Patent · US9556496B2 · B2 · US

Processing biomass

(11) Publication number

US9556496B2

(21) Application number

14/242,221

(22) Filing date

2014-04-01

(30) Priority date

2012-10-10

(43) Publication date

2017-01-31

(45) Date of grant

2017-01-31

(51) IPC

C08H 8/00; C13K 1/02; C13K 13/00

(52) CPC

B01J Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus: 19/085, 19/082, 19/12, 19/123, 19/125, 19/22, 2219/0869, 2219/0871, 2219/0879, 2219/12, 2219/1203
A61L Methods or apparatus for sterilising materials or objects in general; disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air; chemical aspects of bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles; materials for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles: 2/087
B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 27/04
C08H Derivatives of natural macromolecular compounds: 8/00
C10B Destructive distillation of carbonaceous materials for production of gas, coke, tar, or similar materials: 19/00, 53/02
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: 1/02, 32/04
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: 2200/0469, 2290/24, 2290/28, 2290/36, 2290/52, 5/403, 5/442, 5/445, 5/46
C12P Fermentation or enzyme-using processes to synthesise a desired chemical compound or composition or to separate optical isomers from a racemic mixture {}: 2201/00, 7/10
C13K Saccharides obtained from natural sources or by hydrolysis of naturally occurring disaccharides, oligosaccharides or polysaccharides: 1/02, 13/002
D21B Fibrous raw materials or their mechanical treatment: 1/02
G21F Protection against x-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment; treating radioactively contaminated material; decontamination arrangements therefor: 3/00
G21K Handling of particles or ionising radiation not otherwise provided for; irradiation devices; gamma ray or x-ray microscopes: 5/04, 5/10
H01J Electric discharge tubes or discharge lamps: 2237/2002, 2237/202, 33/04, 37/20, 37/317, 5/18
Y02E Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution: 50/10, 50/30
Y02P Climate change mitigation technologies in the production or processing of goods: 20/145, 60/87

(73) Assignee

XYLECO INC

(72) Inventors

MEDOFF MARSHALL; MASTERMAN THOMAS CRAIG; PARADIS ROBERT

(54) Title

Processing biomass

(57) Abstract

Methods and systems are described for processing cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials into useful intermediates and products, such as energy and fuels. For example, conveying systems and methods, such as highly efficient vibratory conveyors, are described for the processing of the cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials.

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Claims (12)

A method comprising: depositing a controlled stream of a biomass material, in particulate form, on a covered vibratory conveyor using a spreader; exposing the biomass material on the vibratory conveyor to ionizing radiation in the form of a scanning electron beam through an opening in the conveyor cover, and during exposure to the electron beam, causing the vibratory conveyor to vibrate the particles of the biomass material during irradiation, wherein the biomass material defines a substantially uniform average bed thickness across the width of the vibratory conveyor of between about 0.125 to 0.5 inches on the conveyor as it is being exposed to the ionizing radiation.
The method of claim 1, wherein 75% or more of the biomass material is distributed to be at the level of the average bed thickness.
The method of claim 1, further comprising comminuting the biomass prior to exposing the biomass to the ionizing radiation.
The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting is selected from the group consisting of shearing, chopping, grinding, hammermilling and combinations thereof.
The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting produces a biomass material with particles, and more than 80% of the particles have at least one dimension that is less than about 0.25 inches.
The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting produces a biomass material with particles, and no more than 5% of the particles are less than 0.03 inches in their greatest dimension.
The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass is irradiated with 10 to 200 Mrad of radiation.
The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass material comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.
The method of claim 8, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises a lignocellulosic material selected from the group consisting of wood, paper, paper products, cotton, grasses, grain residues, bagasse, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, corn cobs, corn stover, coconut hair, algae, seaweed, straw, wheat straw and mixtures thereof.
The method of claim 1, wherein the opening in the cover includes a window foil that allows passage of the ionizing radiation through the window foil and onto the biomass material.
The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass material is conveyed at a rate of at least about 1000 lb/hr.
The method of claim 1, wherein the spreader comprises a drop spreader.

Description

As demand for petroleum increases, so too does interest in renewable feedstocks for manufacturing biofuels and biochemicals. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for such manufacturing processes has been studied since the 1970s. Lignocellulosic biomass is attractive because it is abundant, renewable, domestically produced, and does not compete with food industry uses. Many potential lignocellulosic feedstocks are available today, including agricultural residues, woody biomass, municipal waste, oilseeds/cakes and sea weeds, to name a few. At present these materials are either used as animal feed, biocompost materials or are burned in a cogeneration facility or are landfilled. Lignocellulosic biomass comprises 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 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.

