Methods for producing raw materials from plant biomass
Assignee9Fiber, Inc.
InventorAdam Powars
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to materials and methods for producing a wide range of raw materials from plant biomass. In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides materials and methods for efficient decortication of plant biomass using a thermally regulated process to generate reactive oxygen species in the presence of a catalyst. Embodiments of the present disclosure address the need for improved methods with which to obtain a wide range of raw materials from plant biomass without the need for industrial decortication machines and without producing harmful industrial waste.
Claims12
A method for decortication, degumming, decontamination, whitening and softening of plant biomass, the method comprising:
- submerging plant biomass material in an aqueous-based decortication solution, the aqueous-based decortication solution encompassing one or more exogenous catalysts;
- heating the decortication solution containing the submerged plant biomass material to a pre-determined temperature range for a pre-determined incubation period;
- introducing a reactive oxygen species (ROS) into the decortication solution adjacent to the one or more exogenous catalysts during the pre-determined incubation period at a plurality of pre-determined intervals so that the one or more catalysts interact chemically with the ROS to decorticate the plant biomass material and;
- introducing an alkaline wash solution or alkaline powder into the decortication solution after the pre-determined incubation period to promote decortication, degumming, decontamination, whitening and softening of the plant biomass material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.