Methods and system for liquefaction, hydrolysis and fermentation of agricultural feedstocks
OwnerRuihong ZHANG, Steven M. ZICARI +6inventors
InventorsRuihong ZHANG, Steven M. ZICARI, John E. DIENER, James R. TISCHER, Jeffrey H. MANTERNACH, William C. PUCHEU, Jimmy L. MOORE, Joseph W. WINCKLER
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Abstract
Treatment of agricultural biomass without separation of the biomass to extract fermentable feedstock, instead using a hydrolytic process upstream of the fermentation process, provides an efficient and cost-effective process for forming ethanol from agricultural biomass.
Claims37
A process for preparing ethanol from a first agricultural feedstock comprising a soluble saccharide, which is a fermentable ethanol precursor, and about 20% total solids (TS), said method comprising:
- (a) mechanically processing said first agricultural feedstock to prepare a first hydrolysis feedstock comprising a solid feedstock comprising said fermentable ethanol precursor;
- (b) submitting said first agricultural feedstock to a heat pretreatment under conditions sufficient to reduce microbial contamination of said agricultural feedstock;
- (c) in a hydrolysis vessel, contacting said first hydrolysis feedstock with a hydrolytic enzyme capable of liquefying said solid feedstock under conditions sufficient to liquefy said solid feedstock, forming a first fermentation substrate;
- and
- (d) in a fermentation vessel, contacting said first fermentation substrate with a microorganism capable of converting said fermentation substrate to ethanol under conditions sufficient to convert said fermentable ethanol precursor to a first ethanol fraction.
The method according to any preceding claim, further comprising:
- (d) removing at least a portion of said ethanol from said fermentation liquid, such that stillage is created.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.