Controlling process gases

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9611516-B2
Application number	US-201414299006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2014
Priority date	Mar 8, 2013
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, equipment, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in a vault in which hazardous gases are removed, destroyed and/or converted. The treatments are efficient and can reduce the recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic material so that it is easier to produce an intermediate or product, e.g., sugars, alcohols, sugar alcohols and energy, from the lignocellulosic material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
impinging a substantially inert gas on a first foil window of an electron beam horn while passing electrons through the window and inert gas while processing a cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass material in particulate form on a conveyor;
while flowing the inert gas through an enclosed space defined by the foil window, which is in communication with a vacuum side of the electron beam horn, and a secondary foil disposed facing the first foil window under flow conditions that maintain the pressure inside the space between about 50 and 200 psi;
treating the inert gas to remove contaminants produced during processing of the biomass material; and
enzymatically saccharifying the processed biomass material to produce a sugar solution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the foil has a surface communicating with a high vacuum side of an accelerator tube.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the foil, along with a secondary foil, defines a space about which the substantially inert gas traverses.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the pressure inside the space is greater than atmospheric pressure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inert gas comprises nitrogen.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recycling the inert gas.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein recycling comprises impinging the substantially inert gas on the foil window more than one time before discarding it.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the inert gas comprises filtering the gas.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the inert gas comprises removing from the inert gas contaminants selected from oxygen, ozone, oils, particulates, water and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Xyleco Inc

Inventors

• Medoff Marshall
• Masterman Thomas Craig
• Paradis Robert

Classifications

• B01D15/02 Primary

  with moving adsorbents · CPC title

• G21K5/10

  with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated · CPC title

• B01J19/085 Primary

  Electron beams only · CPC title

• C12P7/56

  Lactic acid · CPC title

• B01D61/445

  with bipolar membranes; Water splitting · CPC title