Microwave assisted citrus waste biorefinery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9382339-B2
Application number	US-201314390633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2013
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

There is described a method of isolating one or more of pectin, d-limonene, a flavor compound, a flavonoid, a soluble monosaccharide, a decomposition product of a monosaccharide and cellulose, from citrus material wherein said method comprises the microwave assisted hydrothermal low temperature treatment of citrus material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A biorefinery process comprising the steps of:
(i) introducing wet citrus material;
(ii) subjecting the citrus material to microwave assisted steam distillation;
(iii) isolating d-limonene, leaving a first citrus material residue;
(iv) subjecting the first citrus material residue to an organic solvent extraction;
(v) isolating flavour compounds, flavonoids, monosaccharides, or combinations thereof, leaving a second citrus material residue;
(vi) subjecting the second citrus material residue to a hydrothermal microwave treatment;
(vii) isolating pectin and mesoporous cellulose.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the citrus material is citrus peel.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the wet citrus material comprises water and an organic solvent.

4. A process according to claim 3 wherein the solids-to-solvent ratio is from about no solvent to about 5:1 w/w.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the pectin has DE of ≧80%.

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the pectin is substantially acid free.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the pectin has a polydispersity of from about 1 to about 2.5.

8. A process according to claim 1 wherein the pectin has a molecular weight of about ≧1 ×10 5 g/mol.

9. A process according to claim 1 which comprises the isolation of a flavour compound.

10. A process according to claim 1 which comprises the isolation of a flavonoid.

11. A process according to claim 1 which comprises the isolation of a monosaccharide or the decomposition product of a monosaccharide.

12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the hydrothermal microwave treatment is carried out at a temperature of 80 to 250° C.

13. A process according to claim 1 wherein the organic solvent is a non-polar solvent.

14. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, hexane, methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, and combinations thereof.

15. A process according to claim 1 wherein the organic solvent is acetone.

16. A process according to claim 1 wherein the microwave irradiation power is from about 100 W to about 10 MW.

17. A process according to claim 1 wherein the mesoporous cellulose material has an average pore diameter of from about 5 nm to about 50 nm.

18. A process according to claim 1 wherein the mesoporous cellulose material has a pore volume of from about 0.1 cm 3 g −1 to about 0.8 cm 3 g −1 .

Assignees

• Univ York

Inventors

• Clark James Hanley
• Pfaltzgraff Lucie Anne
• Budarin Vitaliy Lvovich
• De Bruyn Mario

Classifications

• C08B37/0048 Primary

  Processes of extraction from organic materials · CPC title

• C08B1/00

  Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof {, e.g. pre-treatment, pre-soaking, activation} · CPC title

• C07C7/10

  by extraction, i.e. purification or separation of liquid hydrocarbons with the aid of liquids · CPC title

• C07D311/60

  with aryl radicals attached in position 2 · CPC title

• C07C13/21

  Menthadienes · CPC title