# US 10,501,766 B2 · System for optimizing fed-batch hydrolysis of biomass

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- Number: US 10,501,766 B2
- Document ID: US10501766B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/099,060
- Filed: 2016-04-14
- Published: 2016-10-20
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2015-04-15
- Assignees: NUtech Ventures
- Applicants: NUtech Ventures
- Inventors: Chao Tai; Deepak Keshwani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501766B2

## CPC

- C12P 19/14: produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase}
- C12M 45/06: {by chemical means or hydrolysis}
- C12P 19/02: Monosaccharides (2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60)
- C12Q 3/00: Condition responsive control processes (apparatus therefor C12M1/36; controlling or regulating in general G05)
- 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)}
- C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS}
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES

## Abstract

Provided herein is a system for optimizing the fed-batch hydrolysis of biomass.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system to hydrolyze biomass comprising:
a hydrolyzer comprising a fed-batch hydrolysis controller and configured to:
operate to hydrolyze a batch of biomass under the controller of the fed-batch hydrolysis controller, wherein the operation is managed by the hydrolyzer according to one or more hydrolyzer-inputs that each define a physical setup of a particular element of the hydrolyzer; a process optimizer comprising a processor and a computer-readable memory, the process optimizer configured to:
receive one or more target properties;
determine, based on the one or more target properties, one or more target parameters by solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a measure of total biomass as a Susceptibles input and wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a measure of enzyme-bound biomass as an Infectives input, and wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a Removed input; and
transmit, to a fed-batch hydrolysis controller, the one or more target parameters; and wherein the fed-batch hydrolysis controller configured to:
receive, from a process optimizer, the one or more target parameters;
determine one or more hydrolyzer-settings based on the target parameters, each of the hydrolyzer-settings defining a parameter of operation of the hydrolyzer; and
instructing the hydrolyzer to operate to hydrolyze a batch of biomass by using the hydrolyzer-settings for the hydrolyzer-inputs in the instructed operation;
wherein one of the one or more target parameters is feeding rate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein causing the fed-batch hydrolysis to be performed according to the one or more parameters results in a fed-batch hydrolysis product having actual properties similar to the target properties.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a sum of a measure of total biomass, a measure of enzyme-bound biomass and a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a population size input.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a measure of total enzyme as a transmission constant input.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein, to solve a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, the process optimizer is configured to use a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a rate of removal input.

### Claim 6

A method of hydrolyzing biomass comprising:
receiving one or more target properties;
determining, based on the one or more target properties, one or more target parameters by solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation, wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a measure of total biomass as a Susceptibles input and wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a measure of enzyme-bound biomass as an Infectives input, and wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a Removed input;
determining one or more hydrolyzer-settings based on the target parameters, each of the hydrolyzer-settings defining a parameter of operation of the hydrolyzer; and
hydrolyzing a batch of biomass according to the one or more target parameter by using the hydrolyzer-settings for hydrolyzer-inputs that each define a physical characteristic of the hydrolyzing;
wherein one of the one or more target parameters is feeding rate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein hydrolyzing a batch of biomass according to the one or more parameter results in a fed-batch hydrolysis product having actual properties similar to the target properties.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a sum of a measure of total biomass, a measure of enzyme-bound biomass and a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a population size input.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a measure of total enzyme as a transmission constant input.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein solving a viral epidemic-based SIR simulation using the one or more target properties as inputs to the viral epidemic-based SIR simulation comprises using a measure of biomass-digested sugars as a rate of removal input.