4098 results about "Hemicellulose" patented technology

A continuous and modular process converts lignocellulosic materials for the production of ethanol principally and / or chemicals such as methanol, butanediol, propanediol, hydrocarbon fuel, etc. Renewable lignocellulosic biomass such as but not all inclusive hardwoods (gum, beech, oak, sweet gum, poplar, eucalyptus, etc.), soft woods (pines, firs, spruce, etc.), corn stovers, straws, grasses, recycled papers, waste products from pulp and paper mills, etc can be used as feedstock. The process is designed to be modular and the feed entry point can be selected to adapt to different biomass feedstock. Lignocellulosic biomass such as hardwood and softwood are subjected to chemical / pressure treatment stages using potent and selective chemicals such as sodium chlorite / acetic acid (anhydrous) and chlorine / chlorine dioxide to separate the main components—lignin, cellulose (glucose) and hemicelluloses (xylose, arabinose, galactose)—into three process streams. The separated carbohydrates are further subjected to washing, cleaning, neutralization, and / or mild hydrolysis and subsequently fermented to produce ethanol. Residual lignin and extractives remained with the cellulose are removed by chemical treatment steps to enhance the fermentations of cellulose. Pre-hydrolysate after neutralization to neutralize and remove toxic components such as acetic acid, furfural, phenolics, etc. containing (xylose, arabinose, galactose) and hexoses (glucose) can be either separately or together with the purified cellulosic fraction fermented to produce ethanol. Approximately 100 gallons of ethanol, suitable to be used as a fuel, can be produced from one dried ton of wood. Significant amount of lignin are separated as a by-product and can be converted to hydrocarbon fuel, surfactant, drilling aid, or can be incinerated for generation of power and steam.

Biofuels can be produced by: (i) providing a biomass containing celluloses, hemicelluloses, lignin, nitrogen compounds and sulfur compounds; (ii) contacting the biomass with a digestive solvent to form a pretreated biomass containing carbohydrates; (iii) contacting the pretreated biomass with hydrogen in the presence of a supported hydrogenolysis catalyst containing (a) sulfur, (b) Mo or W, and (c) Co and / or Ni incorporated into a suitable support to form a plurality of oxygenated intermediates, and (vi) processing at least a portion of the oxygenated intermediates to form a liquid fuel.

A method for lignocellulose conversion to sugar with improvements in yield and rate of sugar production has been developed by using ionic liquid pretreatment. This new pretreatment strategy substantially improves the efficiency (in terms of yield and reaction rates) of saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. Cellulose and hemicellulose, when hydrolyzed into their sugars, can be converted into ethanol fuel through well established fermentation technologies. These sugars also form the feedstocks for production of variety of chemicals and polymers. The complex structure of biomass requires proper pretreatment to enable efficient saccharification of cellulose and hemicellulose components to their constituent sugars. Current pretreatment approaches suffer from slow reaction rates of cellulose hydrolysis (by using the enzyme cellulase) and low yields.

The present invention provides a method for converting lignocellulosic material into biofuel. In particular embodiments, the method comprises pre-treating lignocellulosic material by dissolving the material in ionic liquids. The pretreated lignocellulosic material can be isolated, such as by precipitation with a regenerating solvent (e.g., water), and be used directly in the formation of biofuel, including undergoing hydrolysis to form sugar and fermentation to form fuel, such as bioethanol. The ionic liquid can be recycled for further use, such as by evaporation of the water introduced during precipitation, and the recycling provides a route to a hemicellulose rich fraction and an ionic liquid of consistent quality and wood dissolution characteristics. The recovered hemicelluloses are of significant utilization potential toward commodity and specialty applications.

Biofuels can be produced by: (i) providing a biomass containing celluloses, hemicelluloses, lignin, nitrogen compounds and sulfur compounds; (ii) removing sulfur compounds and nitrogen compounds from the biomass by contacting the biomass with a digestive solvent to form a pretreated biomass containing carbohydrates and having less than 35% of the sulfur content and less than 35% of the nitrogen content of untreated biomass on a dry mass basis; (iii) contacting the pretreated biomass directly with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenolysis catalyst to form a plurality of oxygenated intermediates, and (vi) processing at least a portion of the oxygenated intermediates to form a liquid fuel.

