Processing biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9290780-B2
Application number	US-201514813702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2008
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

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, to proceed ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mixture comprising:
(a) a low molecular weight sugar,
(b) a treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material having a porosity of at least 35% and comprising a plurality of saccharide units arranged in a molecular chain, wherein from about 1 out of every 2 to about 1 out of every 250 saccharide units includes a carboxylic acid functional group,
(c) water, and
(d) a fermenting microorganism, wherein
the treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material comprises a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material that has been irradiated with at least 5 Mrad of electron beam radiation, and the carboxylic acid functional groups act as bonding sites for the microorganism.

2. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the material has been irradiated to provide a first level of radicals and subsequently quenched in an oxidizing medium to an extent that the radicals are at a second level lower than the first level.

3. The mixture of claim 2 wherein the carboxylic acid functional groups are generated by oxidizing the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

4. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the microorganism is a yeast.

5. The mixture of claim 4 wherein the yeast is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis.

6. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the microorganism is a bacteria selected from the group consisting of Zymomonas mobilis and Clostridium thermocellum.

7. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the low molecular weight sugar is glucose or xylose.

8. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material has a bulk density of less than about 0.5 g/cm3.

9. The mixture of claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of paper, paper waste, wood, particle board, agricultural waste, sewage, silage, grasses, and mixtures thereof.

10. The mixture of claim 1 further comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, and mixtures thereof.

11. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material has a porosity of at least 35%.

12. The mixture of claim 1 wherein the treated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is in the form of a sheet.

13. The mixture of claim 9 wherein the grasses comprise switchgrass.

14. The mixture of claim 9 wherein the agricultural waste comprises corn stover, corn cobs, or mixtures thereof.

15. The mixture of claim 9 wherein the agricultural waste is selected from the group consisting of rice hulls, bagasse, coconut hair, and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall
• Masterman Thomas Craig

Classifications

• C07H3/02 Primary

  Monosaccharides · CPC title

• C12P7/20

  Glycerol · CPC title

• C12P7/42

  Hydroxy-carboxylic acids · CPC title

• C12N1/38

  Chemical stimulation of growth or activity by addition of chemical compounds which are not essential growth factors; Stimulation of growth by removal of a chemical compound (C12N1/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C12P7/06

  Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage · CPC title