Processing material with ion beams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399059-B2
Application number	US-201816054243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Jun 18, 2008
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Materials such as biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) and hydrocarbon-containing materials 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, or oil sands, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and coal to produce altered materials such as fuels (e.g., ethanol and/or butanol). The processing includes exposing the materials to an ion beam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a fuel, the method comprising:
irradiating a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material with an ion beam comprising a first distribution of ion energies having a full width at half maximum of W and a second distribution of energies with a full width at half maximum W 2 of more than W;
and converting the irradiated material to produce a fuel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second distribution of energies is produced by adjusting the energies of some of the ions based on a thickness of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a relative dose of irradiation is substantially uniform through the thickness of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the material has been prepared to reduce a biomass particle size to an average particle size of r.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second distribution of energies is produced by adjusting the energy of some of the ions based on the average particle size r.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material has been physically prepared prior to irradiating to render it more uniform.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation reduces an average molecular weight of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is an alcohol.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is ethanol, butanol or hydrogen.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiated material is converted utilizing a bacteria.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiated material is converted utilizing a yeast.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall

Classifications

• C12P7/02

  containing a hydroxy group · CPC title

• Y02E50/30

  Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel · CPC title

• C10L5/44

  on vegetable substances · CPC title

• B01J19/12

  employing electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• B01J2219/0879

  Solid · CPC title