Lignin polymers having distinctive properties, including a generally high molecular weight and generally homogeneous size distribution, as well as preservation of native reactive side groups, are isolated by solvent extraction of plant materials. Methods for isolation of lignin polymers, and for use of the isolated lignin polymers are disclosed. Compositions containing lignin isolated from plant materials, such as carbon fiber composites, resins, adhesive binders and coatings, polyurethane-based foams, rubbers and elastomers, plastics, films, paints, nutritional supplements, food and beverage additives are disclosed. Xylose and xylose derivatives, furfural, fermentable sugars, cellulose and hemi-cellulose products may be used directly or further processed. The lignin polymers and other plant-derived products disclosed herein may be produced in abundance at low cost, and may be used as substitutes for feedstocks originating from fossil fuel or petrochemical sources in the manufacture of various products.

Embodiments of the present invention overcome the well-known recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in an economically viable manner. A process and system are provided for the efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose sugars, lignin, and acetic acid. The cellulose thus obtained is highly amorphous and can be readily converted into glucose using known methods. Fermentable hemicellulose sugars, low-molecular—weight lignin, and purified acetic acid are also major products of the process and system. The modest process conditions and low solvent / solid ratios of some embodiments of the invention imply relatively low capital and processing costs.

The invention discloses a method for preparing a herbal biological fiber and biological paper pulp, and the used microbial composite agent and a preparation method thereof. The biological fiber is prepared through pretreatment of a herbal raw material, biological degumming fermentation, and subsequent mechanical treatment of a fermentation product. The composite agent comprises degumming bacteria, nutrition bacteria and decolorizing bacteria, and various strains are synergistic without antagonistic reaction. In the method for preparing the biological fiber and the biological paper pulp, a chemical additive is not needed at all, but the high-cellulose and hemicellulose biological fiber and the biological paper pulp can be industrially produced; decolorization is complete, and the produced biological fiber and biological paper pulp have white color; a bleaching process is avoided, so investment in decolorizing production equipment is saved, and fiber extracting and pulping investment cost can be effectively reduced; in addition, waste gas and waste water are not generated in the fiber extracting and pulping process, inorganic pollutants are not generated, waste water and waste residues produced in each process step can be produced and converted into a biological fertilizer, and water is recycled.

A process for separating the components of lignocellulosic biomass for the purpose of producing a pure reactive cellulose is disclosed. The process has two stages. In the first stage, the lignocellulosic biomass is pretreated with steam, with or without an acid catalyst, and then pressed, with or without the presence of an eluent, to remove hemicellulose and other impurities. In the second stage, the pretreated biomass is extracted with a solvent such as ethanol with or without acid catalysts in order to remove lignin and release a purified cellulose stream. The extracted cellulose is then rapidly decompressed to rupture the fibrous structure. The process provides a purified cellulose stream that is relatively easy to hydrolyze with enzymes and ferment to biofuels and other chemicals such as ethanol.

The invention discloses a combined anaerobic fermentation method of organic solid wastes. The organic solid wastes used for the combined anaerobic fermentation include domestic wastes, excess sludge, feces, kitchen waste, straws, etc. The method comprises the following steps: carrying out different pre-processing processes to obtain organic materials with a granularity less than 5 mm; passing through a cutting pump, adjusting the C / N ratio, adjusting the water content, etc. to obtain a homogeneous fermentation substrate with a solid holdup of 2 to 10%; hydrolyzing and acidifying the fermentation substrate in the presence of a hydrolase; fermenting for a period of 15 to 25 days under the condition of stirring at a middle temperature of 32-38 DEG C to obtain biogas, which can be used for energy supply or output of a system; aging and desalting the biogas liquid to obtain a liquid humic acid fertilizer; and processing the biogas residues to a granular humic acid fertilizer. The fermentation substrate has proper C / N ratio to obviate feedback suppression of the substrate during the fermentation of a single material and simultaneously can enhance the hydrolysis effects of celluloses, lignin, hemicelluloses, etc. The method has the advantages of easy flow pattern control, low energy consumption, and no generation of sewages, and can obtain the high-quality biogas fluid and the high-quality granular humic acid fertilizer.

