# US 10,501,765 B2 · High-solids biomass slurry generation for enhanced efficiency hydrolysis processing and equipment design to yield the same

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- Number: US 10,501,765 B2
- Document ID: US10501765B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/560,415
- Filed: 2016-03-25
- Published: 2018-03-08
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-27
- Assignees: Edeniq, Inc.
- Applicants: Edeniq, Inc.
- Inventors: Jeffrey R. Charron; Thomas P. Griffin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501765B2

## CPC

- C12P 19/02: Monosaccharides (2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60)
- B01F 23/53: using driven stirrers
- B01F 25/721: for spraying a fluid on falling particles or on a liquid curtain
- B01F 27/191: with similar elements
- B01F 27/192: with dissimilar elements
- B01F 27/271: with means for moving the materials to be mixed radially between the surfaces of the rotor and the stator
- B01F 27/50: Pipe mixers, i.e. mixers wherein the materials to be mixed flow continuously through pipes, e.g. column mixers
- B01F 27/90: with paddles or arms
- B01F 35/7544: {using pumps}
- B02C 23/18: Adding fluid, other than for crushing or disintegrating by fluid energy ({for tumbling mills B02C17/186;} feeding devices B02C23/02)
- C08H 8/00: Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials {(pretreatment thereof B27N)}
- C08L 97/02: Lignocellulosic material, e.g. wood, straw or bagasse {(manufacture of articles made from lignocellulosic material by dry processes B27N)}
- C12P 19/14: produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase}
- B01F 23/565: {by introducing liquids in solid material, e.g. to obtain slurries}
- B01F 33/83611: {by cutting}
- C12P 2201/00: Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)
- B02C: CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN ({household tools and machines for pulverising foodstuffs, e.g. coffee and spice mills A47J42/00; pharmaceutical mortars A61J3/02; mechanical processing of refuse and garbage B03B9/06; dressing mould materials by grinding B22C5/04}; obtaining metallic powder by crushing, grinding or milling B22F9/04; {recovery of plastics by disintegrating B29B17/00; crushing raw materials in starch making C08B30/02; beaters for papermaking D21D1/02; crushing devices specially for transport in mines E21F13/002; slag crushing devices F23J1/00; fuel milling devices in combustion apparatus F23K1/00; household devices for crushing coal F24B15/02; ice disintegrating devices F25C5/02})
- C08H: DERIVATIVES OF NATURAL MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (polysaccharides C08B; natural rubber C08C; natural resins or their derivatives C09F; bituminous materials C10)
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)

## Abstract

This disclosure provides a high solids biomass slurry that is readily pumpable and transportable to downstream processing units, such as chemical and/or biochemical processing units. The slurry is amenable to saccharification efficiencies of >70 % in processing times of <36 hours. Also provided are devices for processing materials, such as the high solids biomass slurry.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device for mixing, homogenizing, dispersing, and processing materials, comprising the following components: a. One or more stages of shear cutting elements configured to initially process incoming solids by shear cutting and dispersion prior to or in tandem with water introduction; wherein the one or more stages of shear cutting elements comprises a series of alternating rotor and stator plates; a series of two or more impeller stages positioned in between the shear cutting stages and a discharge impeller stage to enhance mixing and homogenization; c. a pumping ring to direct material flow from an outlet of the discharge impeller stage to a discharge port, wherein the discharge port is configured tangentially to the device's diameter to enhance the delivery pressure of the hydrated biomass.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising a downstream milling device configured to reduce particle sizes and further homogenize the materials to a pretreated state suitable for downstream enzymatic hydrolysis processing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the downstream milling device is a colloidal mill, and the material processed is corn stover or sugarcane bagasse.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the mixing, homogenizing, dispersing, and processing are accomplished in a hybrid device constructed in a single housing.

### Claim 5

A device or tandem device(s) for mixing, homogenizing, dispersing, milling and processing of biomass materials, derived from corn stover or sugarcane bagasse, for generating a homogenous, hydrated slurry of biomass solids comprising >20% (by weight) solid material that is readily pumpable and transportable to downstream chemical processing and/or biochemical processing unit operations, comprising the following components:
a. One or more stages of shear cutting elements to initially process incoming solids by shear cutting and dispersion prior to or in tandem with water introduction, wherein the shear cutting elements comprise a series of alternating rotor and stator plates; and wherein the rotor and stator plates have oblong slots or holes; b. a series of two or more impeller stages positioned between the shear cutting stages and a discharge impeller stage to enhance mixing and homogenization; c. a pumping ring to direct slurry flow from an outlet of the discharge impeller to a discharge port; d. one or more colloidal mills or colloidal mill stages that reduces particle size and further enhances slurry phase dispersion; thereby generating a slurry capable of saccharification efficiencies of >70% in processing times of <24 hours.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A device or tandem device(s) of claim 5, wherein saccharification enzymes are added into one or more of the shear zone, pumping zone, discharge impeller outlet, or discharge port of the device(s).

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

A device or tandem device(s) of claim 6, wherein the saccharification enzymes introduced directly into one or more of the shear zone, pumping zone, discharge impeller outlet or discharge port of the device(s) are comprised of one or more of the enzyme classes of cellulases, glucanases, xylanases, ligninases, or peroxidases.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising an isolation disk positioned between the shear cutting stages and the two or more impeller stages.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the stator comprises (i) circular, rectangular or hexagonal holes, or (ii) slots.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the discharge port is configured tangentially to the device's diameter to enhance the delivery pressure of the hydrated biomass.