Processing facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011625-B2
Application number	US-201615141605-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	Feb 11, 2009
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Biomass feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce a product or intermediate, e.g., energy, a food, a fuel, or a material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing facility configured to process a lignocellulosic material comprising:
an ionizing radiation system to treat the lignocellulosic material prior to fermentation, oxidizing equipment comprising a gas supply configured to provide an oxidizing environment of air or oxygen to the ionizing radiation system,
a lignin content measurement system configured to measure a lignin content of the lignocellulosic material prior to fermentation,
and a fermentation system to ferment a treated lignocellulosic material from the ionizing radiation system,
wherein the ionizing radiation system comprises a dose or dose rate as an adjustable process parameter that can be adjusted, based on the lignin content determined by the lignin content measurement system, to reduce a recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic material.

2. The processing facility of claim 1 , further including a mechanical treatment system to treat the lignocellulosic material prior to fermentation, wherein the mechanical treatment system includes a second adjustable process parameter that can be adjusted, based on the lignin content determined by the lignin content measurement system, to reduce the recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic material.

3. The processing facility of claim 1 , wherein the ionizing radiation system comprises an electron beam irradiation device, the device configured to provide an electron beam having an energy of at least 1 MeV.

4. The processing facility of claim 1 , further comprising a system configured for capturing lignin.

5. The processing facility of claim 1 , wherein the facility is configured to process more than one type of lignocellulosic material.

6. The processing facility of claim 1 , wherein the fermentation system comprises a fermentative microorganism.

7. The processing facility of claim 6 , further comprising a saccharification system to saccharify the treated lignocellulosic material prior to fermentation.

8. The processing facility of claim 7 , wherein the saccharification system comprises a cellulase.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall
• Masterman Thomas Craig

Classifications

• C12P7/40

  containing a carboxyl group {including Peroxycarboxylic acids} · CPC title

• C12P7/10 Primary

  substrate containing cellulosic material · CPC title

• D21B1/00

  Fibrous raw materials or their mechanical treatment (pretreatment of the finely-divided materials before digesting D21C1/00; methods of beating or refining pulp D21D1/00; purification of the pulp suspension by mechanical means D21D5/00) · CPC title

• C08B1/00 Primary

  Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof {, e.g. pre-treatment, pre-soaking, activation} · CPC title

• H01J37/317

  for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation (H01J37/36 takes precedence) · CPC title