# US 2014/0196715 A1 · Acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass with minimal use of an acid catalyst > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196715 A1 - Document ID: US20140196715A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/239,613 - Filed: 2012-08-21 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-24 - Assignees: Biochemtex S.p.A. - Inventors: Beatriz Rivas Torres; Michelle Marrone; Irene Bozzano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196715A1 ## CPC - C13K 1/02: obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials (manufacture of fodder A23K10/32) - C13K 13/002: {Xylose} - C13K: SACCHARIDES OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SOURCES OR BY HYDROLYSIS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING DISACCHARIDES, OLIGOSACCHARIDES OR POLYSACCHARIDES (chemically synthesised sugars or sugar derivatives C07H; polysaccharides, e.g. starch, derivatives thereof C08B; malt C12C; fermentation or enzyme-using processes for preparing compounds containing saccharide radicals C12P19/00; production of sucrose C13B) ## Abstract This specification describes a process of producing a monomeric sugar stream, with little or no acid addition, from an oligomeric sugar solution using the intrinsic features of the mildly pre-treated vegetable or ligno-cellulosic biomass, namely the presence of naturally occurring salts. This is accomplished by lowering the pH of the oligomer sugar solution with little or no addition of an acid and then exposing the biomass with the lowered pH to an elevated temperature greater than 80° C. for a time sufficient to hydrolyze the components of the biomass. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-16. (canceled) ### Claim 17 A process for the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides present in a liquid biomass feed stream derived from pre-treated lingo-cellulosic biomass, wherein the process comprises the steps of A. Creating an acidic stream from the liquid biomass feed stream by increasing the number of H+ ions to the liquid biomass feed stream in an amount sufficient so that the pH of the acidic stream is at least 0.5 pH units less than the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream prior to the addition of the H+ ions wherein less than 80% of the total amount of H+ ions added to the feed stream are derived from an acid or acids, and B. Hydrolyzing the acidic stream by increasing the temperature of the acidic stream to a hydrolysis temperature greater than 80° C. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the at least a portion of the H+ ions come from decationization using an ion exchange agent and at least a portion of the acidic stream is separated from the ion exchange agent before hydrolyzing the separated portion of the acidic stream. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein less than 90% of the total amount of H+ ions added to the feed stream are derived from an acid or acids. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the pH of the acidic stream is less than at least 2.5. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the H+ ions is derived from an acid added to either the feed stream or the acidic stream, or both prior to hydrolysis. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein less than 25% of the total amount of H+ ions added to the process come from an acid or acids. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the H+ ions is derived from an acid or acids added to the acidic stream during the hydrolysis step. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein a salt is added to the process. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The process according to claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the salt is added to the feed stream prior to adding the H+ ions to the feed stream. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the temperature of the acidic stream is maintained in the hydrolysis temperature range for a time within the range of 1 sec to 4 hours. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the hydrolysis temperature is within the range of 80° C. to 200° C. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the feed stream comprises a concentration of xyloligomers and the concentration of the xyloligomers in the feed stream is increased prior to decationization. ### Claim 29 (depends on 17) The process according to claim 17, wherein the acidic stream comprises a concentration of xyloligomers and the concentration of the xyloligomers in the acidic stream is increased prior to hydrolysis. ### Claim 30 A process for the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides present in a liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream derived from pre-treated biomass, wherein the process comprises the steps of A. increasing the number of H+ ions to the liquid biomass feed stream in an amount sufficient so that the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream is at least 0.5 pH units less than the pH of the liquid biomass feed stream prior to the addition of the H+ ions, and B. Hydrolyzing the liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream at a hydrolysis temperature greater than 80° C. wherein, C. at least a portion of the increased number of H+ ions is created in-situ by adding a compound which does not contain H′ ions capable of disassociation in water to the feed stream, and the compound catalyzes a reaction, or the compound itself reacts, with component(s) already present in the liquid lingo-cellulosic biomass feed stream to create at least a portion of the H+ ions. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The process according to claim 30, wherein the hydrolysis temperature is within the range of 80° C. to 200° C. ### Claim 32 (depends on 30) The process according to claim 30, wherein the feed stream comprises a concentration of xyloligomers and the concentration of the xyloligomers in the feed stream is increased prior to hydrolysis. ### Claim 33 (depends on 31) The process according to claim 31, wherein the feed stream comprises a concentration of xyloligomers and the concentration of the xyloligomers in the feed stream is increased prior to hydrolysis.