# US 9,435,077 B2 · Method for processing lignocellulose containing material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,077 B2 - Document ID: US9435077B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/514,944 - Filed: 2010-12-10 - Published: 2012-11-08 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2009-12-11 - Assignees: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO - Applicants: Johannes Wouterus Van Groenestijn; Jan Matthijs Jetten; Hendricus Cornelis Van Deventer; Ronald Slomp; Theodoor Maximiliaan Slaghek - Inventors: Johannes Wouterus Van Groenestijn; Jan Matthijs Jetten; Hendricus Cornelis Van Deventer; Ronald Slomp; Theodoor Maximiliaan Slaghek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435077B2 ## CPC - D21C 1/02: with water or steam - C08B 1/00: Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof {, e.g. pre-treatment, pre-soaking, activation} - C08B 1/02: Rendering cellulose suitable for esterification {(esterification per se, C08B3/00, C08B5/00, C08B7/00 or C08B9/00)} - C08B 1/06: Rendering cellulose suitable for etherification {(etherification per se C08B11/00)} - C08H 1/00: Macromolecular products derived from proteins (food proteins A23; glue, gelatine C09H) - C08H 1/06: derived from horn, hoofs, hair, skin or leather - C08H 8/00: Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials {(pretreatment thereof B27N)} - C12P 7/10: substrate containing cellulosic material - D21B 1/021: {by chemical means} - D21B 1/12: by wet methods, by the use of steam (beaters D21D1/00) - D21C 1/04: with acid reacting compounds - D21C 1/06: with alkaline reacting compounds - 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 - D21C: PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE BY REMOVING NON-CELLULOSE SUBSTANCES FROM CELLULOSE-CONTAINING MATERIALS; REGENERATION OF PULPING LIQUORS; APPARATUS THEREFOR - C08B: POLYSACCHARIDES; DERIVATIVES THEREOF (polysaccharides containing less than six saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic linkages C07H; fermentation or enzyme-using processes C12P19/00; sugar industry C13; production of cellulose D21) - C08H: DERIVATIVES OF NATURAL MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (polysaccharides C08B; natural rubber C08C; natural resins or their derivatives C09F; bituminous materials C10) - 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)} - D21B: FIBROUS RAW MATERIALS OR THEIR MECHANICAL TREATMENT - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The invention is related to a method for processing biomass derived from plants or animals, comprising the steps of: a. pre treating said material with an aqueous solution of acid or base; b. subsequently passaging saturated or super heated steam through said material, wherein the water activity of the process is controlled by means of temperature and pressure of the super heated steam to be less than 1, preferably less than 0.8, more preferably in the range of 0.4-0.8. With such a process it is possible to disintegrate or make more accessible for subsequent treatments the lignocellulose from lignocellulose containing materials, like wood or other plant material, chitin from exoskeletons from Crustacea like crabs and shrimps, and proteins such as keratin from pig hair or chicken feather, for further derivation, like acylation, oxidation, etherification, carboxymethylation or esterification, or further enzymatic hydrolysis, and/or for production of chemicals, e.g. as sugars from carbohydrates for fermentation processes such as the production of (bio-) ethanolor as keratine hydrolysates for applications in paper or cosmetics. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for processing biomass derived from plants or animals to make available saccharides and proteins therein for further processing, comprising the steps of: a. pre-treating said biomass material containing lignocellulose with an aqueous solution of acid or base to hydrolyze the saccharides from the lignocellulose or the proteins from the biomass material; and b. subsequently passaging super heated “SHS” steam at an elevated pressure through a pressure chamber containing said pre-treated biomass material to further increase the separation of the saccharides from the lignocellulose or the proteins from the biomass material; wherein the water activity “Aw” of the super heated steam is controlled by means of temperature and pressure of the super heated steam to be less than 1 and is defined by the formula Aw=PSHS/Psaturated steam at TSHS with P=absolute pressure, and wherein the super heated steam is applied for at least 1 minute and less than 30 minutes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or the base is chosen from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide or wherein the acid or base is any in situ formed acid or base. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the acid is provided in a solution of 0.1% to 4.0%. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the base is mixed with the biomass in a ratio of 0.02 to 0.2 grams base per gram biomass. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein step a) is performed at a temperature of 20 to 80° C. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the super heated steam is applied under a pressure between 1 and 10 bars. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the super heated steam is between 150 and 220° C. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the process comprises a further step c) of further enzymatic hydrolysis (exo and endo activity), acylation, oxidation, etherification, carboxymethylation or esterification of said material after super heated steam treatment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein step c) comprises acylation or carboxymethylation. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the material is woody plant material, including leaves, twigs, bark, grasses, hay, reeds, megasse, straw, wood chips, sawdust, bagasse, corn stover, corn cobs, wheat bran, sugar beet press cake, rice hulls, palm, coconut, cotton fibres and/or peat, sphagnum, filtercake from sewage plants, sewage effluents, animal waste, like feathers and hairs, or crystalline cellulose. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the saccharides are polysaccharides. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the process comprises a further step c) of applying an enzyme to process the polysaccharides into oligo- and monosaccharides. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the super heated steam is applied to the biomass for less than 15 minutes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the super heated steam is applied to the biomass for 1 to 10 minutes. ### Claim 15 A method for processing biomass derived from plants or animals to make available saccharides and proteins therein for further processing, comprising the steps of: a. pre-treating said biomass material containing lignocellulose with an aqueous solution of acid or base to hydrolyze the saccharides from the lignocellulose or the proteins from the biomass material; and b. subsequently passaging super heated “SHS” steam at an elevated pressure through a pressure chamber containing said pre-treated biomass material to further increase the separation of the saccharides or the proteins from the biomass material; wherein the water activity “Aw” of the super heated steam is controlled by means of temperature and pressure of the super heated steam to be less than 1 and is defined by the formula Aw=PSHS/Psaturated steam at TSHS with P=absolute pressure, and the temperature of the super heated steam is between 150 and 220° C., and wherein the super heated steam is applied for at least 1 minute and less than 30 minutes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the super heated steam is between 160 and 220° C. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises step c) of further enzymatic hydrolysis (exo and endo activity), acylation, oxidation, etherification, carboxymethylation or esterification of said biomass material after super heated steam treatment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the process further comprises step c) of applying an enzyme to said biomass material to process polysaccharides separated from said lignocellulose into oligo- and monosaccharides. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: c. opening said pressure chamber thereby allowing said pressure in said pressure chamber to return to atmospheric pressure and allowing said pre-treated biomass material within said pressure chamber to cool. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of: c. opening said pressure chamber thereby allowing said pressure in said pressure chamber to return to atmospheric pressure and allowing said pre-treated biomass material within said pressure chamber to cool.