Processing biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016222475-A1
Application number	US-201615098793-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Jun 9, 2011
Publication date	Aug 4, 2016
Grant date	—

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 convert feedstock materials to a sugar solution, which can then be fermented to produce a product such as a biofuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wet milling system comprising a tank with one or more jet heads and one or more wet mills disposed within the tank.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more wet mills comprise a head comprising a rotor and a stator.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the rotor and the stator include nesting rings of teeth.

4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the stator comprises two or more concentric rings of teeth.

5 . The system of claim 2 wherein the clearance between the rotor and the stator is from about 0.01 to 0.25 inches (0.25 to 6.4 mm).

6 . The system of claim 3 wherein the spacing between teeth in each ring of teeth is from about 0.1 to 0.3 inch (2.5 to 7.6 mm).

7 . A wet milling system comprising one or more jet heads and one or more wet milling heads in a tank comprising fluid having biomass dispersed therein.

8 . The system of claim 7 wherein the biomass 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, wheat straw, corn cobs, corn stover, switchgrass, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof.

9 . The system of claim 8 wherein the agricultural waste is selected from the group consisting of: rice hulls, bagasse, straw, corn stover and coconut hair.

10 . The system of claim 8 wherein the silage is alfalfa.

11 . The system of claim 7 wherein the biomass comprises a lignocellulosic material.

12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic material has been reduced by irradiating the biomass.

13 . The system of claim 12 wherein irradiating comprises exposing the biomass to an electron beam.

14 . The system of claim 7 wherein the one or more wet milling heads comprise a rotor and a stator.

15 . The system of claim 14 wherein the rotor and the stator include nesting rings of teeth.

16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the stator comprises two or more concentric rings of teeth.

17 . The method of claim 14 wherein the clearance between the rotor and the stator is from about 0.01 to 0.25 inches (0.25 to 6.4 mm).

18 . The method of claim 15 wherein the spacing between teeth in each ring of teeth is from about 0.1 to 0.3 inch (2.5 to 7.6 mm).

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall
• Bae Seul-A
• Valdez Randy
• Masterman Thomas Craig

Classifications

• C12P19/14

  produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase} · CPC title

• C08H8/00

  Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials {(pretreatment thereof B27N)} · CPC title

• C12P7/56

  Lactic acid · CPC title

• C10G32/00

  Refining of hydrocarbon oils by electric or magnetic means, by irradiation, or by using microorganisms · CPC title

• C12M45/09

  by enzymatic treatment · CPC title