Solvolysis of biomass to produce aqueous and organic products
AssigneeVirent, Inc.
InventorsMing Qiao, Elizabeth Woods, Paul Myren, Randy Cortright, Sean Connolly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides processes for deconstructing biomass to produce aqueous and organic products using a solvent produced in a bioreforming reaction.
Claims20
A method of deconstructing biomass to produce a reaction product, the method comprising:
- A. catalytically reacting water and a water-soluble C2+O1+ oxygenated hydrocarbon in a liquid or vapor phase with H2 in the presence of a deoxygenation catalyst at a deoxygenation temperature and a deoxygenation pressure to produce a biomass processing solvent comprising a C2+O1-3 hydrocarbon in a reaction stream;
- and
- B. reacting the biomass processing solvent with a solid biomass component at a deconstruction temperature and a deconstruction pressure to produce a reaction product, the reaction product comprising a biomass hydrolysate, an organic phase, and a solid phase, wherein the biomass hydrolysate comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a water-soluble lignocellulose derivative, a water-soluble cellulose derivative, a water-soluble hemicellulose derivative, a water-soluble lignin derivative, a carbohydrate, a starch, a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, a polysaccharide, a sugar, a sugar alcohol, an alditol, a polyol, and a phenol, and wherein the solid biomass component is selected from the group consisting of agricultural residues, wood materials, municipal solid waste and energy crops.
A method of deconstructing biomass, the method comprising reacting a biomass slurry with a biomass processing solvent comprising a C2+O1-3 hydrocarbon at a deconstruction temperature between about 80° C. and 350° C. and a deconstruction pressure between about 100 psi and 2000 psi to produce a reaction product comprising a biomass hydrolysate, an organic phase, and a solid phase, the biomass hydrolysate comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of a water-soluble lignocellulose derivative, water-soluble cellulose derivative, water-soluble hemicellulose derivative, water-soluble lignin derivative, carbohydrate, starch, monosaccharide, disaccharide, polysaccharide, sugar, sugar alcohol, alditol, polyol, and phenol, wherein the biomass processing solvent is produced by catalytically reacting in the liquid or vapor phase an aqueous feedstock solution comprising water and a water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbons comprising a C2+O1+ hydrocarbon with H2 in the presence of a deoxygenation catalyst at a deoxygenation temperature and deoxygenation pressure, and wherein the biomass slurry comprises a solid biomass component selected from the group consisting of agricultural residues, wood materials, municipal solid waste and energy crops.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.