Method for processing cellulose-containing biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9822187-B2
Application number	US-201415024387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2014
Priority date	Oct 2, 2013
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

Described are a method for processing cellulose-containing biomass and the use of methanesulfonic acid for processing cellulose-containing biomass, especially for the pretreatment of cellulose-containing biomass prior to saccharification.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Method for processing a cellulose-containing biomass,
comprising
subjecting a treatment mixture comprising 15% wt.-% to 75 wt.-% cellulose containing biomass based on the total weight of said treatment mixture, water, and methanesulfonic acid
to a temperature in the range of from 100° C. to 200° C. at a pressure in the range of from 1 to 20 bars (100 to 2000 kPa) wherein the pressure is selected so that at least a part of the water is in the liquid state
to generate a treated cellulose-containing biomass comprising cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin as major components with decreased amounts of hemicellulose and/or lignin,
(i) wherein said treatment mixture further comprises one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of
compounds of formula (I)

and a surfactant which is not a compound of formula (I), wherein in formula (I) R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, unsubstituted and substituted alkyl with 1 to 22 carbon atoms (C 1 - to C 22 -alkyl) and unsubstituted and substituted aryl, wherein in said substituted Cr to C22-alkyl and said substituted aryl each substituent is independently selected from the group consisting of —OSO 3 H, —SO 3 H, —COOH and —OPO 3 H 2 and salts thereof

each R x in said x groups
is independently of each further Rx selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl with 1 to 20 carbon atoms (Cr to C20-alkyl)
x is an integer from 1 to 2400
or
(ii) wherein said treatment mixture does not comprise any compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I) as defined above and does not comprise any surfactant which is not a compound of formula (I) as defined above.

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or at least one compound of formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I′)
wherein

R 1 and R 2 are as defined for formula (I)
R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl with 1 to 3 carbon atoms (C 1 - to C 3 -alkyl)
R 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl with 1 to 20 carbon atoms (C 1 - to C 20 -alkyl)
wherein preferably R 4 is not identical to R 3 and R 4 is not identical to R 5
n, m, o independently of each other are integers from 0 to 800 with the proviso that the sum of m, n and o is 1 or more.

3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
said cellulose-containing biomass is selected from the group consisting of plant biomass, agricultural wastes, forestry residues, sugar processing residues, paper waste, and blends thereof.

4. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature in the range of from 100° C. to 200° C. at a pressure in the range of from 1 to 20 bars (100 kPa to 2000 kPa) wherein the pressure is selected so that at least a part of the water is in the liquid state
is maintained for a duration of not less than 1 minute and not more than 120 minutes.

5. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature is in a range of 110° C. to 180° C.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
the pressure is in a range of from 1 to 16 bars (100 kPa to 1600 kPa).

7. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
said treatment mixture comprises 25 wt.-% to 75 wt.-% of cellulose-containing biomass, based on the total weight of said treatment mixture.

8. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
in the treatment mixture the total amount of acids selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and phosphoric acid is 100 wt.-% or less, based on the weight of the methanesulfonic acid present in the treatment mixture.

9. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment mixture consists of
(i) cellulose-containing biomass, water, methanesulfonic acid, one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I) and surfactants which are not compounds of formula (I), and optionally one or more substances selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid and salts thereof, hydrochloric acid and salts thereof, organochloro compounds, nitric acid and salts thereof, and metals
or
(ii) cellulose-containing biomass, water, methanesulfonic acid, and optionally one or more substances selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid and salts thereof, hydrochloric acid and salts thereof, organochloro compounds, nitric acid and salts thereof, and metals
wherein in each case the total amount of substances selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid and salts thereof, hydrochloric acid and salts thereof, organochloro compounds, nitric acid and salts thereof and metals in the treatment mixture is not more than 1 wt.-% based on the weight of the methanesulfonic acid present in the treatment mixture.

10. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
the compound of formula (I) or one, more, or all of the compounds of formula (I) are selected from the group consisting of
compounds of formula (I) wherein R 1 , R 2 and each Rx is hydrogen, x is an integer in the range of from 1 to 800,

and
compounds of formula (I′) wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 5 are hydrogen and R 4 is methyl, m is an integer in the range of from 15 to 100, and n and o each are integers in the range of from 1 to 100.

11. Method according to claim 1 , wherein
the treatment mixture is obtained by adding an aqueous treatment solution containing
(i) methanesulfonic acid and one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I) and the surfactant which is not a compound of formula (I)
or
(ii) methanesulfonic acid and no compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I) and no surfactant which is not a compound of formula (I)
to said cellulose-containing biomass.

12. Method according to claim 11 , wherein in said aqueous treatment solution
the concentration of methanesulfonic acid is in the range of from 0.1 wt.-% to 5.5 wt.-%,
and
the total concentration of compounds selected from the group consisting of compounds of formula (I) and the surfactant which is not a compound of formula (I) is
(i) in the range of from 0.01 wt.-% to 5 wt.-%,
or
(ii) 0 wt.-%
in each case based on the total weight of said aqueous treatment solution.

13. Method according to claim 1 comprising
preparing an aqueous treatment solution containing 0.1 wt.-% to 2.0 wt.-% of methanesulfonic acid and 0.01 wt.-% to 1 wt.-% of one or more a compound of formula (I)
adding said aqueous treatment solution to said cellulose-containing biomass so that a treatment mixture comprising said cellulose-containing biomass, water and methanesulfonic acid and one or more compound of formula (I) is obtained, said treatment mixture comprising 30 wt.-% to 45 wt.-% of cellulose containing biomass, based on the total weight of said treatment mixture
subjecting said treatment mixture to a temperature in the range of from 120° C. to 175° C., wherein said temperature is maintained for duration of not less than 1 minute and not more than 40 minutes to generate a treated cellulose-containing biomass.

14. Method according to claim 1 further comprising a step selected from the group consisting of
saccharification of the treated cellulose-containing biomass so that glucose and/or other sugars are formed, a

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Rittig Frank
• Koch Michael
• Navickas Vaidotas
• Koch Stefan
• Kindler Alois

Classifications

• C12P7/46

  Dicarboxylic acids having four or less carbon atoms, e.g. fumaric acid, maleic acid · CPC title

• C12P2201/00

  Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis · CPC title

• C08H8/00 Primary

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

• Y02E50/10

  Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel · CPC title

• C12P7/10

  substrate containing cellulosic material · CPC title