HIGH FORCE AND HIGH STRESS DESTRUCTURING OF CELLULOSIC BIOMASS

• US 20150147311A1
• Filed: 11/18/2014
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dupont US Holding, LLC (International Flavors & Fragrances Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: De Silva, Wathudura Indika Namal, Fagan, Paul Joseph, Gallagher, F. Glenn, Huang, Zheng-Zheng, Liu, Guangliang Gary, Perelman, Aaron, Romero Millan, Luis Fernando, Shpilsky, Anton, Slanac, Daniel A., Walsh, Maria
• Granted Patent: US 10,227,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/94.61
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/30 from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes, e.g. using yeasts or enzymes, A23K10/10
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 20/189 Enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/717 Celluloses
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 38/47 acting on glycosyl compounds (3.2), e.g. cellulases, lactases
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 30/02 Preparatory treatment, e.g. crushing of raw materials or steeping process machines for preliminary washing A23N
• CPC Class Codes: C08B 30/12 Degraded, destructured or non-chemically modified starch , e.g. mechanically, enzymatically or by irradiation; Bleaching of starch preparation of chemical derivatives of starch C08B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• 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 19/20 produced by the action of an exo-1,4 alpha-glucosidase, e.g. dextrose
• 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: C12P 7/14 Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01004 Cellulase (3.2.1.4), i.e. endo-1,4-beta-glucanase
• 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: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

A process for mechanical destructuring of cellulosic biomass was developed that makes use of a short application of high compression, impact, and shearing forces. The biomass may be destructured using a specific energy input that is less than 40% of the total combustible energy of the biomass. The destructured biomass, with or without saccharification and/or in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzymes, may be used in feed applications.

Claims

1. A process for producing destructured cellulosic biomass comprising:

a) providing a portion of cellulosic biomass; and

b) applying to the biomass of (a) at least one set of compression and impact forces of at least 5,000 N combined with shearing forces;

wherein contact stress of greater than 5,000 psi is applied to the biomass and wherein a destructured cellulosic biomass is produced.

3. The process of claim 1 or 2 wherein the biomass of (a) is contacted with a pretreatment chemical prior to, during, or after (b).

5. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the stress is greater than about 8,000 psi.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the stress is greater than about 13,000 psi.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the forces are imparted using a non-vibratory apparatus which does not contain free flowing media.

8. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the forces are imparted by centrifugal motion, hydraulics, or springs.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the forces are imparted by centrifugal motion and the Radii Ratio is less than 0.5.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the forces are imparted by centrifugal motion and the Radii Ratio is less than 0.4.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein the forces are imparted by centrifugal motion and the Radii Ratio is about 0.33.

12. The process of claim 1 or 3 wherein specific energy input in the process is less than 40% of the total combustible energy of the portion of biomass being treated.

13. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 further comprising contacting the destructured biomass with at least one saccharification enzyme or saccharification chemical under suitable conditions for saccharification wherein sugars are produced, wherein the combined sugars yield of glucose and glucose oligomers and of xylose and xylose oligomers is at least about 15% greater on a total possible sugars yield basis compared to the yield from the biomass of (a) that does not have forces applied as in (b).

14. The process according to claim 13 wherein the at least one saccharification enzyme comprises at least the following activities endoglucanase activity and β

-glucosidase activity.

15. The process of claim 1, 2, 3, 13, or 14 further comprising admixing the destructured biomass with at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein said at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme(s) comprises at least the following enzyme activities:

cellulase activity and hemi-cellulase activity.

17. The process of claim 15 wherein said at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme(s) comprises at least the following enzyme activities:

endoglucanase activity, endoxylanase activity and β

-glucosidase activity.

18. The process according to claim 17 wherein the at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme(s) comprises a further enzyme comprising one or both of the following activities:

exoglucosidase activity and/or lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase activity.

19. The process of claim 13, 14, or 15 wherein the combined yield of glucose, glucose oligomers, xylose, and xylose oligomers is at least about 50% of total possible yield of these sugars.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein the yield of glucose and glucose oligomers is at least 60%.

21. The process of claim 19 wherein the yield of xylose and xylose oligomers is at least 60%.

22. The process of claim 19 wherein the yield of glucose and glucose oligomers is at least 60% and the yield of xylose and xylose oligomers is at least 60%.

