Patent · US9637802B2 · B2 · US

Upgrading process streams

(11) Publication number

US9637802B2

(21) Application number

14/299,010

(22) Filing date

2014-06-09

(30) Priority date

2013-03-08

(43) Publication date

2017-05-02

(45) Date of grant

2017-05-02

(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; C10L 9/08; C12M 1/00; C12P 19/02; C12P 19/14; C12P 7/06; C12P 7/10; C12P 7/52; C13K 1/02; C13K 13/00; 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; Maia Stapleton MUKHERJEE; Christopher Cooper

(54) Title

Upgrading process streams

(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. Systems, methods and equipment are described for upgrading process streams using electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.

Full text

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Claims (24)

A method comprising: pretreating a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material with ionizing radiation; saccharifying the radiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to obtain saccharified biomass liquids; and removing salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids, from the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a first electrodialysis system and converting the removed salt to its neutralized form utilizing a second electrodialysis system, wherein the second electrodialysis system comprises a bipolar membrane electrodialysis system.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first electrodialysis system utilizes electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.
The method of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation is in the form of accelerated electrons.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more enzymes.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more acids.
The method of claim 5, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.
The method of claim 1, wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids prior to electrodialysis is between about 500 and about 50,000 μS/cm, and wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids after electrodialysis in the first electrodialysis system is between 1 and 100 μS/cm.
The method of claim 1, wherein the salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids removed utilizing the electrodialysis system comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of P, K, Mg, Na, Ca, S, O, Mn, Al, Zn, Si, Cl and Fe.
The method of claim 1, further comprising purifying the saccharified biomass liquids by a method selected from the group consisting of chromatography, filtration, centrifugation, precipitation, distillation, complexation and combinations thereof.
The method of claim 9, wherein precipitation comprises addition of one or more solvents or non-solvents to precipitate one or more undesired components.
The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, ethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran.
The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is methanol.
The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more fermentation products.
The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise liquids that have had a fermentation product distilled therefrom.
The method of claim 14, wherein the fermentation product is an alcohol.
The method of claim 15, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.
The method of claim 1, further comprising decolorizing the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a decolorizing agent.
The method of claim 17, wherein the decolorizing agent is selected from the group consisting of powdered carbon, granular carbon, extruded carbon, bone char carbon, bead activated carbon, stryenic resins, acrylic resins, magnetic resins, decolorizing clays, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, hormite and combinations thereof.
The method of claim 17, wherein after decolorizing the color of the solution is less than about 100 color units.
The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the first electrodialysis system comprises applying a voltage of between about 10 and 150V across ion selective membranes while flowing the saccharified biomass liquids past the membranes.
The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more saccharides.
The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids include a sugar selected from the group consisting of xylose, glucose, arabinose, fructose and mixtures thereof.
The method of claim 22, wherein the sugar includes xylose and the purity of the xylose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is at least about 80 wt. %.
The method of claim 23, wherein the sugar includes arabinose and the purity of the arabinose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is about 0 to 1 wt. %.

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 methods and equipment used for producing useful products from a biomass material are described herein. Generally, many methods include treating a recalcitrant biomass, e.g. treating with electron beams, and then biochemically and/or chemically processing the reduced recalcitrance material to a mixture of sugars, for example, glucose, xylose, arabinose, fructose, sugar alcohols, e.g. xylitol and other products. Salts (e.g., ions) generated during processing of the feedstock can be removed via the process of electrodialysis, e.g.

Citations (51)

US3844890A
US4435307A
US5143834A
EP0458162A1
WO1993005186A1
US5244553A
US7153533B2
US7391784B1
CN1477107A
WO2006007691A1
JP2006238728A
WO2006102543A2
US8074910B2
US7971809B2
US20090171037A1
WO2008011598A2
US8318453B2
US7670813B2
WO2008073186A2
US7932065B2
US20100068121A1
US20090050134A1
US20100124583A1
US8142620B2
US7931784B2
US8911833B2
US8083906B2
US7900857B2
US20100105119A1
US20100159569A1
WO2010135380A1
WO2011027360A1
CN101659681A
CN101665524A
US20120211366A1
JP2011157225A
WO2011149774A1
US20120052536A1
US20120100577A1
WO2012064868A2
US20130052687A1
US20130052682A1
JP2012183031A
WO2013022334A1
WO2013096700A1
WO2013096693A1
WO2013101977A1
US20140011248A1
WO2014059140A1
WO2014059113A1
WO2014138600A1

Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US9637802B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Upgrading process streams",
  "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. Systems, methods and equipment are described for upgrading process streams using electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method comprising: pretreating a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material with ionizing radiation; saccharifying the radiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to obtain saccharified biomass liquids; and removing salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids, from the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a first electrodialysis system and converting the removed salt to its neutralized form utilizing a second electrodialysis system, wherein the second electrodialysis system comprises a bipolar membrane electrodialysis system.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electrodialysis system utilizes electrodialysis or electrodialysis reversal.",
    "3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation is in the form of accelerated electrons.",
    "4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more enzymes.",
    "5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass has been saccharified utilizing one or more acids.",
    "6. The method of claim 5, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.",
    "7. The method of claim 1, wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids prior to electrodialysis is between about 500 and about 50,000 μS/cm, and wherein an ionic strength of the saccharified biomass liquids after electrodialysis in the first electrodialysis system is between 1 and 100 μS/cm.",
    "8. The method of claim 1, wherein the salts, partially ionized acids or fully ionized acids removed utilizing the electrodialysis system comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of P, K, Mg, Na, Ca, S, O, Mn, Al, Zn, Si, Cl and Fe.",
    "9. The method of claim 1, further comprising purifying the saccharified biomass liquids by a method selected from the group consisting of chromatography, filtration, centrifugation, precipitation, distillation, complexation and combinations thereof.",
    "10. The method of claim 9, wherein precipitation comprises addition of one or more solvents or non-solvents to precipitate one or more undesired components.",
    "11. The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, ethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran.",
    "12. The method of claim 10, wherein the solvent is methanol.",
    "13. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more fermentation products.",
    "14. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise liquids that have had a fermentation product distilled therefrom.",
    "15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fermentation product is an alcohol.",
    "16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.",
    "17. The method of claim 1, further comprising decolorizing the saccharified biomass liquids utilizing a decolorizing agent.",
    "18. The method of claim 17, wherein the decolorizing agent is selected from the group consisting of powdered carbon, granular carbon, extruded carbon, bone char carbon, bead activated carbon, stryenic resins, acrylic resins, magnetic resins, decolorizing clays, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, hormite and combinations thereof.",
    "19. The method of claim 17, wherein after decolorizing the color of the solution is less than about 100 color units.",
    "20. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the first electrodialysis system comprises applying a voltage of between about 10 and 150V across ion selective membranes while flowing the saccharified biomass liquids past the membranes.",
    "21. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids comprise one or more saccharides.",
    "22. The method of claim 1, wherein the saccharified biomass liquids include a sugar selected from the group consisting of xylose, glucose, arabinose, fructose and mixtures thereof.",
    "23. The method of claim 22, wherein the sugar includes xylose and the purity of the xylose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is at least about 80 wt. %.",
    "24. The method of claim 23, wherein the sugar includes arabinose and the purity of the arabinose after utilizing the first electrodialysis system is about 0 to 1 wt. %."
  ],
  "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 methods and equipment used for producing useful products from a biomass material are described herein. Generally, many methods include treating a recalcitrant biomass, e.g. treating with electron beams, and then biochemically and/or chemically processing the reduced recalcitrance material to a mixture of sugars, for example, glucose, xylose, arabinose, fructose, sugar alcohols, e.g. xylitol and other products. Salts (e.g., ions) generated during processing of the feedstock can be removed via the process of electrodialysis, e.g.",
  "cpc": [
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    "B01D 53/32",
    "B01D 53/46",
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    "B01J 19/085",
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    "B65G 27/00",
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    "E04B 1/92",
    "G21F 7/00",
    "H01J 37/317"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Xyleco Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Marshall Medoff",
    "Thomas Craig Masterman",
    "Maia Stapleton MUKHERJEE",
    "Christopher Cooper"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-06-09",
  "publication_date": "2017-05-02",
  "grant_date": "2017-05-02",
  "priority_date": "2013-03-08",
  "application_number": "US-201414299010-A",
  "family_id": "51491991",
  "cited_by_count": 9,
  "citations": [
    "US3844890A",
    "US4435307A",
    "US5143834A",
    "EP0458162A1",
    "WO1993005186A1",
    "US5244553A",
    "US7153533B2",
    "US7391784B1",
    "CN1477107A",
    "WO2006007691A1",
    "JP2006238728A",
    "WO2006102543A2",
    "US8074910B2",
    "US7971809B2",
    "US20090171037A1",
    "WO2008011598A2",
    "US8318453B2",
    "US7670813B2",
    "WO2008073186A2",
    "US7932065B2",
    "US20100068121A1",
    "US20090050134A1",
    "US20100124583A1",
    "US8142620B2",
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    "US8911833B2",
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    "US20100159569A1",
    "WO2010135380A1",
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    "US20120211366A1",
    "JP2011157225A",
    "WO2011149774A1",
    "US20120052536A1",
    "US20120100577A1",
    "WO2012064868A2",
    "US20130052687A1",
    "US20130052682A1",
    "JP2012183031A",
    "WO2013022334A1",
    "WO2013096700A1",
    "WO2013096693A1",
    "WO2013101977A1",
    "US20140011248A1",
    "WO2014059140A1",
    "WO2014059113A1",
    "WO2014138600A1"
  ]
}

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