Process for controlled liquefaction of a biomass feedstock by treatment in hot compressed water

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738943-B2
Application number	US-201113882868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2011
Priority date	Nov 1, 2010
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

The present invention describes a process for a controlled conversion of a biomass feedstock, wherein the process comprises the steps of:
loading the biomass feedstock to at least one reactor; liquefaction of the biomass feedstock into a monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture in said reactor by treatment in hot compressed liquid water (HCW) at sub- and/or super-critical condition; and removal of the monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture, being the product molecules, to avoid continued detrimental decomposition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Process for a controlled conversion of a biomass feedstock, wherein the process comprises:
loading the biomass feedstock to at least one reactor;
liquefaction of the biomass feedstock into a monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture in said reactor by treatment in hot compressed liquid water at sub- and/or super-critical condition; and
removal of the monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture to avoid continued detrimental decomposition;

wherein the liquefaction is performed at a temperature of at least 280° C. during a reaction time t of from 1.5 to 30 s; and
wherein the liquefaction is performed in one cycle or by repeated cycles by injection of hot compressed water; and further
wherein each injection of hot compressed water applies a temperature pulse at a sub- or super-critical condition in the reactor to allow for liquefaction of the biomass feedstock, said pulse involving applying a pulse start temperature during a temperature increase time and allowing for liquefaction reaction to occur during the reaction time t.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquefaction is performed at a temperature of below 374° C.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquefaction is performed at a temperature in the range of 280-350° C.

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquefaction is performed at a temperature in the range of 300-350° C.

5. Process according to claim 1 , wherein
loading of the biomass feedstock is performed by preloading biomass into a batch reactor;
liquefaction is performed in one cycle or repeated cycles by injection of hot compressed water to the batch reactor; and
solubilized material is discharged from the batch reactor after the reaction time t for each cycle.

6. Process according to claim 1 , wherein
loading of the biomass feedstock is performed by cyclic loading of biomass into a single batch reactor or into a series of batch reactors so that said reactor(s) is refilled after complete biomass liquefaction;
liquefaction is performed in one cycle or by repeated cycles by injection of hot compressed water to the batch reactor or series of batch reactors; and
solubilized material is discharged from the batch reactor after the reaction time t for each cycle.

7. Process according to claim 1 , wherein
loading of the biomass feedstock is performed by cyclic loading of biomass into at least one flow reactor;
liquefaction is performed by injection of hot compressed water to said flow reactor by one cycle; and
solubilized material is flowed downstreams from the flow reactor to a non-reactive zone.

8. Process according to claim 1 , wherein separation of a lignin component is performed by removal of non-solubilized material from at least one reactor.

9. Process according to claim 1 , wherein
loading of the biomass feedstock is performed by continuous loading of biomass into at least one flow reactor;
liquefaction is performed by continuously injecting hot compressed water to said flow reactor; and
solubilized material is flowed downstreams from the flow reactor to a non-reactive zone.

10. Process according to claim 7 , wherein several flow reactors are used and wherein at least one flow reactor is a loading reactor and at least one flow reactor is a reaction reactor.

11. Process according to claim 1 , wherein
the biomass feedstock is a slurry which is continuously loaded to a flow reactor;
said slurry is rapidly warmed to sub- or super-critical condition; and
solubilized material is flowed downstreams from the flow reactor to a non-reactive zone.

12. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises
removal of non-solubilized material;
wherein lignin is separated at the step of removal of non-solubilized material, and
wherein the removed non-solubilized material is reprocessed.

13. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is performed free from any chemicals besides hot compressed water and the biomass feedstock.

14. Process according to claim 1 , wherein at least one pH lowering additive is added to the process.

15. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the pulse start temperature is at least 280° C.

16. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the pulse start temperature is in the range of 300° C.-350° C. and the reaction time t is 1.5 to 15 s.

17. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises a subsequent step of hydrolysis, fermentation, or a combination thereof.

18. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the biomass feedstock is a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock.

19. Process according to claim 9 , wherein several flow reactors are used and wherein at least one flow reactor is a loading reactor and at least one flow reactor is a reaction reactor.

20. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquefaction is performed at a pressure held at a level high enough so that the hot compressed water is in liquid form.

Assignees

• Gram Andreas
• Johannesson Haukur
• Renmatix Inc

Inventors

• Ekman Rune
• Gram Andreas
• Johannesson Haukur

Classifications

• B01J3/008

  Processes carried out under supercritical conditions · CPC title

• B01J2219/00029

  Batch processes · CPC title

• C08B1/003

  Preparation of cellulose solutions, i.e. dopes, with different possible solvents, e.g. ionic liquids (solutions used in the manufacture of monocomponent artificial filaments or cellulose or derivatives thereof D01F2/02) · CPC title

• C08H8/00

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

• B01J2219/00036

  Intermittent processes · CPC title