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US 2014/0193872 A1Published application
Process for the Conversion of Cellulosic Feedstock Materials
OwnerBo Ava Chen, Ian Dobson +1inventors
InventorsBo Ava Chen, Ian Dobson, Russell F. Heissner
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Abstract
A process for converting a cellulosic feedstock to chemical compound, such as an alcohol, or mixture of chemical compounds, wherein one or more process streams can be used in one or more of the other process steps.
Claims26
A process for converting a cellulosic feedstock to one or more chemical compounds, comprising:
- a) processing the feedstock to form a first juice and a first solids comprising cellulose and hemicellulose;
- b) hydrolyzing at least part of the first solids to form a first liquid comprising one or more sugars and second solids comprising cellulose;
- c) separating in one or more separation apparatuses first liquid from second solids to form a first liquid portion comprising one or more sugars and a solids portion comprising cellulose;
- d) fermenting at least part of the one or more sugars in the first liquid portion to form a first fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- e) saccharifying in the presence of at least a portion of the first fermentation mixture at least part of the solids portion to form a second mixture comprising one or more sugars;
- f) fermenting at least a portion of the sugars in the second mixture to form a second fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- and
- at least one of the following additional steps:
- i) washing second solids with at least part of the first juice;
- ii) adding at least a part of the first juice to solids portion exiting the one or more separation apparatuses;
- iii) combining in a slurry vessel at least a part of the first juice with at least a part of the solids portion comprising cellulose;
- iv) saccharifying solids portion in the presence of at least part of the first juice;
- and
- v) and fermenting sugars in the second mixture in the presence of at least part of the first juice.
11 more elements
A process for converting a cellulosic feedstock to one or more chemical compounds, comprising:
- a) processing the feedstock to form a first juice and a first solids comprising cellulose and hemicellulose;
- b) hydrolyzing at least part of the first solids to form a first liquid comprising one or more sugars and second solids comprising cellulose;
- c) separating in one or more separation apparatuses first liquid from second solids to form a first liquid portion comprising one or more sugars and a solids portion comprising cellulose;
- d) fermenting at least part of the one or more sugars in the first liquid portion to form a first fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- e) saccharifying at least part of the solids portion to form a second mixture comprising one or more sugars;
- f) fermenting at least a portion of the sugars in the second mixture to form a second fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- and
- at least one of the following additional steps:
- i) washing in the separation apparatus second solids with at least part of the first fermentation mixture;
- ii) adding at least a part of the first fermentation mixture to solids portion exiting the one or more separation apparatuses;
- iii) combining in a slurry vessel at least part of the first fermentation mixture with at least part of the solids portion comprising cellulose;
- iv) saccharifying solids portion in the presence of at least part of the first fermentation mixture;
- v) fermenting sugars in the second mixture in the presence of at least part of the first fermentation mixture;
- vi) processing the feedstock with at least part of the first fermentation mixture;
- and
- vii) hydrolyzing at least part of the first solids with at least part of the first fermentation mixture.
13 more elements
A process for converting a cellulosic feedstock to one or more chemical compounds, comprising:
- a) processing the feedstock to form a first juice and a first solids comprising cellulose and hemicellulose;
- b) hydrolyzing at least part of the first solids to form a first liquid comprising one or more sugars and second solids comprising cellulose;
- c) separating in one or more separation apparatuses first liquid from second solids to form a first liquid portion comprising one or more sugars and a solids portion comprising cellulose;
- d) fermenting at least part of the one or more sugars in the first liquid portion to form a first fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- e) saccharifying, in the presence of at least part of the first fermentation mixture, at least part of the solids portion to form a second mixture comprising one or more sugars;
- f) fermenting at least a portion of the sugars in the second mixture to form a second fermentation mixture comprising one or more chemical compounds;
- and
- at least one of the following additional steps:
- i) washing in the separation apparatus second solids with part of the second fermentation mixture;
- ii) adding part of the second fermentation mixture to solids portion exiting the one or more separation apparatuses;
- iii) combining in a slurry vessel a part of the second fermentation mixture with at least a part of the solids portion comprising cellulose;
- iv) processing the feedstock with part of the second fermentation mixture;
- and
- vi) hydrolyzing at least part of the first solids with part of the second fermentation mixture.
11 more elements
The process of any one of claims 30 through 33 wherein the saccharifying is in the presence of at least a portion of the first fermentation mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.