Method and system for controlling the conversion of lignocellulosic materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017145374-A1
Application number	US-201715422056-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 1, 2017
Priority date	Jul 9, 2010
Publication date	May 25, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for controlling the conversion of crystalline insoluble cellulose to an organic product in a bioreactor containing crystalline insoluble cellulose and a culture medium. A processor of a computing device receives an input from a sensor in the bioreactor. The input may be a measurement of one or more of concentration, temperature, pH and pressure. The processor calculates conversion of cellulose using the input to provide a total calculated organic product in the bioreactor. The processor receives a further input from a sensor in the bioreactor of the total actual organic product and compares the total calculated organic product and the total actual organic product. The processor then transmits an instruction to an agitator associated with the bioreactor to control agitation of the content of the bioreactor if the total actual organic product is outside a predetermined range of the total calculated organic product.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method for controlling the conversion of crystalline insoluble cellulose to an organic product in a bioreactor containing crystalline insoluble cellulose and a culture medium, the method conducted at a processor of a computing device associated with the bioreactor and comprising:
receiving an input from a sensor in the bioreactor, wherein the input is measurements of one or more of concentration, temperature, pH, and pressure; calculating conversion of cellulose using the input to provide a total calculated organic product in the bioreactor by solving the following equations:

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Assignees

• Univ Stellenbosch

Inventors

• Van Zyl Willem Heber
• Van Zyl Josebus Maree
• Harms Thomas Michael
• Van Rensburg Eugene
• Lynd Lee Rybick

Classifications

• C12M41/48 Primary

  Automatic or computerized control (automatic analysis G01N35/00) · CPC title

• C12M21/12

  for producing fuels or solvents (C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00) · CPC title

• G05B17/02

  electric · CPC title

• C12M21/18

  Apparatus specially designed for the use of free, immobilized or carrier-bound enzymes · CPC title

• C12M41/42

  of agitation speed · CPC title