Processing biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9347661-B2
Application number	US-201514677438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 26, 2006
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 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 are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
burning a lignin-containing residue to generate energy,
wherein the lignin-containing residue is a post-distillate solid produced by:
irradiating a lignocellulosic material,
saccharifying the lignocellulosic material utilizing an enzyme,
fermenting the saccharified material utilizing an organism to produce a fermentation product, and
between saccharifying and fermenting, removing the lignin-containing residues from the saccharified material
wherein irradiating comprises treating with electron beam radiation to a total dose of between 10 Mrad and 150 Mrad, and
wherein the electron beam delivers electrons having an energy of 0.3 MeV to 2.0 MeV.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the lignin-containing residue is burned to heat water flowing through a heat exchanger.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising evaporating the water flowing through the heat exchanger and superheating it to steam.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising using the steam in heat exchange in a distillation process.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the steam to expand to power a multi-stage steam turbine connected to an electric generator.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising condensing steam exiting the steam turbine with cooling water, and returning the condensate to the heat exchanger for reheating to steam.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the flow rate of water through the heat exchanger to obtain a target electricity output from the steam turbine when the turbine is connected to an electric generator.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising adding water to the heat exchanger to ensure that the steam turbine is operating above a threshold condition.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the turbine is spinning fast enough to turn the electric generator.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the total dose is between 20 Mrad and 50 Mrad.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising comminuting the lignocellulosic material.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein comminuting comprises subjecting the material to one or more of the following: stone grinding, mechanical ripping or tearing, pin grinding, milling, or air attrition milling.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the lignin-containing residue further comprises cellulose and hemicellulose.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the lignocellulosic material with a chemical.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the chemical is a base, a mineral acid, or a base and a mineral acid.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the material is treated with a base selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the material is treated with potassium hydroxide.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the material is treated with a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the material is treated with sulfuric acid.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall

Classifications

• C12P2203/00

  Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source · CPC title

• C10L2290/02

  Combustion or pyrolysis · CPC title

• D21C9/00

  After-treatment of cellulose pulp, e.g. of wood pulp, or cotton linters {; Treatment of dilute or dewatered pulp or process improvement taking place after obtaining the raw cellulosic material and not provided for elsewhere (polysaccharides, derivatives thereof C08B; paper-making D21B - D21H)} · CPC title

• C10L5/442

  Wood or forestry waste · CPC title

• C10L5/46

  on sewage, house, or town refuse {(C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence)} · CPC title