Methods and systems for processing plants and converting cellulosic residue to crude bio-oils

Abstract

A continuous flow wood processing technology for extracting lignin from woody plant material and converting the delignified cellulosic residue to crude bio-oils is provided. Wood is chipped before processing starts and fed into a lignin extractor. The lignin extractor uses ethanol at high temperatures to dissolve the lignin with counter current material contactors. The ethanol containing dissolved lignin is removed from the lignin extractor, the dissolved lignin recovered, the ethanol and residual heat being recycled into the lignin extractor. The delignified cellulosic pulp is removed from the lignin extractor and subjected to a milling operation to convert the pulp into a smooth sludge for entry to a bio-convertor by a super critical water process. The product from this convertor is hydrocarbon sludge with a principal component being a kerogen. In a separate process crude oil is extracted from this sludge and the residue is prepared as a high phosphate Fertilizer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 504,219, filed Jul. 3, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The present disclosure relates to processing technology for extracting lignin from plant material and converting the delignified cellulosic residue to crude bio-oils.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]The demand for oil-based transport fuels and petrochemicals is global. Air, sea and land-based transport fuels, as well as petrochemicals, are produced from fossil fuels in the form of oil, coal and natural gas reserves. Petrochemicals are feed stocks for the plastics industry as well as for the production of resins, adhesives, paints, insulation and many other related products. It is mainly the phenol and polyols recovered from fossil fuels that are the major petrochemical feed stocks used in these manufactu...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]In some embodiments, the initial biomass starting point for the extraction of natural lignin can be wood from forest plantations, including softwoods, such as pine and other conifers, hardwoods such as eucalyptus, as well as wood process waste from pulp and paper mills and sawmills, and urban woody biomass. Softwoods and hardwoods produce chemically different lignins, the former known as guaiacyl lignin, the latter as syringyl lignin. The lignin extraction process can use ethanol to dissolve both types of these lignins. The lignin can remain natural and is not degraded by the process. Thus, the lignin can be more readily used as a substitute for industrial products used in the petrochemical industry.

Problems solved by technology

Nonetheless, such uses have not yet slowed the global demand for fossil fuels and today there are serious concerns about reliable, affordable long term supplies of transport fuel and petrochemical feedstock.

Some industries already make use of woody biomass as feed stocks; however, process costs are typically high, waste generation is high, and there is limited yield of high value products.

Also fermentation of wood is difficult and slow due to lignin presence

However, removal of lignin in these industries is a harsh chemical process that degrades the lignin rendering lignin a low value by-product of processing and often burnt to produce heat.

The high process costs associated with these methods relate to the treatment conditions, the cost of recycling the organic solvent, and batch processing.

Using woody cellulosic material for degradation to sugars, and allowing fermentation to bioethanol, is another growing industry but is hampered by the costs of processing wood.

Biodiesel generated using plant feed stocks suffers the problem of competing for food feed stocks.

With the growth of the biodiesel industry worldwide, vegetable oil and animal fat feedstock costs have arisen and account for some 70% of production costs.

Algae, which lack lignin, are also used as a feedstock for biodiesel but suffer, particularly in temperate climates, from seasonal growth restrictions limiting available quantity of biomass and the cost of harvesting and removal of water before processing.

Other sustainable fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, and hydrogen suffer as their introduction requires major infrastructure changes.

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