Process for the manufacture of butanol or acetone

a technology of acetone and butanol, which is applied in the field of process for the manufacture of butanol or acetone, can solve the problems of inability to commercialize on a large scale, many prove unsuitable, and the cost of biobutanol production is currently higher, so as to reduce the concentration of cu, reduce the conversion rate of sugar to abe, and reduce the effect of cu concentration below inhibitory levels

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-11-14
CELTIC RENEWABLES
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  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
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AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0046]The use of pot ale in the manufacture of butanol, acetone and / or other renewable chemicals has several associated advantages. Pot ale is currently categorised as being of low or negative economic value. The use of pot ale in the present invention allows the economic value of pot ale to be increased. Furthermore, the pot ale acts as a diluent to hydrate the carbohydrate source. Thus, the amount of water or other diluent required is reduced when pot ale is used. In addition, pot ale provides essential nutrients to the microorganisms, particularly providing a source of nitrogen which thereby improves the fermentation and overall conversion of substrate to products.
[0051]Fermentation of the treated substrate is carried out at pH in the range of 5.1 or above, more preferably in the range of from 5.2 to 6.2, still more preferably in the range of from 5.3 to 5.7 and yet more preferably at about 5.5. The use of the pH range of from 5.3 to 5.7 has been shown to provide high yields of butanol and / or acetone. Furthermore, this pH range allows fermentation to be carried out without the need to remove solids therefrom, thus reducing costs and avoiding any technical problems caused by the requirement to remove solids. This pH range prevents any potential toxicity from the treated substrate while maximising butanol and / or acetone production.
[0054]In certain embodiments, the treating and fermenting steps are carried out simultaneously. This reduces the amount of time required, the number of steps involved and the associated cost of manufacture.

Problems solved by technology

However, as biobutanol production is currently more expensive than ethanol production it has not been commercialized on a large scale.
However, many prove to be unsuitable.
For instance, some organic waste or by-products may not contain the balance of nutrients suitable to promote the growth of the organism, may be harmful to the organism and / or may not contain sufficient essential nutrients in a form accessible to the organism.
For this reason, many organic waste or by-products are of limited utility as substrates and consequently have little economic value.
Pot ale is low in nutrients and may have high copper content, making it a difficulty for disposal within the industry.

Method used

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  • Process for the manufacture of butanol or acetone
  • Process for the manufacture of butanol or acetone
  • Process for the manufacture of butanol or acetone

Examples

Experimental program
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examples

[0072]Reference Example 1 and Example 2 and 3 show the effect of pH and free copper ion concentration of the substrate upon the fermentation process. In both of Reference Example 1 and Example 3, glucose was used as the carbohydrate source. Reference Example 1 is designated as a reference test because no pot ale was present in the substrate.

[0073]Reference Example 1 shows that ABE can be produced from the fermentation of glucose in a pH range of above 4.5 to 6.5. At a pH of 4.5 no glucose was consumed or ABE produced. At a pH of 6.5, only acids were produced, with no ABE. Example 2 shows a preferred initial range pH of about 5.5 for the fermentation of a substrate comprising pot ale and a substrate (draff).

[0074]Example 3 shows that undiluted pot ale has a concentration of free copper ions which is detrimental to fermentation, resulting in a reduction in ABE yield compared to a substrate without added free copper ions. Furthermore as the concentration of free copper ions was reduced...

reference example 1

Effect of pH Control on ABE Production by Clostridia

[0087]The effect of pH on fermentation of glucose in TYA media by C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 was investigated. Fermentations were conducted at 1 L scale and the pH was controlled at a range of set points between pH 4.5-6.5 with automated addition of either alkali or acid. At pH 4.5, no glucose utilisation, acid or ABE production was detected. For all other fermentations, glucose was completely consumed within 48 hours and acids (butyric and acetic) and solvent (acetone, butanol and ethanol) were produced (Table 2). ABE production was highest at pH 4.8 and 5.0, corresponding to yields of 0.34 and 0.30 g ABE / g sugar, respectively. Acid production increased between pH 5.5 to 6.5, with a corresponding decrease in conversion of sugar to ABE. At pH 6.5, acids only were produced with final concentrations of 7.8 and 12.8 g / l acetic and butyric acid, respectively.

TABLE 1Conversion of 5% glucose to acid and ABE by C. acetobutylicumATCC 824 i...

example 2

Influence of Initial pH on ABE Production by Clostridia

[0088]The effect of initial pH on fermentation of a pre-treated substrate comprising draff and pot ale was investigated. Dried, milled draff was pre-treated by adding 10.5% (w / v) to 250 ml duran bottles with 0.08 M H2SO4 in 50% pot ale and sterilised at 121° C. for 15 min. After cooling, the pH was adjusted to between pH 5.0-6.0 by addition of 10 M NaOH and incubated with cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes at 33° C. for 24 hours. For fermentation, the initial pH of the solutions was adjusted to either 4.5, 4.8, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 or 6.5 prior to inoculation with C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824. The initial sugar concentration was monitored before fermentation and the residual sugar, ABE concentration and ABE yield were calculated after fermentation (FIG. 1). The initial concentration of sugars was similar for all samples, with approximately 9.6, 11.2, and 9.9 g / l glucose, xylose and arabinose. No growth or gas production was apparent at ...

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Abstract

A process for the manufacture of butanol, acetone and / or other renewable chemicals is provided wherein the process utilises one or more of the group comprising by-products of the manufacture of malt whisky, such as pot ale and / or spent lees, biomass substrates, such as paper, sludge from paper manufacture and spent grains from distillers and brewers, and diluents, such as water and spent liquid from other fermentations. The process comprises treating a substrate to hydrolyse it and fermenting the treated. Also provided is a biofuel comprising butanol manufactured according to the process of the invention.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of biofuels and renewable chemicals. More particularly, the invention relates to a process for the manufacture of butanol. The invention further relates to a process for the manufacture of acetone.BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION[0002]In recent years, higher oil prices, depleting fuel supplies and environmental concerns have led to a renewed interest in the production of fuels from biomass (“biofuels”). Biobutanol is produced by fermentation of biomass using bacteria, typically of the genus Clostridium. In addition to butanol, these organisms also produce acetone, which is an important solvent, and ethanol. Such a fermentation reaction is often referred to as the “ABE process” (Acetone / Butanol / Ethanol process). Currently used feedstocks or substrates include energy crops, such as sugar beets, sugar cane, corn grain and wheat, as well as agricultural by-products, such as straw and corn stalks. Such ...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C12P7/28C12P7/16
CPCC12P7/28C12P7/16C10L1/023C12F3/10C12P7/34Y02E50/10C10G2300/1014Y02P30/20C12P7/36C12F3/06C07C31/12C08B1/003C10L1/02C10L2290/26
Inventor WHITE, JANE SAMANTHALEIPER, KENNETH ALEXANDERTANGNEY, MARTINMESSENGER, SANDRA
Owner CELTIC RENEWABLES
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