A method for obtaining a fermentation product from a sugar hydrolysate obtained from a feedstock containing hemicellulose, by (i) removing suspended fiber solids from said sugar hydrolysate to obtain a clarified sugar solution; (ii) fermenting xylose in the clarified sugar solution in a fermentation reaction with yeast to produce a fermentation broth comprising the fermentation product; (iii) separating the yeast from the fermentation broth to produce a yeast slurry; (vi) treating the yeast slurry thus obtained with an oxidant to kill microbial contaminants, thereby an oxidant-treated yeast slurry; (v) re-introducing at least a portion of the oxidant-treated yeast back to step (ii) to increase the concentration of yeast in said fermentation reaction; and (vi) recovering the fermentation product.

A process for direct hydroliquefaction of biomass selected from algae, lignocellulosic biomass and / or of one or more constituents of lignocellulosic biomass selected from the group comprising cellulose, hemicellulose and / or lignin for producing fuel bases comprising two successive hydroconversion stages under high hydrogen pressure in ebullating bed reactors. Hydroconversion takes place in the presence of a supported catalyst of the type for hydroconversion of petroleum residue and a suspension composed of the biomass and a solvent, preferably a hydrogen donor solvent and preferably recycled from the process. The biomass can undergo a pretreatment of drying and / or roasting and / or grinding and / or demineralization prior to hydroliquefaction.

Lignin polymers having distinctive properties, including a generally high molecular weight and generally homogeneous size distribution, as well as preservation of native reactive side groups, are isolated by solvent extraction of plant materials. Methods for isolation of lignin polymers, and for use of the isolated lignin polymers are disclosed. Compositions containing lignin isolated from plant materials, such as carbon fiber composites, resins, adhesive binders and coatings, polyurethane-based foams, rubbers and elastomers, plastics, films, paints, nutritional supplements, food and beverage additives are disclosed. Xylose and xylose derivatives, furfural, fermentable sugars, cellulose and hemi-cellulose products may be used directly or further processed. The lignin polymers and other plant-derived products disclosed herein may be produced in abundance at low cost, and may be used as substitutes for feedstocks originating from fossil fuel or petrochemical sources in the manufacture of various products.

Enhanced removal and / or control of adhesives or sticky materials, “stickies”, from recovered paper stock or virgin pulp fibers is achieved using a combination of enzyme treatment with adsorbents and / or absorbents. Pulp stock to be treated is typically obtained from old magazines, newspapers, household waste, but may include corrugated boxes and office waste. Virgin pulps may include mechanical, chemical, or semi-chemical pulps. Enzymes typically include hydrolases such as cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, amylases, and lipases such as esterases, lyases such as pectate lyases, and oxidoreductases. Adsorbents include activated bentonite, microparticles, talc, clay and modified silica. Absorbents typically include water soluble polymers, dispersants, coagulatants and agglomerants.

A method for treatment of chemical pulp for the manufacturing of microfibrillated cellulose includes the following steps: a) providing a hemicellulose containing pulp, b) refining the pulp in at least one step and treating the pulp with one or more wood degrading enzymes at a relatively low enzyme dosage, and c) homogenizing the pulp thus providing the microfibrillated cellulose. According to a second aspect of the invention a microfibrillated cellulose obtainable by the method according to the first aspect is provided. According to a third aspect of the invention, use of the microfibrillated cellulose according to the second aspect in food products, paper products, composite materials, coatings or in rheology modifiers (e.g. drilling muds) is provided.

A biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus includes, a biomass feeder (31) that feeds biomass material (11) under normal pressure to under increased pressure, a hydrothermal decomposition device (42A) that allows the fed biomass material (11) to be gradually moved inside a device main body (42A) from either end thereof in a consolidated condition, and also allows hot compressed water (15) to be fed from an other end of a feed section for the biomass material into the main body (42A), so as to cause the biomass material (11) and the hot compressed water (15) to countercurrently contact with each other and undergo hydrothermal decomposition, and that elutes a lignin component and a hemicellulose component into the hot compressed water, so as to separate the lignin component and the hemicellulose component from the biomass material (11); and a biomass discharger (51) that discharges, from the side where the hot compressed water is fed into the device main body, a biomass solid residue (17) under increased pressure to under normal pressure.

