Apparatus and method for bioenergy production using regenerated acid solution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10125344-B2
Application number	US-201515329399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Oct 1, 2014
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

The apparatus includes: a pretreatment tank where biomass and a first acid solution are stirred to extract sugar components from the biomass; a hydrolysis tank where water is added to the pretreated mixture transferred from the pretreatment tank such that the concentration of the acid is reduced and the sugar components are hydrolyzed to produce an acid hydrolyzate; a first sugar-acid separation tank where the acid hydrolyzate is separated into a second acid solution and a first hydrolyzate; a second sugar-acid separation tank where the first hydrolyzate is separated into a third acid solution and a second hydrolyzate; a fermentation tank where the second hydrolyzate is fermented to produce bioenergy; and an acid solution concentration tank where a mixture of the second acid solution transferred from the first sugar-acid separation tank and the third acid solution transferred from the second sugar-acid separation tank is concentrated to a higher level for reuse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for bioenergy production using a regenerated acid solution, comprising:
a pretreatment tank where biomass and a first acid solution are stirred to extract sugar components from the biomass, the pretreatment tank connected to;
a hydrolysis tank where the pretreated mixture transferred from the pretreatment tank is hydrolyzed to produce an acid hydrolyzate and solids, the hydrolysis tank connected to;
a solid-liquid separated tank where the acid hydrolyzate and solids are separated, the solid-liquid separation tank connected to;
a first sugar-acid separation tank where the acid hydrolyzate transferred from the solid-liquid separation tank is separated into a second acid solution and a first hydrolyzate, the first sugar-acid separation tank connected to;
a second sugar-acid separation tank where the first hydrolyzate transferred from the first sugar-acid separation tank is separated into a third acid solution and a second hydrolyzate, the second sugar-acid separation tank connected to;
a fermentation tank where the second hydrolyzate transferred from the second sugar-acid separation tank is fermented to produce bioenergy; and
an acid solution concentration tank where a mixture of the second acid solution transferred from the first sugar-acid separation tank and the third acid solution transferred from the second sugar-acid separation tank is concentrated to a higher level for reuse,
wherein the first sugar-acid separation tank and the second sugar-acid separation tank are electrolysis tanks, each electrolysis tank comprising a cathode water bath and an anode water bath separated by an anion separator and wherein the acid hydrolyzate is added to the cathode water bath and water or an acid solution is added to the anode water bath.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an acid solution return line for returning a fourth acid solution concentrated in the acid solution concentration tank to the pretreatment tank.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth acid solutions are aqueous sulfuric acid solutions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first acid solution and the fourth acid solution are aqueous solutions of 50 to 97% sulfuric acid.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a neutralization tank where the second hydrolyzate transferred from the second sugar-acid separation tank is neutralized with an alkaline substance before fermentation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the alkaline substance is an aqueous solution of at least one alkali selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, calcium carbonate, calcium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, and potassium bicarbonate.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the third acid solution separated in the second sugar-acid separation tank is added to the first sugar-acid separation tank.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the anode water baths and the cathode water baths of the first and second sugar-acid separation tanks comprises a low-speed agitator.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the anode water baths of the first and second sugar-acid separation tanks comprises a cooling coil.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the anion separator of the second sugar-acid separation tank has a size 1 to 8 times larger than that of the anion separator of the first sugar-acid separation tank.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second sugar-acid separation tanks comprises an acid solution storage tank to which an acid solution obtained after sugar-acid separation is transferred and a hydrolyzate storage tank to which a hydrolyzate obtained after sugar-acid separation is transferred, the two storage tanks being provided separately from the electrolysis tank.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second sugar-acid separation tanks comprises an anode and a cathode, the anode has a plurality of holes in the lower portion thereof, the cathode has a plurality of holes in the lower portion thereof, the acid solution is supplied and discharged through a supply port and a discharge port, respectively, the hydrolyzate is supplied and discharged through a supply port and a discharge port, respectively, and the supply ports are opposite to the discharge ports through the perforated anodes and cathodes.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a voltage applied to each of the first sugar-acid separation tank and the second sugar-acid separation tank is maintained at 30 V or less.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first hydrolyzate is treated in the first sugar-acid separation tank such that the sugar concentration of the second hydrolyzate is from 70 to 150 g/L.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second hydrolyzate is treated in the second sugar-acid separation tank such that the acid concentration of the second hydrolyzate is 1% or less.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the biomass is herbal biomass, woody biomass, starchy biomass or seaweed biomass or is derived from organic waste resources.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrolyzed sugars are selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose, galactose, fructose, and arabinose.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Um Young Soon
• Kim Hong Gon
• Ahn Byoung Sung
• Lee Sang Deuk
• Kim Chang Soo
• Suh Dong Jin
• Lee Kyung Min

Classifications

• C12M23/34

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title

• C12M41/28

  of redox potential · CPC title

• C12M45/06 Primary

  by chemical means or hydrolysis · CPC title

• C12M29/18

  External loop; Means for reintroduction of fermented biomass or liquid percolate (loop type reactors for chemical or physical processes B01J19/2435) · CPC title

• C12M27/00

  Means for mixing, agitating or circulating fluids in the vessel (by introduction of gas C12M29/06, C12M29/14, mixing in general or mixers per se B01F; mixing in apparatus for chemical or physical processes B01J) · CPC title