Processing biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167010-A1
Application number	US-201615048455-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2016
Priority date	Apr 30, 2008
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy or sugary materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

First claim

1 . A method of processing biomass, the method comprising:
irradiating a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material with electron beam radiation while cooling the material.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is irradiated with a total dose of radiation of at least 10 Mrad.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of wood, particle board, sawdust, agricultural waste, sewage, silage, grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, switchgrass, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising, after irradiating and cooling, contacting the material with a microorganism and/or an enzyme.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein contacting comprises saccharifying the material to produce one or more sugars.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more sugars comprise xylose.

7 . The method of claim 5 further comprising fermenting the one or more sugars to produce a product.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein irradiating is performed at a dose rate of 1 Mrad/s to 10 Mrad/s.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein irradiating comprises applying radiation to the lignocellulosic material with more than one electron beam device.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the electron beam delivers electrons having an energy of 0.3 MeV to 2.0 MeV.

11 . A method of processing biomass, the method comprising:
irradiating a biomass feedstock with ionizing radiation as the biomass feedstock is being pneumatically conveyed in a fluid or as the biomass feedstock falls under the influence of gravity.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the biomass feedstock comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein irradiating comprises exposing to electron beam radiation.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the fluid comprises a gas.

15 . The method of claim 14 wherein the gas is nitrogen or air.

16 . The method of claim 14 wherein the gas is saturated with a swelling agent and/or water vapor.

17 . The method of claim 11 wherein the biomass is conveyed from a first belt at a first height above the ground and then captured by a second belt at a second level above the ground lower than the first level.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein the trailing edge of the first belt and the leading edge of the second belt define a gap.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the ionizing radiation is applied at the gap.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall

Classifications

• B01J19/123

  Ultraviolet light · CPC title

• B01J2219/0879

  Solid · CPC title

• B01J19/121

  Coherent waves, e.g. laser beams (lasers per se H01S3/00) · CPC title

• C13K1/02

  obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials (manufacture of fodder A23K10/32) · CPC title

• C10L2200/0469

  Renewables or materials of biological origin · CPC title