The invention relates to a fluorescent pseudomonad DA4 strain as well as an acquisition method and application thereof. The fluorescent pseudomonad DA4 strain has pectase and hemicellulase producing capacity and flax degumming activity. The fluorescent pseudomonad strain screened by the invention has fast propagation, high antipollution capacity and good heat and alkali resistance; since a composite degumming enzyme solution is used for flax degumming, the degumming period is shortened greatly, and the system and the culturing process is safe for operation without toxicity or environmental pollution; the invention can shorten the flax degumming period, enhance the flax yield and the strength of flax fibers, improve the quality of the flax fibers by adopting the composite degumming enzyme solution for flax microbial degumming, thereby being beneficial to popularization; in addition, the invention can not only be used for flax raw stem degumming, roving scouring and the biological pretreatment of flax fabrics, but also can be used for the degumming and the biological pretreatment of hemp bast fibers, i.e. ramie, jute, hemps, and the like.

An omnibus process of pulping and bleaching lignocellulosic materials in which a charge of a lignocellulosic material is biopulped and / or water extracted prior to pulping and bleaching. The lignocellulosic material may be mechanically pulped and bleached in the presence of an enzyme that breaks lignin-carbohydrate complexes. The aqueous extract in embodiments including a water extract step is separated into acetic acid and hemicellulose sugar aqueous solutions.

The subject invention relates to newly isolated organisms from nature that produce L(+)-lactic acid high yield from hexose and pentose sugars found in biomass. Organisms and processes or methods for the production of lactic acid and other industrially important chemicals from cellulose and hemicellulose are also provided.

Embodiments of the present invention overcome the well-known recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in an economically viable manner. A process and a system are provided for the efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The cellulose and hemicellulose thus obtained are highly amorphous and can be readily converted into highly concentrated mixtures of five and six carbon sugars using known methods. Typical yields of sugars exceed 100 grams of sugars per liter of sugar solution. Other products, such as alcohols, can easily be prepared according to methods of the invention. The modest process conditions and low solvent / solid ratios of some embodiments of the invention require relatively low capital and processing costs.

A method for alteration of the morphology of cellulose fibers, particularly softwood fibers, by (a) subjecting the fibers to a metal ion-activated peroxide treatment carried out at a pH of between about 1 and about 9, preferably between 3 and 7, and (b) subjecting the treated fibers to a refining treatment thereby converts SW fibers to HW-like fibers in many respects. The metal ion-activated peroxide treatment has been noted to act on pulp cellulose and hemi-cellulose, causing oxidation and oxidative degradation of cellulose fibers. The chemical treatment of the pulp, taken alone, is not sufficient to attain the desired modification of the morphology of the fibers, however, subsequent refining or like mechanical treatment of the chemically-treated fibers to achieve a given degree of refinement of the fibers requires dramatically less refining energy to achieve a desired end point of refinement and to impart other desirable properties to the pulp. A pulp of modified SW fibers and a mixture of HW fibers and modified HW fibers are disclosed.

A process for making lyocell fibers including the steps of pulping raw material in a digester to provide an alkaline pulp, wherein the raw material includes sawdust in an amount greater than 0% up to 100%; contacting the alkaline pulp including cellulose and at least about 7% hemicellulose under alkaline conditions with an amount of an oxidant sufficient to reduce the average degree of polymerization of the cellulose to the range of from about 200 to about 1100 without substantially reducing the hemicellulose content or substantially increasing the copper number of the pulp; and forming fibers from the pulp.

