Product and processes from an integrated forest biorefinery
AssigneeThe Research Foundation of State University of New York
InventorsThomas E. Amidon, Raymond Francis, Gary M. Scott, Jeremy Bartholomew, Bandaru V. Ramarao, Christopher D. Wood
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Abstract
An omnibus process of pulping and bleaching lignocellulosic materials in which a charge of a lignocellulosic material is biopulped and/or water extracted prior to pulping and bleaching. The lignocellulosic material may be mechanically pulped and bleached in the presence of an enzyme that breaks lignin-carbohydrate complexes. The aqueous extract in embodiments including a water extract step is separated into acetic acid and hemicellulose sugar aqueous solutions.
Claims40
A process of pulping lignocellulosic materials consisting of the steps of:
- (a) contacting a charge of a lignocellulosic material with water, the lignocellulosic material containing an initial amount of xylan, the water and charge of lignocellulosic material maintained at a temperature in the range of between about 20° C. and about 200° C. and lowering the pH to between about 3.0 and about 6.9 by producing acetic acid from the reaction of the water and lignocellulosic material for a period of about 90 minutes to about 120 minutes, wherein an aqueous extract and extracted lignocellulosic materials are obtained, the aqueous extract containing about 65% of the initial amount of xylan present in the charge of lignocellulosic material;
- (b) pulping a portion of said extracted lignocellulosic materials wherein individual fibers and fiber bundles are produced and have a kappa number of at least 7 in less than 150 minutes;
- and
- (c) bleaching said product of said step (b).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.