# US 9,517,444 B2 · Processing biomass and petroleum containing materials

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- Number: US 9,517,444 B2
- Document ID: US9517444B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/879,337
- Filed: 2015-10-09
- Published: 2016-02-04
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2008-04-30
- Assignees: Xyleco, Inc.
- Applicants: Xyleco, Inc.
- Inventors: Marshall Medoff
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517444B2

## CPC

- B01J 19/08: Processes employing the direct application of electric or wave energy, or particle radiation; Apparatus therefor (application of shock waves B01J3/08)
- B01J 19/081: {employing particle radiation or gamma-radiation}
- B01J 19/085: {Electron beams only}
- C08B 1/00: Preparatory treatment of cellulose for making derivatives thereof {, e.g. pre-treatment, pre-soaking, activation}
- C10G 3/00: Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oxygen-containing organic materials, e.g. fatty oils, fatty acids (production from non-melting solid oxygen-containing carbonaceous materials C10G1/00)
- C10G 11/00: Catalytic cracking, in the absence of hydrogen, of hydrocarbon oils (cracking in direct contact with molten metals or salts C10G9/34)
- C10G 15/10: by particle radiation
- C10G 47/00: Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions (C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06)
- C10L 1/02: essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
- C10L 1/04: essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
- C12P 5/00: Preparation of hydrocarbons {or halogenated hydrocarbons}
- C12P 5/02: acyclic {(C12P5/007 takes precedence)}
- C12P 5/023: {Methane}
- C12P 7/02: containing a hydroxy group
- C12P 7/04: acyclic
- C12P 7/10: substrate containing cellulosic material
- C12P 7/14: Multiple stages of fermentation; Multiple types of microorganisms or re-use of microorganisms
- C12P 7/16: Butanols
- C12P 19/02: Monosaccharides (2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60)
- C12P 19/14: produced by the action of a carbohydrase {(EC 3.2.x)}, e.g. by alpha-amylase {, e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase}
- H01M 8/1007: with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/1013: {Other direct alcohol fuel cells [DAFC]}
- H01M 8/16: Biochemical fuel cells, i.e. cells in which microorganisms function as catalysts
- H01M 8/22: Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising carbon or oxygen or hydrogen and other elements; Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising only elements other than carbon, oxygen or hydrogen
- B01J 2219/08: Processes employing the direct application of electric or wave energy, or particle radiation; Apparatus therefor
- B01J 2219/0879: Solid
- C10G 2300/1011: Biomass
- C10L 2200/0469: Renewables or materials of biological origin
- C10L 2270/02: for internal combustion engines
- C10L 2270/04: for turbines, planes, power generation
- C10L 2290/02: Combustion or pyrolysis
- C10L 2290/06: Heat exchange, direct or indirect
- C10L 2290/26: Composting, fermenting or anaerobic digestion fuel components or materials from which fuels are prepared
- C10L 2290/34: Applying ultrasonic energy
- C10L 2290/36: Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
- C10L 2290/543: Distillation, fractionation or rectification for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
- 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
- Y02E 50/30: Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02P 30/20: using bio-feedstock
- Y02T 50/678: Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- 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)
- C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
- C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS
- 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)}
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
processing a cellulosic or lignocellulosic material that has been exposed to an ion beam generated by an accelerator, to produce a product or intermediate;
the ion beam providing a radiation dose of greater than 10 Mrad to the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, where in the accelerator is selected from the group consisting of: a pulsed accelerator, a continuous wave accelerator, a LINAC accelerator, and a DC accelerator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the DC accelerator device comprises a DC insulated core transformer (ICT) type system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation dose is provided at a dose rate of about 1 Mrad/s to about 10 Mrad/s.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure provides a dose rate of at least 1 Mrad/s.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein processing comprises saccharifying the irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material utilizing an enzyme.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising converting the saccharified cellulosic or lignocellulosic material into the product.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the product is an alcohol.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein saccharifying the irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material yields a sugar, and wherein the method further comprises converting the sugar into the product.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein converting the sugar into the product comprises fermenting the sugar to produce an alcohol.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the product comprises the alcohol.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the alcohol is selected from the group consisting of: ethanol, methanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,4-butane diol, glycerin, and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the butanol is selected from the group consisting of: n-butanol, sec-butanol, and t-butanol.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerator has an output power of at least 50 kW.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation dose is between about 10 and 50 Mrad.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerator has an output power of at least 75 kW.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerator has an output power of at least 100 kW.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation dose is between 10 and 100 Mrad.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of: plant waste, agricultural waste, forestry waste, yard waste, animal waste, municipal waste, sewage, synthetic celluloses, paper, paper products, paper waste, wood, wood pulp, particle board, sawdust, silage, alfalfa, hay, grasses, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, rice hulls, oat hulls, corn cobs, corn fiber, corn stover, soybean stover, coconut hair, microbial biomass, seaweed, algae, plankton, yeast, and mixtures of these.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is corn cob.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is corn stover.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material also comprises a starch or a starchy material.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising mechanically treating the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is treated before irradiation.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material is treated after irradiation.

### Claim 26 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the mechanical treatment reduces the particle size of the material.

### Claim 27 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the mechanical treatment is selected from the group consisting of cutting, grinding, shearing, and chopping.

### Claim 28 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the mechanical treatment reduces the particle size of the material to an average of 1.59 mm or less.

### Claim 29 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the mechanical treatment reduces the particle size of the material to an average of about 0.2 mm to about 1.5 mm.

### Claim 30 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerator is a LINAC device selected from the group consisting of: an L-band LINAC device and an S-band LINAC device.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The method of claim 30, wherein the LINAC device has an overall length of about 2-4 meters.

### Claim 32 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam effects a chain scission reaction effective to provide a yield increase in the product or intermediate extracted at a temperature and pressure effective to extract the product or intermediate.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the chain scission reaction comprises a ring-opening chain scission reaction.

### Claim 34 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerator has a filter to remove undesired species.

### Claim 35 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises positively charged ions.

### Claim 36 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises at least one of protons, carbon ions, oxygen ions, and noble gas ions.

### Claim 37 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises at least one of platinum ions, palladium ions, rhenium ions, iridium ions, ruthenium ions, aluminum ions, nickel ions, and osmium ions.

### Claim 38 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising exposing the material to an electron beam.

### Claim 39 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising exposing the material to a reactive gas during exposure of the material to the ion beam.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The method of claim 39, wherein the reactive gas comprises ozone.

### Claim 41 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the material to the ion beam comprises exposing the material to a first type of ions from a first ion beam, and exposing the material to a second type of ions from a second ion beam.

### Claim 42 (depends on 41)

The method of claim 41, wherein the first and second types of ions have different charges.

### Claim 43 (depends on 41)

The method of claim 41, wherein the first and second types of ions have different masses.

### Claim 44 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein during exposure to the ion beam the material is flowing.

### Claim 45 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises charged particles having an energy of 10 MeV/u or more.

### Claim 46 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein exposure to the ion beam breaks chemical bonds in at least a portion of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, leading to a reduction in molecular weight of at least a portion of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.

### Claim 47 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein exposure to the ion beam leads to isomerization of at least a portion of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, the isomerization effecting a reduction in viscosity.

### Claim 48 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam composition is selected to effect the addition of a functional group to at least a portion of the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material, the functional group effective to increase ionic mobility within the functionalized portion.

### Claim 49 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises hydride ions.

### Claim 50 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ion beam comprises ions that behave chemically as Lewis acid moieties or Lewis base moieties when exposed to the cellulosic or lignocellulosic material.