# US 9,434,971 B2 · Saccharide-solution producing apparatus, fermentation system, saccharide-solution producing method, and fermentation method

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- Number: US 9,434,971 B2
- Document ID: US9434971B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/578,116
- Filed: 2011-01-13
- Published: 2012-12-13
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-01-13
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mechatronics Systems, Ltd.
- Applicants: Minoru Genta; Seiichi Terakura; Hideo Suzuki; Gaku Kondo; Michio Nishiyama
- Inventors: Minoru Genta; Seiichi Terakura; Hideo Suzuki; Gaku Kondo; Michio Nishiyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434971B2

## CPC

- C12P 19/14: produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase}
- C12M 21/12: {for producing fuels or solvents (C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00)}
- C12M 43/02: {Bioreactors or fermenters combined with devices for liquid fuel extraction; Biorefineries}
- C12M 45/02: {by mechanical forces; Stirring; Trituration; Comminuting (crushing, pulverizing, disintegrating in general B02C)}
- C12M 45/09: {by enzymatic treatment}
- C12M 45/20: {Heating; Cooling (heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory uses B01L7/00)}
- C12P 7/10: substrate containing cellulosic material
- C12P 19/02: Monosaccharides (2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60)
- C13K 1/02: obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials (manufacture of fodder A23K10/32)
- C12P 2201/00: Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
- C12P 2203/00: Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y02T 50/678: Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS}
- 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)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A saccharide-solution producing apparatus 11A according to the present invention is a saccharide-solution producing apparatus for producing a saccharide solution 22 derived from a carbohydrate-based material 21, and includes a saccharide-solution controlling unit 15A that controls the saccharide solution derived from the carbohydrate-based material 21, a cellulosic biomass saccharifying unit 16 that saccharifies hydrothermally treated biomass obtained by hydrothermally decomposing a cellulosic biomass material 35 that contains a lignin component and a hemicellulose component, and produces a diluted saccharide solution 37, and a diluted-saccharide-solution supply pipe L11 that mixes the diluted saccharide solution 37 produced by the cellulosic biomass saccharifying unit 16 into the saccharide-solution controlling unit 15A. With this configuration, it is possible to improve production efficiency of the saccharide solution 22 and to realize cost reduction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A saccharide-solution producing method comprising:
obtaining, from a single starting material, a cellulosic biomass material comprising a cellulose component, a lignin component and a hemicellulose component, and a carbohydrate-based material comprising starch as a main component;
hydrothermally decomposing the cellulosic biomass material to produce a solid residual fraction and a hydrothermally discharged fraction, the solid residual fraction containing the cellulose component and the hydrothermally discharged fraction containing the lignin component and the hemicellulose component;
saccharifying at least one of the solid residual fraction and the hydrothermally discharged fraction with one or more enzymes to produce a diluted saccharide solution having a concentration of 0.1 mass % to 15 mass %;
storing the carbohydrate-based material in a storage tank;
transferring the carbohydrate-based material from the storage tank to an enzymatic saccharification tank;
in the enzymatic saccharification tank, producing a starch-based saccharide solution from the carbohydrate-based material, the starch-based saccharide solution having a concentration higher than the diluted saccharide solution;
diluting the concentration of the starch-based saccharide solution with water to form a diluted starch-based saccharide solution;
supplying the diluted saccharide solution into the enzymatic saccharification tank containing the diluted starch-based saccharide solution, wherein the concentration of the diluted starch-based saccharide solution is decreased with the water and the diluted saccharide solution to produce a final saccharide solution having a predetermined concentration.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The saccharide-solution producing method according to claim 1, wherein the saccharifying the at least one of the solid residual fraction and the hydrothermally discharged fraction includes any one or both of: 1) saccharifying the cellulose component with a first enzyme to produce a first diluted saccharide solution containing hexose; and 2) saccharifying the hemicellulose component with a second enzyme so to produce a second diluted saccharide solution containing pentose, wherein at least one of the first and second diluted saccharide solution produces the diluted saccharide solution.

### Claim 3

A saccharide-solution producing method comprising:
obtaining, from a single starting material, a cellulosic biomass material comprising a cellulose component, a lignin component and a hemicellulose component, and molasses;
hydrothermally decomposing the cellulosic biomass material to produce a solid residual fraction and a hydrothermally discharged fraction, the solid residual fraction containing the cellulose component and the hydrothermally discharged fraction containing the lignin component and the hemicellulose component;
saccharifying at least one of the solid residual fraction and the hydrothermally discharged fraction with one or more enzymes to produce a diluted saccharide solution having a concentration of 0.1 mass % to 15 mass %;
storing the molasses in a storage tank;
transferring the molasses from the storage tank to a saccharide-concentration controlling tank;
in the saccharide-concentration controlling tank, producing a molasses-based saccharide solution from the molasses, the molasses-based saccharide solution having a concentration higher than that of the diluted saccharide solution;
diluting the concentration of the molasses-based saccharide solution with water to form a diluted molasses-based saccharide solution;
supplying the diluted saccharide solution into the saccharide-concentration controlling tank containing the diluted molasses-based saccharide solution, wherein the concentration of the diluted molasses-based saccharide solution is decreased with the water and the diluted saccharide solution to produce a final saccharide solution having a predetermined concentration.