Ethanol Yield via Fermenting Agent Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ethanol production methods using lignocellulosic biomass and sugar-rich materials often result in reduced ethanol yields and increased production costs due to inefficiencies in combining saccharide flows during fermentation, leading to suboptimal economic outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the controlled mixing of lignocellulose-derived treatment products with fermentable sugars from sugar-rich materials to create a mixture that stresses the fermenting agent, optimizing the concentration of inhibitors like furfural, acetic acid, and HMF to enhance ethanol yield, which includes hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If lignocellulose-derived treatment products and fermentable sugars are fermented separately, then the fermentation process is simpler to control, but the ethanol yield is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines lignocellulose-derived treatment products and fermentable sugars into a single fermentation mixture, merging two separate fermentation processes into one. This integration allows the fermenting agent to simultaneously process both substrates, achieving improved ethanol yield (up to 8% increase) while maintaining manageable process complexity through unified fermentation conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite fermentation substrate by mixing lignocellulose-derived treatment products (containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin breakdown products) with fermentable sugars from sugar-rich materials. This composite mixture provides diverse carbon sources that enhance overall ethanol production efficiency while allowing the fermenting agent to utilize multiple substrate types simultaneously.
2Productivity
If the concentration of lignocellulose-derived treatment products in the mixture is increased to improve ethanol yield, then the fermenting agent is stressed and ethanol yield improves, but the inhibition effect on fermentation may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameters of lignocellulose-derived treatment products in the fermentation mixture to achieve the stress effect needed for improved ethanol yield. By carefully controlling the amount of treatment products (which contain inhibitors like furfural, acetic acid, and HMF), the system achieves enhanced fermentability and ethanol production (up to 8% increase) while preventing excessive inhibition that would halt fermentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful inhibition effect of lignocellulose-derived treatment products into a beneficial stress response in the fermenting agent. The presence of these treatment products at optimized concentrations stimulates the fermenting agent to produce higher ethanol yields, transforming what would normally be considered a harmful inhibition into a productive stress condition that enhances overall ethanol production.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate fermentation lines are used for lignocellulosic biomass and sugar-rich materials, then each fermentation can be optimized independently, but the overall production cost increases and economies of scale are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fermentation processes for lignocellulosic biomass and sugar-rich materials into a single unified fermentation system. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate fermentation lines, reducing capital equipment costs, operating expenses, and maintenance requirements while maintaining the ability to optimize fermentation conditions for the combined substrate mixture, thereby achieving economies of scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a universal fermentation system that can simultaneously process both lignocellulose-derived treatment products and fermentable sugars from sugar-rich materials. This multi-functional approach allows a single fermentation setup to handle diverse substrates, eliminating the need for specialized separate lines and reducing overall production costs while maintaining fermentation optimization through adjusted process parameters.
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 increases ethanol yield by up to 8% compared to separate fermentations, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes production costs by improving the fermentability of the mixture, thereby enhancing overall ethanol production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
treatment, involving hydrolysis, of said lignocellulosic biomass in one or more steps to obtain lignocellulose-derived treatment products including fermentable sugars
Implementation Method 2
fermentation, using a fermenting agent, of a mixture comprising at least part of said lignocellulose-derived treatment products and said fermentable sugars derived from said sugar-rich material to obtain the ethanol-containing product
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a method of improving the ethanol yield in production of an ethanol-containing product from a lignocellulosic biomass and a sugar product containing fermentable sugars derived from a sugar-rich material. The method comprises treatment, involving hydrolysis, of said lignocellulosic biomass in one or more steps to obtain lignocellulose-derived treatment products including fermentable sugars; and fermentation, using a fermenting agent, of a mixture comprising at least part of said lignocellulose-derived treatment products and said fermentable sugars derived from said sugar-rich material to obtain the ethanol-containing product, wherein an amount of said sugar product is mixed with an amount of at least one of the following: (i) lignocellulose-derived material in the treatment; (ii) lignocellulose-derived treatment products from the treatment; and (iii) lignocellulose-derived treatment products in the fermentation, such that said fermentable sugars derived from said sugar-rich material and said at least part of said lignocellulose-derived treatment products are present in the mixture, and said amounts are controlled such that the fermenting agent is subjected to stress by lignocellulose-derived treatment products to the extent that the ethanol yield is improved. Further, a corresponding method using a starch-rich starting material is provided as well as a corresponding use, composition and system.