Citations (26)

JP2001242297A
JP2001318200A
US2002135290A1
US2003098373A1
US2008313954A1
US2010087687A1
US2010112242A1
US2010230270A1
US2674381A
US4387476A
US4813532A
US5131525A
US5392529A
US5462155A
US5882737A
US5916929A
US5994706A
US6528800B1
US6608882B2
US6628750B1
US6713773B1
US6780448B1
US6833551B2
US6838678B1
US7153533B2
US8142620B2

Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US9556496B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Processing biomass",
  "abstract": "Methods and systems are described for processing cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials into useful intermediates and products, such as energy and fuels. For example, conveying systems and methods, such as highly efficient vibratory conveyors, are described for the processing of the cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method comprising: depositing a controlled stream of a biomass material, in particulate form, on a covered vibratory conveyor using a spreader; exposing the biomass material on the vibratory conveyor to ionizing radiation in the form of a scanning electron beam through an opening in the conveyor cover, and during exposure to the electron beam, causing the vibratory conveyor to vibrate the particles of the biomass material during irradiation, wherein the biomass material defines a substantially uniform average bed thickness across the width of the vibratory conveyor of between about 0.125 to 0.5 inches on the conveyor as it is being exposed to the ionizing radiation.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein 75% or more of the biomass material is distributed to be at the level of the average bed thickness.",
    "3. The method of claim 1, further comprising comminuting the biomass prior to exposing the biomass to the ionizing radiation.",
    "4. The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting is selected from the group consisting of shearing, chopping, grinding, hammermilling and combinations thereof.",
    "5. The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting produces a biomass material with particles, and more than 80% of the particles have at least one dimension that is less than about 0.25 inches.",
    "6. The method of claim 3, wherein comminuting produces a biomass material with particles, and no more than 5% of the particles are less than 0.03 inches in their greatest dimension.",
    "7. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass is irradiated with 10 to 200 Mrad of radiation.",
    "8. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass material comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.",
    "9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises a lignocellulosic material selected from the group consisting of wood, paper, paper products, cotton, grasses, grain residues, bagasse, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, corn cobs, corn stover, coconut hair, algae, seaweed, straw, wheat straw and mixtures thereof.",
    "10. The method of claim 1, wherein the opening in the cover includes a window foil that allows passage of the ionizing radiation through the window foil and onto the biomass material.",
    "11. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass material is conveyed at a rate of at least about 1000 lb/hr.",
    "12. The method of claim 1, wherein the spreader comprises a drop spreader."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "As demand for petroleum increases, so too does interest in renewable feedstocks for manufacturing biofuels and biochemicals. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for such manufacturing processes has been studied since the 1970s. Lignocellulosic biomass is attractive because it is abundant, renewable, domestically produced, and does not compete with food industry uses. Many potential lignocellulosic feedstocks are available today, including agricultural residues, woody biomass, municipal waste, oilseeds/cakes and sea weeds, to name a few. At present these materials are either used as animal feed, biocompost materials or are burned in a cogeneration facility or are landfilled. Lignocellulosic biomass comprises 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 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.",
  "cpc": [
    "B01J 19/085",
    "A61L 2/087",
    "B01J 19/082",
    "B01J 19/12",
    "B01J 19/123",
    "B01J 19/125",
    "B01J 19/22",
    "B01J 2219/0869",
    "B01J 2219/0871",
    "B01J 2219/0879",
    "B01J 2219/12",
    "B01J 2219/1203",
    "B65G 27/04",
    "C08H 8/00",
    "C10B 19/00",
    "C10B 53/02",
    "C10G 1/02",
    "C10G 32/04",
    "C10L 2200/0469",
    "C10L 2290/24",
    "C10L 2290/28",
    "C10L 2290/36",
    "C10L 2290/52",
    "C10L 5/403",
    "C10L 5/442",
    "C10L 5/445",
    "C10L 5/46",
    "C12P 2201/00",
    "C12P 7/10",
    "C13K 1/02",
    "C13K 13/002",
    "D21B 1/02",
    "G21F 3/00",
    "G21K 5/04",
    "G21K 5/10",
    "H01J 2237/2002",
    "H01J 2237/202",
    "H01J 33/04",
    "H01J 37/20",
    "H01J 37/317",
    "H01J 5/18",
    "Y02E 50/10",
    "Y02E 50/30",
    "Y02P 20/145",
    "Y02P 60/87"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "C08H 8/00",
    "C13K 1/02",
    "C13K 13/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "XYLECO INC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "MEDOFF MARSHALL",
    "MASTERMAN THOMAS CRAIG",
    "PARADIS ROBERT"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-04-01",
  "publication_date": "2017-01-31",
  "grant_date": "2017-01-31",
  "priority_date": "2012-10-10",
  "application_number": "US-201414242221-A",
  "family_id": "50477883",
  "citations": [
    "JP2001242297A",
    "JP2001318200A",
    "US2002135290A1",
    "US2003098373A1",
    "US2008313954A1",
    "US2010087687A1",
    "US2010112242A1",
    "US2010230270A1",
    "US2674381A",
    "US4387476A",
    "US4813532A",
    "US5131525A",
    "US5392529A",
    "US5462155A",
    "US5882737A",
    "US5916929A",
    "US5994706A",
    "US6528800B1",
    "US6608882B2",
    "US6628750B1",
    "US6713773B1",
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  ]
}

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