Biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337034-B2
Application number	US-201815964465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Jul 18, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

This disclosure relates to compositions and methods for converting biomass to various chemical intermediates and final products including fuels. Aspects include the depolymerization of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose to a wide slate of depolymerization compounds that can be subsequently metabolized by genetically modified bacterium, and converted to cis,cis-muconic acid. Other aspects include the use of monometallic catalysts for converting the cis,cis-muconic acid to commodity chemicals and fuels, for example adipic acid and/or nylon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing adipic acid, the process comprising:
contacting a culture broth comprising a lignin depolymerization compound with a genetically modified prokaryotic microorganism comprising a first exogenous genetic addition encoding at least a 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase and a phenol monooxygenase, wherein the genetically modified prokaryotic microorganism converts at least a portion of the lignin depolymerization compound to cis, cis-muconic acid;
separating the cis, cis-muconic acid from the culture broth;
purifying the separated cis, cis-muconic acid; and
hydrogenating at least a portion of the purified cis, cis-muconic acid to produce the adipic acid.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the separating comprises at least one of centrifugation or filtration.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the purifying comprises contacting the separated cis, cis-muconic acid with an adsorbent, and
the adsorbent removes a first portion of an impurity from the separated cis, cis-muconic acid.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the adsorbent comprises activated carbon.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the lignin depolymerization compound comprises at least one of benzoic acid or 4-hydroxybenzoic acid.

6. The process of claim 3 , wherein the purifying further comprises crystallizing at least a portion of the cis, cis-muconic acid from the separated cis, cis-muconic acid to form a cis, cis-muconic acid precipitate and a liquid that contains a second portion of the impurity.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the purifying further comprises:
dissolving the cis, cis-muconic acid precipitate in a solvent, resulting in a liquid phase comprising the cis, cis-muconic acid and a solid phase comprising a third portion of the impurity; and
separating the liquid phase from the solid phase.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the separating of the liquid phase from the solid phase is by at least one of filtration or centrifugation.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenating comprises contacting the purified cis, cis-muconic acid and diatomic hydrogen with a metallic catalyst.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the metallic catalyst comprises at least one of palladium, platinum, ruthenium, or rhodium.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the at least one of palladium, platinum, ruthenium, or rhodium is supported by at least one of activated carbon or silica.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the metallic catalyst comprises rhodium supported by activated carbon.

Assignees

• Alliance Sustainable Energy

Inventors

• Beckham Gregg Tyler
• Johnson Christopher W
• Vardon Derek Richard
• Franden Mary Ann

Classifications

• C12N9/88

  Lyases (4.) · CPC title

• C07C51/47

  by solid-liquid treatment; by chemisorption · CPC title

• C07C51/36

  by hydrogenation of carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• C12Y401/01063

  Protocatechuate decarboxylase (4.1.1.63) · CPC title

• C12Y402/01118

  3-Dehydroshikimate dehydratase (4.2.1.118) · CPC title