Patent · US10549241B2 · B2 · US

Enclosures for treating materials

(11) Publication number

US10549241B2

(21) Application number

14/299,002

(22) Filing date

2014-06-09

(30) Priority date

2013-03-08

(43) Publication date

2020-02-04

(45) Date of grant

2020-02-04

(51) IPC

B01D 15/02; B01D 53/32; B01D 61/44; B01J 19/08; B65G 27/00; B65G 53/04; B65G 53/40; C07C 29/149; C07C 31/12; C10G 1/00; C10L 1/02; C10L 9/08; C12M 1/00; C12P 19/02; C12P 19/14; C12P 7/04; C12P 7/06; C12P 7/10; C12P 7/52; C12P 7/56; C13K 1/02; C13K 13/00; D21C 9/00; E04B 1/92; G21F 7/00; H01J 37/317

(52) CPC

B01D Separation: 15/02, 53/02, 53/32, 53/46, 61/44, 61/445
B01J Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus: 19/085, 2219/0869, 2219/0879, 2219/0886
B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 27/00, 53/04, 53/40
C07C Acyclic or carbocyclic compounds: 29/149, 31/12
C08B Polysaccharides; derivatives thereof: 1/00
C10G Cracking hydrocarbon oils; production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures, e.g. by destructive hydrogenation, oligomerisation, polymerisation; recovery of hydrocarbon oils from oil-shale, oil-sand, or gases; refining mixtures mainly consisting of hydrocarbons; reforming of naphtha; mineral waxes: 1/00
C10L Fuels not otherwise provided for; natural gas; synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by subclasses C10G or C10K; liquified petroleum gas; use of additives to fuels or fires; fire-lighters: 1/023, 1/026, 2200/0469, 2200/0476, 2290/36, 9/08
C12M Apparatus for enzymology or microbiology; {apparatus for culturing microorganisms for producing biomass, for growing cells or for obtaining fermentation or metabolic products, i.e. bioreactors or fermenters}: 47/00, 47/10
C12P Fermentation or enzyme-using processes to synthesise a desired chemical compound or composition or to separate optical isomers from a racemic mixture {}: 19/02, 19/14, 2201/00, 2203/00, 7/04, 7/06, 7/10, 7/52, 7/56
C13K Saccharides obtained from natural sources or by hydrolysis of naturally occurring disaccharides, oligosaccharides or polysaccharides: 1/02, 13/002
D21C Production of cellulose by removing non-cellulose substances from cellulose-containing materials; regeneration of pulping liquors; apparatus therefor: 9/007
E04B General building constructions; walls, e.g. partitions; roofs; floors; ceilings; insulation or other protection of buildings: 1/92, 2001/925
G21F Protection against x-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment; treating radioactively contaminated material; decontamination arrangements therefor: 7/00
G21K Handling of particles or ionising radiation not otherwise provided for; irradiation devices; gamma ray or x-ray microscopes: 5/10
H01J Electric discharge tubes or discharge lamps: 2237/202, 2237/31, 2237/3165, 37/317
Y02E Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution: 50/10, 50/16, 50/17, 50/30, 50/32, 50/343, 60/16, 60/17
Y02P Climate change mitigation technologies in the production or processing of goods: 20/133, 20/136
Y02W Climate change mitigation technologies related to wastewater treatment or waste management: 10/33, 10/37, 10/40

(73) Assignee

Xyleco Inc

(72) Inventors

Marshall Medoff; Thomas Craig Masterman; Robert Paradis

(54) Title

Enclosures for treating materials

(57) 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. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in two or more vaults that can share a common wall.

Full text

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Claims (14)

A method of processing a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, the method comprising: conveying a layer of particulate cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a first enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a first dose of ionizing radiation to produce a first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and conveying the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a second enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a second dose of ionizing radiation to produce a second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using a beam of accelerated electrons and wherein the first enclosure shares one or more common walls with the second enclosure; and enzymatically saccharifying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to produce a sugar solution.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons from one or more electron accelerators.
The method of claim 1, wherein the electrons are accelerated to an energy of between about 0.3 MeV and about 5 MeV.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first dose is between about 0.5 Mrad and about 20 Mrad.
The method of claim 1, wherein the sum of the first and second dose is between about 10 Mrad and about 40 Mrad.
The method of claim 1, wherein walls of both the first and second enclosures are fabricated from discrete interconnecting blocks to provide photon-tight structures.
The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material into the first enclosure and then conveying the first treated biomass out of the first enclosure and into the second enclosure.
The method of claim 7, wherein the conveying into and/or out of enclosures occurs continuously.
The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material out of the second enclosure.
The method of claim 9, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic into a third enclosure, conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic within the third enclosure and exposing the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a third dose of ionizing radiation to produce a third treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.
The method of claim 10, wherein the conveying into and within the third enclosure utilizes a pneumatic conveyor system and/or a screw conveyer system.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons produced by an accelerator, each accelerator operating at a power of between about 100 kW and about 400 kW.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises comminuted corn cob.
The method of claim 1 wherein the layer has a substantially uniform average thickness of from about 0.1 to 1 inch.

