Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass through removal of inhibitory compounds

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-10-21
GREENFIELD SPECIALTY ALCOHOLS
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Benefits of technology

[0020]It is now an object of the present invention to provide a process which overcomes at least one of the above disadvantages by reducing the inhibition impact on the rate of

Problems solved by technology

As is apparent from the above discussion, known approaches to improve the overall ethanol yield by successfully reducing the amount of inhibitory compounds in the pretreated biomass are generally linked to increased cost for operating the respective method.
As a result

Method used

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  • Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass through removal of inhibitory compounds
  • Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass through removal of inhibitory compounds
  • Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass through removal of inhibitory compounds

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[0071]Batch steam explosion pretreatment of corncob was carried out in a steam gun (FIGS. 4A and 4B). The steam gun (50), was supplied with saturated steam from a steam storage vessel (40). Pre-steamed ground corncobs of 0.5 to 1 cm3 particle size were fed through a V shaped hopper and screw auger (from Genemco, not shown). The amount of each batch load was controlled by a weigh hopper. Batch loads of 6 kg corncob were used per steam explosion shot. Corncob weight and production rates are expressed on a dry matter basis. After filling the batch load into the steam gun (50) from above, a fill gate (not shown) was closed to seal the steam gun. Pressurized saturated steam until the desired cooking pressure was reached. Cooking pressures of 167 to 322 psig were used (12.6 to 23.2 bar). After a residence time of 3 to 10 minutes, at temperatures from 190° C. to 220° C., the pressure in the steam gun was quickly released by opening a flash purge valve (not shown) located at the bott...

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Abstract

A process for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is disclosed. The process is intended for use in connection with biomass to ethanol processes and is directed in particular to an economical removal of inhibitory compounds generated in biomass pretreatment, which are inhibitory to downstream hydrolysis and fermentation steps. The process includes the steps of heating the lignocellulosic biomass with steam to a preselected temperature, at a preselected pressure and for a preselected time to hydrolyze and solubilize hemicelluloses in the biomass; explosively decomposing the biomass into fibers; and extracting from the resulting reaction mixture a liquefied portion of the lignocellulosic biomass before or after explosive decomposition. The liquefied portion is extracted to remove compounds from the lignocellulosic biomass which are inhibitory to enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis and sugar fermentation to ethanol. For improved efficiency and economy, the inhibitory compounds are not completely removed. Furthermore, xylose has been found to be a good indicator compound for the general level of inhibitory compounds in the reaction mixture and the extraction step is therefore controlled on the basis of the xylose content in the reaction mixture. In particular, the extracting step is discontinued once a dry matter (dm) content of xylose, as monomer or oligomer, in the reaction mixture of 4% to 8% (w/w dm) is achieved. This most economically balances the practical need for inhibitory compound removal with the economical need to control and preferably minimize the costs of the overall ethanol production process.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 170,805 filed Apr. 20, 2009, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to the production of ethanol from biomass and in particular to a process for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]World energy consumption is predicted to increase 54% between 2001 and 2025. Considerable research effort is being directed towards the development of sustainable and carbon neutral energy sources to meet future needs.[0004]Biofuels are an attractive alternative to current petroleum-based fuels, as they can be utilized in transportation with little change to current technologies and have significant potential to improve sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[0005]Biofuels include fuel ethanol. Fuel ethanol is produced from biomass...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): D21B1/36
CPCD21B1/36D21C1/02Y02E50/16D21C11/0007D21C5/005C12P7/10C12P2201/00Y02E50/10
Inventor DOTTORI, FRANK A.BENSON, ROBERT ASHLEY COOPERBENECH, REGIS-OLIVIER
Owner GREENFIELD SPECIALTY ALCOHOLS
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