Processing biomass

#This invention relates to processing biomass, and products made therefrom.

#Cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials, e.g., in fibrous form, are produced, processed, and used in large quantities in a number of applications. Often such materials are used once, and then discarded as waste, or are simply considered to be waste materials, e.g., sewage, bagasse, sawdust, and stover.

#Various cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials, their uses, and applications have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,074,918, 6,448,307, 6,258,876, 6,207,729, 5,973,035 and 5,952,105; and in various patent applications, including “FIBROUS MATERIALS AND COMPOSITES,” PCT/US2006/010648, filed on Mar. 23, 2006, AND “FIBROUS MATERIALS AND COMPOSITES,” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0045456.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating conversion of biomass into products and co-products.

#FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating conversion of a fiber source into a first and second fibrous material.

#FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary knife cutter.

#Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) can be processed to produce useful products such as fuels. Systems and processes are described herein that can utilize biomass feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, that are readily available, but that can be difficult to process. Feedstock materials are physically and/or chemically prepared for such processing by subjecting the feedstock materials to a screw extrusion step, which can result in a size reduction of raw feedstock materials and in some cases in densification, pulping, and/or hydrolysis (e.g., acid hydrolysis) of the feedstock material. If desired, prior to, during, or after the screw extrusion step, the feedstock can be treated or processed using one or more of radiation, sonication, oxidation, pyrolysis, and steam explosion. When utilized, the various treatment systems and methods can be used in combinations of two, three, or even four of these technologies.

#In some cases, to provide materials that include a carbohydrate, such as cellulose, that can be converted by a microorganism to a number of desirable products, such as a combustible fuels (e.g., ethanol, butanol or hydrogen), feedstocks that include one or more saccharide units can be treated by any one or more of the processes described herein. Other products and co-products that can be produced include, for example, human food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and nutriceuticals. A number of examples are presented that range from bench scale implementations of individual treatment methods to large scale biomass processing plants.

#Types of Biomass