Description

Many potential lignocellulosic feedstocks are available today, including agricultural residues, woody biomass, municipal waste, oilseeds/cakes and seaweed, to name a few. At present, these materials are often under-utilized, being used, for example, as animal feed, biocompost materials, burned in a co-generation facility or even landfilled.

Lignocellulosic biomass includes crystalline cellulose fibrils embedded in a hemicellulose matrix, surrounded by lignin. This produces a compact matrix that is difficult to access by enzymes and other chemical, biochemical and/or biological processes. Cellulosic biomass materials (e.g., biomass material from which the lignin has been removed) is more accessible to enzymes and other conversion processes, but even so, naturally-occurring cellulosic materials often have low yields (relative to theoretical yields) when contacted with hydrolyzing enzymes. Lignocellulosic biomass is even more recalcitrant to enzyme attack. Furthermore, each type of lignocellulosic biomass has its own specific composition of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

Generally, the inventions relate to enclosures for treating materials, such as biomass. The inventions also relate to facilities, methods and systems for producing products from a biomass material. Increasing throughput, safety and costs associated with treatment of biomass are key goals in the development of useful manufacturing processes. In methods involving irradiation, the throughput can be increased by multiple irradiations with more than one irradiation device.

Citations (134)

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WO2011149774A1
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CN202670653U
US9334518B2
US9464334B2

Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US10549241B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Enclosures for treating materials",
  "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. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in two or more vaults that can share a common wall.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of processing a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, the method comprising: conveying a layer of particulate cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a first enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a first dose of ionizing radiation to produce a first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and conveying the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material through a second enclosure, using a vibratory conveyor, and exposing the first treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a second dose of ionizing radiation to produce a second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using a beam of accelerated electrons and wherein the first enclosure shares one or more common walls with the second enclosure; and enzymatically saccharifying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to produce a sugar solution.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of the ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons from one or more electron accelerators.",
    "3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrons are accelerated to an energy of between about 0.3 MeV and about 5 MeV.",
    "4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dose is between about 0.5 Mrad and about 20 Mrad.",
    "5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sum of the first and second dose is between about 10 Mrad and about 40 Mrad.",
    "6. The method of claim 1, wherein walls of both the first and second enclosures are fabricated from discrete interconnecting blocks to provide photon-tight structures.",
    "7. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material into the first enclosure and then conveying the first treated biomass out of the first enclosure and into the second enclosure.",
    "8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conveying into and/or out of enclosures occurs continuously.",
    "9. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material out of the second enclosure.",
    "10. The method of claim 9, further comprising conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic into a third enclosure, conveying the cellulosic or lignocellulosic within the third enclosure and exposing the second treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to a third dose of ionizing radiation to produce a third treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.",
    "11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conveying into and within the third enclosure utilizes a pneumatic conveyor system and/or a screw conveyer system.",
    "12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second dose of ionizing radiation are applied using accelerated electrons produced by an accelerator, each accelerator operating at a power of between about 100 kW and about 400 kW.",
    "13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises comminuted corn cob.",
    "14. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer has a substantially uniform average thickness of from about 0.1 to 1 inch."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Many potential lignocellulosic feedstocks are available today, including agricultural residues, woody biomass, municipal waste, oilseeds/cakes and seaweed, to name a few. At present, these materials are often under-utilized, being used, for example, as animal feed, biocompost materials, burned in a co-generation facility or even landfilled.\n\nLignocellulosic biomass includes crystalline cellulose fibrils embedded in a hemicellulose matrix, surrounded by lignin. This produces a compact matrix that is difficult to access by enzymes and other chemical, biochemical and/or biological processes. Cellulosic biomass materials (e.g., biomass material from which the lignin has been removed) is more accessible to enzymes and other conversion processes, but even so, naturally-occurring cellulosic materials often have low yields (relative to theoretical yields) when contacted with hydrolyzing enzymes. Lignocellulosic biomass is even more recalcitrant to enzyme attack. Furthermore, each type of lignocellulosic biomass has its own specific composition of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.\n\nGenerally, the inventions relate to enclosures for treating materials, such as biomass. The inventions also relate to facilities, methods and systems for producing products from a biomass material. Increasing throughput, safety and costs associated with treatment of biomass are key goals in the development of useful manufacturing processes. In methods involving irradiation, the throughput can be increased by multiple irradiations with more than one irradiation device.",
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