A process for the fractionation of valuable fractions from cereal brans (e.g. wheat, barley and oat brans, and rice polish) is described. In particular, this invention describes a two step process, in which the said bran is first subjected to a combination of enzymatic treatment and wet milling, followed by sequential centrifugation and ultrafiltration, which aims at physically separating the main bran factions, i.e. insoluble phase (pericarp and aleurone layer), germ-rich fraction, residual endosperm fraction and soluble sugars. A second step consists of fractionating cereal brans substantially free of soluble compounds, hence insoluble phase from the above-mentioned first step, by enzymatic treatment with xylanases and / or beta-glucanase and wet milling, followed by sequential centrifugation and ultrafiltration, which aims at physically separating the main fractions, i.e. insoluble phase (remaining cell wall components), protein-rich fraction, soluble hemicellulose and oligosaccharide, and therefore maximizes the extraction rate of valuable cell wall components and aleurone cells from previously cleaned bran.

The present invention provides compositions, useful for making lyocell fibers, having a high hemicellulose content, a low copper number and including cellulose that has a low average degree of polymerization (D.P.) and a narrow molecular weight distribution. Further, the present invention provides processes for making compositions, useful for making lyocell fibers, by contacting an alkaline pulp having a high hemicellulose content of at least about 7% with an oxidant sufficient to reduce the average degree of polymerization to about 200 to 1100 without substantially reducing the hemicellulose content or increasing the copper number of the pulp.

A method for the production of fermentable sugars and high viscosity cellulose from lignocellulosic material in a batch or continuous process is provided. Lignocellulosic material is fractionated in a fashion that cellulose is removed as pulp, cooking chemicals can be reused, lignin is separated for the production of process energy, and hemicelluloses are converted into fermentable sugars, while fermentation inhibitors are removed. High yield production of alcohols or organic acids can be obtained from this method using the final reaction step.

The present invention is directed to a method of pre-treating a lignocellulosic feedstock. The lignocellulosic feedstock comprises cereal straw, stover, or grass. One or more than one bale of lignocellulosic feedstock is conveyed into a pre-treatment reactor. Steam and acid are added to the bales and are maintained at a temperature, acid concentration, and for a time sufficient to hydrolyze hemicellulose to xylose and increase susceptibility of cellulose to digestion by cellulase enzymes, thus producing a pre-treated feedstock. The pre-treated feedstock is then removed from the pre-treatment reactor.

The invention relates to a method for preparing xylose by using squeezed waste alkali in the viscose fiber production process. According to the method, xylose finished products are obtained through work procedures of hemicellulose solution preparation, hemicellulose extraction, hemicellulose hydrolysis, neutralization and deacidification, preconcentration, decoloration, ion exchange, ordinary concentration, crystallization, separation and drying. When the technical scheme provided by the invention is adopted, harmful environment-pollution substances such as waste alkali and waste water generated in the viscose production process can be thoroughly eliminated, the standard of full-flow-process clean production can be reached, viscose production enterprises can also produce xylose in the viscose production process, the goal of environment protection is reached, and meanwhile, the waste reutilization is also realized.

A method for the fractionation of lignocellulosic materials into reactive chemical feedstock in a batch or semi continuous process by the stepwise treatment with aqueous aliphatic alcohols in the presence of sulfur dioxide or acid. Lignocellulosic material is fractionated in a fashion that cellulose is removed as pulp, or converted to esterified cellulose, cooking chemicals are reused, lignin is separated in the forms of reactive native lignin and reactive lignosulfonates and hemicelluloses are converted into fermentable sugars, while fermentation inhibitors are removed. In an integrated vapor compression stripper and evaporator system, aliphatic alcohol is removed from a liquid stream and the resulting stream is concentrated for further processing.

Natural fiber welding is a process by which individual fibers are swollen by an appropriate ionic liquid-based solvent system to form a congealed network. Manipulated fibrous materials may be either composed of natural polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose, silk, et cetera, or synthetic polymers, or mixed materials. The process is principally controlled by the composition of the solvent system which includes an ionic liquid solvent plus additives such as water, methanol, et cetera. Other conditions such as the amount and placement of solvent, as well as time, temperature, and pressure control the extent to which neighboring fibers are fused. Only the material at the outer surface of fibers need be sufficiently mobile to merge with that of neighboring fibers. Material in the fiber core may be left in the native state by controlling process variables. Fibers form a congealed network upon removal of the ionic liquid-based solvent.