIOMASS FEEDSTOCKS

• US 20140060522A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DSM Nutritional Products Incorporated (DSM-Firmenich AG)
• Original Assignee: Midori Renewables Inc. (DSM-Firmenich AG)
• Inventors: BAYNES, Brian M., GEREMIA, John M., ANDOH, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,238,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 127/30
• 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 7/10 substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/007 Separation of sugars provided for in subclass C13K C13K3/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

Provided herein are catalysts useful in non-enzymatic saccharification processes. The catalysts can be polymeric catalysts or solid-supported catalysts with acidic and ionic moieties. Provided are also methods for hydrolyzing cellulosic materials into monosaccharides and/or oligosaccharides using the catalysts described herein.

Claims

1. A method of producing one or more sugars from feedstock, by:

a) providing a first composition comprising feedstock selected from softwood, hardwood, cassava, bagasse, sugarbeet pulp, straw, paper sludge, oil palm, corn stover, food waste, enzymatic digestion residuals, beer bottoms, and any combination thereof; and

b) providing an effective amount of a catalyst composition to form a reaction mixture,

wherein the catalyst is a polymeric catalyst or a solid-supported catalyst,

wherein the polymeric catalyst includes acidic monomers and ionic monomers connected to form a polymeric backbone, wherein a plurality of acidic monomers independently includes at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid, and wherein a plurality of ionic monomers independently includes at least one nitrogen-containing cationic group, at least one phosphorous-containing cationic group, or a combination thereof,

wherein the solid-supported catalyst includes a solid support, acidic moieties attached to the solid support, and ionic moieties attached to the solid support, wherein a plurality of acidic moieties independently includes at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid, and wherein a plurality of ionic moieties independently includes at least one nitrogen-containing cationic group, at least one phosphorous-containing cationic group, or a combination thereof; and

c) degrading the feedstock in the reaction mixture to produce a liquid phase and a solid phase, wherein the liquid phase includes one or more sugars, and the solid phase includes residual feedstock.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

d) isolating at least a portion of the liquid phase from the solid phase;

and

e) recovering the one or more sugars from the isolated liquid phase.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the first composition with a solvent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the residual feedstock comprises at least a portion of the catalyst composition.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising isolating at least a portion of the catalyst composition from the residual feedstock.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein isolating the at least a portion of the liquid phase from the solid phase in step (d) produces a residual feedstock mixture, and the method further includes:

i) providing additional feedstock;

ii) contacting the additional feedstock with the residual feedstock mixture;

iii) degrading the additional feedstock and the residual feedstock mixture to produce a second liquid phase and a second solid phase, wherein the second liquid phase includes one or more additional sugars, and wherein the second solid phase includes additional residual feedstock;

iv) isolating at least a portion of the second liquid phase from the second solid phase; and

v) recovering the one or more additional sugars from the isolated second liquid phase.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the feedstock and the additional feedstock are the same type of feedstock.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the residual feedstock mixture comprises at least a portion of the catalyst composition.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising adding at least a portion of the catalyst composition to the additional feedstock and the residual feedstock mixture.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional feedstock comprises at least a portion of the catalyst composition.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sugars are selected from one or more monosaccharides, one or more oligosaccharides, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more sugars are selected from one or more monosaccharides, one or more oligosaccharides, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising pretreating the feedstock before combining the feedstock with the catalyst.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising pretreating the additional feedstock before combining the additional feedstock with the residual feedstock mixture.

15. A composition comprising:

feedstock selected from softwood, hardwood, cassava, bagasse, sugarbeet pulp, straw, paper sludge, oil palm, corn stover, food waste, enzymatic digestion residuals, beer bottoms, and any combination thereof; and

an effective amount of catalyst, wherein the catalyst comprises acidic monomers and ionic monomers connected to form a polymeric backbone, wherein a plurality of the acidic monomers independently comprise at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid, wherein one or more of the acidic monomers comprises a linker connecting the Bronsted-Lowry acid to the polymeric backbone, wherein a plurality of ionic monomers independently comprise at least one nitrogen-containing cationic group or phosphorous-containing cationic group, and wherein one or more of the ionic monomers comprises a linker connecting the nitrogen-containing cationic group or the phosphorous-containing cationic group to the polymeric backbone.

16. The composition of claim 15, further comprising a solvent.

17. The composition of claim 15, wherein the feedstock comprises cellulose, hemicellulose, or a combination thereof.

18. A chemically-hydrolyzed biomass composition comprising:

a catalyst selected from a polymeric catalyst or a solid-supported catalyst,

wherein the polymeric catalyst includes acidic monomers and ionic monomers connected to form a polymeric backbone, wherein a plurality of acidic monomers independently includes at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid, and wherein a plurality of ionic monomers independently includes at least one nitrogen-containing cationic group, at least one phosphorous-containing cationic group, or a combination thereof,

wherein the solid-supported catalyst includes a solid support, acidic moieties attached to the solid support, and ionic moieties attached to the solid support, wherein a plurality of acidic moieties independently includes at least one Bronsted-Lowry acid, and wherein a plurality of ionic moieties independently includes at least one nitrogen-containing cationic group, at least one phosphorous-containing cationic group, or a combination thereof;

one or more sugars; and

residual feedstock.

19. The composition according to claim 18, wherein the one or more monosaccharides are one or more C4-C6 monosaccharides.

20. The composition of claim 19, wherein the one or more monosaccharides are selected from glucose, galactose, fructose, xylose, arabinose, and any combination thereof.

21. The composition of claim 18, wherein the catalyst is a polymeric catalyst or a solid-supported catalyst.

22. The composition of claim 21, wherein the solid support comprises a material, wherein the material is selected from carbon, silica, silica gel, alumina, magnesia, titania, zirconia, clays, magnesium silicate, silicon carbide, zeolites, ceramics, and any combinations thereof.