Reactor for continuous saccharification of high-solid biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976161-B2
Application number	US-201514683037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 9, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A reactor for continuous saccharification of biomass having a high solid content comprises perforated plates and stirring means, in which the perforated plates includes nozzles for feeding additives, including a saccharification enzyme, and a sensor, which communicate with the holes of the perforated plates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reactor for continuous saccharification of biomass, which comprises:
(a) a rotary shaft that is rotatable by a power source that is separate from the reactor;
(b) a plurality of stirring means fixed to the rotary shaft;
(c) a cylindrical saccharification unit in which the rotary shaft passes through the central portion of the saccharification unit and the plurality of stirring means fixed to the rotary shaft are disposed at predetermined distances from one another; and
wherein a plurality of perforated plates disposed between the stirring means in the cylindrical saccharification unit are fixed to the rotary shaft so that they can rotate in the same direction as the rotary shaft can be moved upward or downward and are configured to define a space including each of the stirring means, each of the perforated plates including one or more flow channels formed to extend from the outer circumferential surface of the perforated plate to the inside of one or more holes of the perforated plate, and nozzles fluidically communicating with the flow channels and the inside of the holes and configured to feed an additive, and
wherein the diameter of the holes of the perforated plate disposed in an upper portion of the saccharification unit is larger than that of the holes of the perforated plate disposed in a lower portion of the saccharification unit.

2. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the holes formed in the perforated plate is 0.1-100 cm.

3. The reactor of claim 2 , wherein the holes formed in the perforated plate are configured such that difference between the diameter of the hole of an upper side and a lower side is 0.01-2 cm.

4. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the stirring means is one or more selected from the group consisting of a bar, a disc, a paddle and a scrapper.

5. The reactor of claim 4 , wherein the scrapper is disposed adjacent to or in contact with the top of the perforated plates of the saccharification unit.

6. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein a sensor for measuring pH or temperature is further disposed in the flow channel.

7. A method of continuous saccharification of biomass using a reactor of claim 1 , the method comprising:
(a) feeding an additive to the biomass through a nozzle fluidically communicating with the inside of a hole of a perforated plate by rotating a stirring means above each of perforated plates in a saccharification unit to allow biomass to reach the perforated plate, and mixing the additive with the biomass by rotation of a stirring means disposed under the perforated plate while passing the biomass through the hole; and
(b) saccharifying the biomass by moving the biomass downward in the saccharification unit while repeating step (a) by the perforated plates and stirring means sequentially disposed in the saccharification unit,
wherein the additive that is fed through the nozzle are at least one selected from an enzyme, an acidic or basic substance for pH adjustment and a surfactant, which are fed through different nozzles.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the perforated plate without a nozzle comprises a pH sensor and a temperature sensor disposed in holes thereof, thereby checking the physical and chemical states of the biomass.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enzyme is one or more selected from the group consisting of exo-glucanase, endo-glucanase, and β-glucosidase.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein exo-glucanase and/or endo-glucanase is fed through the hole of the upper perforated plate, and β-glucosidase is fed through the hole of the lower perforated plate.

Assignees

• Sk Innovation Co Ltd
• Sk Energy Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Taewan
• Koo Minsu
• Chu Younghwan
• Kim Donghyun
• Kim Taeseung
• Koo Bonwook
• Sung Minji

Classifications

• C12M21/12

  for producing fuels or solvents (C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00) · CPC title

• C12M41/26

  of pH · CPC title

• C12M27/02

  Stirrer or mobile mixing elements · CPC title

• C12M27/22

  Perforated plates, discs or walls · CPC title

• C12M41/12

  of temperature (controlling the temperature of chemical or physical processes B01J19/0013, heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory use B01L7/00) · CPC title