23. The process of claim 13 wherein the at least one enzyme is a saccharification enzyme consortium including at least one glycosidase.

24. The process of claim 13 wherein the saccharification chemical is a mineral acid or an organic solvent.

25. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the destructured biomass has a coherent domain size that is less than about 2.5 nm.

26. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein each individual application of force occurs in less than ten milliseconds.

27. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein compression and impact forces applied to the biomass are applied by smooth surfaces.

28. The process of claim 1 wherein G-force is applied at less than 10 G.

29. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein at least one set of compression and impact forces is at least about 10,000 N.

30. The process of claim 29 wherein at least one set of compression and impact forces is at least about 50,000 N.

31. The process of claim 30 wherein at least one set of compression and impact forces is at least about 100,000 N.

32. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein when compression and impact forces are applied to a biomass having a particle size of at least 0.635 cm in at least one dimension.

33. The process of claim 8 wherein the compression and impact forces are imparted by centrifugal motion by moving an object with a mass of at least 100 kilograms.

34. The process of claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the biomass is selected from the group consisting of corn stover, corn cob, corn grain fiber, grasses, beet pulp, wheat straw, wheat chaff, oat straw, barley straw, barley hulls, hay, rice straw, rice hulls, switchgrass, miscanthus, cord grass, reed canary grass, waste paper, sugar cane bagasse, sorghum bagasse, sorghum stover, soybean stover, components obtained from milling of grains, trees, branches, roots, leaves, wood chips, sawdust, palm waste, shrubs and bushes, vegetables, fruits, flowers and animal manure.

35. The process of claim 13 further comprising fermenting the glucose, xylose, or glucose and xylose using a biocatalyst to produce a target compound.

36. Cellulosic biomass obtainable by the process of claim 1, 2, or 3 comprising cellulose having a coherent domain size that is less than about 2.5 nm and having a processed energy equivalency of greater than 60%.

37. A feed additive composition comprising a destructured biomass obtainable (e.g. obtained) by the process of any one of claims 1-34.

38. A feed additive composition comprising a destructured biomass obtainable (e.g. obtained) by the process of any one of claims 1-14 or 19-34 in combination with at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme.

39. A feed additive kit comprising a first container comprising a destructured biomass obtainable (e.g. obtained) by the process of any one of claims 1-14 or 19-34 and a second container comprising at least one in-feed glycosyl hydrolase enzyme, and instructions for co-administering same.

40. A feed or feedstuff comprising a feed additive composition according to claim 37 or claim 38.

41. A premix comprising a feed additive composition according to claim 37 or claim 38, and at least one mineral and/or at least one vitamin.

42. A method for improving a biophysical characteristic of an animal which method comprises administering to an animal a feed additive composition according to claim 37 or claim 38 or a feed according to claim 40 or a premix according to claim 41.

43. Use of a feed additive composition according to claim 37 or claim 38 or a feed according to claim 40 or a premix according to claim 41 for improving a biophysical characteristic of an animal.

44. The method of claim 42 or the use of claim 43 wherein the biophysical characteristic is selected from the group consisting of one or more of the following:

performance of the animal, growth performance of an animal, feed conversion ratio (FCR), ability to digest a raw material (e.g. nutrient digestibility, including starch, fat, protein, fibre digestibility), nitrogen retention, carcass yield, growth rate, weight gain, body weight, mass, feed efficiency, body fat percentage, body fat distribution, growth, egg size, egg weight, egg mass, egg laying rate, and environmental impact, e.g. manure output and/or nitrogen excretion.

45. A method of preparing a feedstuff comprising contacting a feed component with a feed additive composition according to claim 37 or claim 38.

2. A process for producing destructured cellulosic biomass comprising:

a) providing a portion of cellulosic biomass; and

b) applying to the biomass of (a) at least one set of compression and impact forces of at least 1,500 N combined with shearing forces, and contact stress of greater than 5,000 psi;

wherein specific energy input in the process is less than 40% of the total combustible energy of the portion of biomass being treated and wherein a destructured cellulosic biomass is produced.

4. The process of claim 2 wherein the compression and impact forces are at least 3,000 N.