Enzymatic Hydrolysis Recirculation Reduces Enzyme Dosage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing enzymatic hydrolysis methods in bio-refinery processes are inefficient, requiring high enzyme dosages and resulting in suboptimal production of liquid and solid fractions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for enzymatic hydrolysis involving at least two stages, where plant-based material is pretreated with acid hydrolysis and steam explosion, and a solid-liquid separation stage is used to recirculate enzyme-rich solid fractions back into the process, reducing enzyme dosage and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional single-stage enzymatic hydrolysis is used, then the process is simple, but enzyme dosage is high and efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrolysis process is divided into multiple stages with different enzyme dosages and conditions. The first stage uses high enzyme dosage for rapid initial hydrolysis, while subsequent stages use recirculated enzymes for continued breakdown, optimizing both efficiency and enzyme utilization
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding spent enzymes after single-stage hydrolysis, the process recovers and recirculates enzymes from the solid fraction to subsequent stages or back to the first stage, reducing overall enzyme dosage while maintaining high productivity
2Speed
If high enzyme dosage is used in single-stage hydrolysis, then hydrolysis speed is fast, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The process maintains continuous hydrolysis action through multiple stages and enzyme recirculation. Rather than using high enzyme dosage for a short period, the system uses moderate enzyme amounts continuously across stages, reducing operational costs while maintaining hydrolysis speed
Solution Approach 2:
Enzymes are recovered from the solid fraction after each stage and recirculated to subsequent stages or back to the first stage, reducing the total enzyme dosage required and thereby lowering operational costs while maintaining hydrolysis rate
3Manufacturing precision
If simple separation is used, then process complexity is low, but carbohydrate recovery and lignin purity are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The separation process is segmented into multiple stages including solid-liquid separation after each hydrolysis stage. This allows progressive purification of carbohydrates in the liquid fraction and concentration of lignin in the solid fraction, improving recovery and purity
Solution Approach 2:
The process recovers carbohydrates from the liquid fraction at each stage and recirculates the enzyme-rich solid fraction back to hydrolysis stages. This multi-stage recovery approach improves overall carbohydrate recovery and lignin purity
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
The method achieves improved efficiency in enzymatic hydrolysis by reducing enzyme dosage, enhancing carbohydrate recovery, and increasing the purity of lignin, thereby decreasing operational costs and improving product quality.
Implementation Method 1
a plant based raw material is pre-treated using at least an acid hydrolysis
Implementation Method 2
a steam explosion to form a plant based feed
Implementation Method 3
the plant based feed is hydrolysed using enzymes
Data Source
AI summary
In a method and an apparatus for an enzymatic hydrolysis in which plant based raw material is hydrolysed by means of enzymes in at least one enzymatic hydrolysis stage. A plant based feed (1) is fed to the enzymatic hydrolysis stage (2) in which the plant based feed is hydrolysed. A liquid fraction (3) comprising carbohydrates is separated from a solid fraction (4) in a solid-liquid separation stage (11). At least a part (5) of the solid fraction (4) comprising enzymes is recirculated to the plant based feed (1) of the enzymatic hydrolysis stage (2) or to the enzymatic hydrolysis stage (2), and a rest part (6) of the solid fraction (4) is recovered. Further, the invention relates to the liquid fraction and the solid fraction and their use.