Process for treating biomass consisting of citrus pastazzo

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023183386-A1
Application number	US-202117926465-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 20, 2021
Priority date	May 22, 2020
Publication date	Jun 15, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Process for the treatment of biomass comprising dried and pulverized citrus pulp, said process comprising the following steps:A. mixing the biomass with a process solvent selected from a eutectic solvent comprising a hydrogen bond acceptor and a hydrogen bond donor, an ionic liquid and a mixture of said eutectic solvent and said ionic solvent, and precipitation of cellulose residues;B. separation of the insoluble cellulose residues precipitated in step A;C. separation of the hemicellulose and the pectin from the process solvent;wherein in the aforesaid step C. of the separation of hemicellulose and pectin is performed through the addition of a lower alcohol and water, thus allowing the precipitation of the hemicellulose and the pectin and their subsequent separation with conventional techniques from the liquid phase comprising process solvent, organic solvent and possibly water.

First claim

1 . Process for the treatment of biomass consisting of dried and pulverized citrus pulp, said process comprising the following steps:
A. mixing the biomass with a process solvent selected from a eutectic solvent consisting of a hydrogen bond acceptor and a hydrogen bond donor, an ionic liquid and a mixture of said eutectic solvent and said ionic solvent, and precipitating cellulose residues; B. separating the insoluble cellulose residues precipitated in step A; C. separating the hemicellulose and the pectin from the process solvent; wherein step C. of the separation of hemicellulose and pectin is performed through the addition of a lower alcohol and water, thus allowing the precipitation of the hemicellulose and the pectin and their subsequent separation with conventional techniques from the liquid phase comprising process solvent, organic solvent and possibly water.

2 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen bond acceptor is selected from choline acetate and choline chloride and the hydrogen donor bond is selected from urea, citric acid, glycolic acid, diglycolic acid, levulinic acid.

3 . Process according to claim 2 , wherein ionic liquid is the product resulting from the reaction of:
choline Y − +X—H=choline X − +Y—H
where X is the anion of a weak organic acid selected from glycolic acid, citric acid, diglycolic acid, levulinic acid, whereas Y is selected from CH 3 COO − and Cl − .

4 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein in the DES the weight ratio between the hydrogen bond acceptor and the hydrogen bond donor of the eutectic solvent is at least 1:5 to 5:1.

5 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process comprises a step D. in which the precipitate separated in step B. is washed with water to remove the traces of DES and/or ionic liquid.

6 . Process according to claim 5 , wherein step D. is repeated 6 times.

7 . Process according to claim 5 , wherein the aqueous mixture coming from step D. and comprising process solvent and water is recycled to step A. or to the mixture comprising the process solvent coming from step B.

8 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is performed at a temperature comprised between 20 and 100° C.

9 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing temperature of the process solvent in step A. is at least in a range comprised between 15 and 60° C.

10 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alcohol is a linear or branched C 1 -C 4 aliphatic alcohol.

11 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen bond acceptor is choline acetate and the hydrogen bond donor is glycolic acid.

12 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein in the DES the weight ratio between the hydrogen bond acceptor and the hydrogen bond donor of the eutectic solvent is 1:2 to 2:1.

13 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein in the DES the weight ratio between the hydrogen bond acceptor and the hydrogen bond donor of the eutectic solvent is 1:1.

14 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing of the process solvent in step A. is performed at a temperature between 20 and 40° C.

15 . The process according to 1 , wherein the mixing of the process solvent in step A. is performed at 20° C.

16 . Process according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alcohol is ethanol or isopropanol.

Assignees

• Milano Politecnico

Inventors

• Mele Andrea
• Ferro Monica
• Colombo Dugoni Greta
• Dispenza Rosario

Classifications

• C08H8/00 Primary

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

• C08B37/0057

  beta-D-Xylans, i.e. xylosaccharide, e.g. arabinoxylan, arabinofuronan, pentosans; (beta-1,3)(beta-1,4)-D-Xylans, e.g. rhodymenans; Hemicellulose; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C08B37/0048 Primary

  Processes of extraction from organic materials · CPC title