An integrated process for direct saccharification and dehydration of intact biomass to furfurals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019161463-A1
Application number	US-201716323000-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2017
Priority date	Aug 17, 2016
Publication date	May 30, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of converting a lignocellulosic biomass to monosaccharides, and optionally further converting the monosaccharides to one or both of furfural and HMF, includes contacting the biomass with a reactive liquid phase comprising LiBr, H2SO4. and water, wherein H2SO4 preferably constitutes at most 1.0 wt %, more preferably at most 0.5 wt %, and most preferably at most 0.1 wt % of the reactive liquid phase, and water preferably constitutes at most at most 60 wt %, more preferably at most 50 wt %, and most preferably at most 30 wt % of the reactive liquid phase.

First claim

1 . A method of converting a lignocellulosic biomass to monosaccharides, and optionally further converting the monosaccharides to one or both of furfural and HMF, said method comprising contacting the lignocellulosic biomass with a reactive liquid phase comprising LiBr, H 2 SO 4 , and water, wherein H 2 SO 4 constitutes at most 1.0 wt % of the reactive liquid phase, and water constitutes at most 60 wt % of the reactive liquid phase.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reactive liquid phase further comprises a Lewis acid selected from the group consisting of AlCl 3 , CrCl 3 , SnCl 4 , ZrO(OCl), Sn-Beta, Zr-Beta, Hf-Beta, Sn-MFI, TiO 2 , and Lewis acidic-carbonaceous materials, wherein the Lewis acid is present in an amount of at least 10 mol % and a most 200 mol % relative to total monosaccharides in the reactive liquid phase.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reactive liquid phase is in contact with a solvent phase that is immiscible with it, said solvent phase comprising one or more organic solvents selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl tetrahydrofuran, phenolic solvents, dimethyl furan, and m-cresol, wherein the ratio by volume of the reactive liquid phase to the solvent phase is in a range from 1:10 to 10:1.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of contacting the reactive liquid phase with the solvent phase is performed at a temperature of at least 25° C. and no higher than 120° C.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method includes said further converting the monosaccharides to one or both of furfural and HMF, wherein at least 60% of the monosaccharides are converted.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lignocellulosic biomass is not pretreated with acid to form polysaccharides prior to said contacting.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lignocellulosic biomass comprises intact or extractive-free wood, switch grass, or corn stover.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monosaccharides comprise glucose and xylose and wherein the yields of glucose and xylose are each individually at least 50%, based on the glucan and xylan content of the biomass, respectively.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the yields of HMF and furfural are each individually at least 50%, based on the amount of monomeric and oligomeric glucose and xylose produced by the contacting, respectively.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the yields of HMF and furfural are each individually at least 50%, based on the glucan and xylan content of the biomass, respectively.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the reactive liquid phase is at least 2 mPa s.

Assignees

• Saha Basudeb
• Sadula Sunitha
• Vlachos Dionisios
• Univ Delaware

Inventors

• Saha Basudeb
• Sadula Sunitha
• Vlachos Dionisios

Classifications

• C13K13/002

  Xylose · CPC title

• C07D307/50 Primary

  Preparation from natural products · CPC title

• C13K1/02

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

• Y02P20/10

  Process efficiency · CPC title

• C08H8/00

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