Anionic Polymer Nanofiltration for Sugar Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing sugar from cellulose-containing biomass are hindered by the presence of fermentation inhibitors like organic acids and furan compounds, which inhibit microbial growth and reduce fermentation yields, and existing removal methods are inefficient or costly.
Innovation Solution
Adding an anionic polymer to the aqueous cellulose-derived sugar solution followed by nanofiltration or reverse osmosis to effectively remove fermentation inhibitors, improving the purity and yield of sugars for use as fermentation feedstocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional removal methods (overliming, evaporation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration) are used to remove fermentation inhibitors, then some removal effect is achieved, but the methods are either inefficient for certain inhibitor types, require excessive energy, or have limited removal capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a polymer as an intermediary substance that selectively interacts with fermentation inhibitors (organic acids, furan compounds) through electrostatic attraction and adsorption. The polymer acts as a mediator that transfers inhibitors from the sugar solution to a removable solid phase, enabling efficient removal without energy-intensive processes or loss of sugar products
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the sugar solution by adjusting pH to specific ranges (4-9) where the polymer exhibits optimal activity. This parameter change enables the polymer to effectively bind with negatively charged inhibitors through electrostatic attraction, significantly improving removal efficiency compared to conventional methods
2Reliability
If water vapor is blown into the sugar liquid to remove fermentation inhibitors by evaporation, then some removal effect is achieved, but a large amount of energy is required and removal efficiency for high boiling point organic acids is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal evaporation process (mechanical/thermal system) with a chemical adsorption process using the polymer. This substitution eliminates the need for high energy input to evaporate high boiling point compounds, as the polymer selectively adsorbs these inhibitors through chemical interaction at much lower energy costs
3Reliability
If overliming is used to remove fermentation inhibitors, then furfural and HMF are removed with gypsum, but organic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid and levulinic acid are not effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a polymer with universal removal capability that effectively eliminates multiple types of fermentation inhibitors including organic acids (formic, acetic, levulinic), furan compounds (furfural, HMF), and other inhibitors simultaneously. The polymer's amphoteric nature and adjustable pH activity enable it to bind with various negatively charged inhibitor molecules, providing broad-spectrum removal unlike overliming's narrow specificity
4Reliability
If membrane filtration is used to remove fermentation inhibitors, then some removal is achieved, but the amount of inhibitors that can be removed into the permeate side is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a polymer intermediary that actively captures and concentrates fermentation inhibitors from the sugar solution through adsorption and electrostatic attraction. This intermediary mechanism enables quantitative transfer of inhibitors to the polymer phase, allowing complete or near-complete removal of inhibitors while maintaining high sugar product recovery, overcoming the limited capacity inherent in passive membrane filtration
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the efficient removal of organic acids and other inhibitors, enhancing the yield and purity of glucose and xylose, thereby improving the efficiency of fermentation processes for chemical product production.
Implementation Method 1
adding an anionic polymer to an aqueous solution of sugars derived from the cellulose-containing biomass followed by passing the resulting aqueous sugar solution through a nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane to remove fermentation inhibitors from the sugar liquid
Implementation Method 2
a higher effect of removal of fermentation inhibitors from the sugar liquid can be obtained by the operation of adding an anionic polymer to an aqueous solution of sugars
Implementation Method 3
passing the resulting aqueous sugar solution through a nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane to remove fermentation inhibitors from the sugar liquid
Implementation Method 4
passing the resulting aqueous sugar solution through a nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane to remove fermentation inhibitors from the sugar liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A method of producing a sugar liquid includes concentrating an aqueous cellulose-derived sugar solution with a nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane, wherein the concentration is carried out after adding a water-soluble anionic polymer to the aqueous cellulose-derived sugar solution to remove a fermentation inhibitor(s) into a permeate side of the nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane.