Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Micro-organism – tissue cell culture or enzyme using process... – Preparing oxygen-containing organic compound
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-07
2003-12-09
Brunsman, David (Department: 1755)
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Micro-organism, tissue cell culture or enzyme using process...
Preparing oxygen-containing organic compound
C127S037000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06660506
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to hydrolyzing lignocellulosic materials by subjecting dried lignocellulosic material in a reactor to a catalyst comprised of a dilute solution of a strong acid and a metal salt to lower the activation energy (i.e., temperature) of cellulose hydrolysis and ultimately obtain higher sugar yields. The lower temperature obtained occasions a reduction in the cost of steam and equipment and enables the hydrolysis of both hemicellulose and cellulose, when used with hydrolyzer feeders that do not compact the biomass feedstock to achieve higher sugar yields.
Lignocellulose is ubiquitous in all wood species and all agricultural and forestry waste. In addition, municipal waste, which typically contains about half waste paper and yard waste, is a source of lignocellulosic materials. Currently, municipal waste is buried or burned at considerable expense to the disposer or the government organization providing solid waste services.
Lignocellulosic biomass is a complex structure of cellulose fibers wrapped in a lignin and hemicellulose sheath. The ratio of the three components varies depending on the type of biomass. Typical ratios are as follows:
Softwoods
Corn Cobs
RDF*
Cellulose
42%
40%
52%
Hemicellulose
25%
36%
26%
Lignin
28%
13%
20%
*RDF = Refuse Derived Fuel from municipal systems waste
Different woods also have different compositions. Softwoods (gymnosperms) generally have more glucomannan and less glucuronoxylan than hardwoods and grasses (angiosperms).
Cellulose is a polymer of D-glucose with &bgr; [1Õ4] linkages between each of the about 500 to 10,000 glucose units. Hemicellulose is a polymer of sugars, primarily D-xylose with other pentoses and some hexoses with &bgr; [1Õ4] linkages. Lignin is a complex random polyphenolic polymer. Therefore, lignocellulose represents a very cheap and readily available substrate for the preparation of sugars, which may be used alone or microbially fermented to produce alcohols and other industrial chemicals.
Ethanol, one of the alcohols, which can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass, has a number of industrial and fuel uses. Of particular interest is the use of ethanol as an additive to gasoline to boost octane, reduce pollution and to partially replace gasoline in the mixture. This composition is the well-known commercial product called “gasohol.” It has been proposed to eliminate gasoline completely from the fuel and to burn ethanol alone. Such a fuel would produce considerably less air pollution by not forming as much carbon monoxide or hydrocarbon emissions. Furthermore, gasoline is produced from crude oil; which fluctuates in price, availability, and is the subject of unpredictable world politics.
It has been estimated that about 1×10
9
tons of lignocellulosic wastes are produced every year. This amount exceeds the total amount of crude oil consumed per year. In theory, if properly managed, the lignocellulose produced by the United States is sufficient to produce all of the country's needs for liquid fuel if the cellulose and hemicellulose can be completely converted into ethanol. The amount of energy theoretically obtainable from the combustion of cellulose or the glucose or alcohol derived therefrom is about 7200 BTU per pound or roughly equivalent to 0.35 pounds of gasoline. Hemicellulose has similar value when converted into sugars or ethanol. Consequently, cellulose and hemicellulose represent a readily available potential source for ethanol production. The technology for the production of ethanol from grain and fruit for beverage purposes has been well developed for centuries. However, the costs have been relatively high compared to the cost of gasoline. Accordingly, many methods have been proposed to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of ethanol production.
Among the techniques proposed for the production of fuel grade ethanol include the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose to produce sugars which can be fermented to produce ethanol. Cellulose in the form of wood, newsprint and other paper, forest, agricultural, industrial and municipal wastes is quite inexpensive compared to grain, fruit, potatoes or sugarcane which is traditionally used to prepare alcohol beverages.
Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass using an acid catalyst to produce sugars has been known for decades but can be costly and requires special equipment. The hydrolyzed sugars themselves are somewhat labile to the harsh hydrolysis conditions and may be degraded to unwanted or toxic byproducts. If exposed to acid for too long, the glucose derived from cellulose degrades into hydroxymethlylfurfural, which can be further degraded into levulinic acid and formic acid. Xylose, a hemicellulose sugar, can be degraded into furfural and further to tars and other degradation products.
In order for acid to completely hydrolyze the cellulose and hemicellulose in a lignocellulosic substrate, degradation of the desirable sugars and formation of the toxic byproducts cannot be avoided due to kinetic constraints. On the other hand, to use conditions sufficiently gentle that significant degradation of sugars will not occur does not result in complete hydrolysis of substrate. Furthermore, the acid is corrosive and requires special handling and equipment. Accordingly, in the last twenty years attention has focused on enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose with cellulase followed by fermentation of the resulting sugars to produce ethanol which in turn is distilled to purify it sufficiently for fuel uses.
Cellulase is an enzyme complex that includes three different types of enzymes involved in the saccharification of cellulose. The cellulase enzyme complex produced by Trichoderrna reesei QM 9414 contains the enzymes named endoglucanase (E.C. 3.2.1.4), cellobiohydrolase. (E.C.3.2.1.91) and &bgr;-glucosidase (E.C.3.2.1.21). Gum et al.
Biochem. Biophys.Acta
, 446:370-86 (1976). The combined synergistic actions of these three enzymes in the cellulase preparation completely hydrolyses cellulose to D-glucose.
However, cellulase cannot completely degrade the cellulose found in native, unpretreated lignocellulose. It appears that the hemicellulose and lignin interfere with the access of the enzyme complex to the cellulose, probably due to their coating of the cellulose fibers. Furthermore, lignin itself can bind cellulase thereby rendering it inactive or less effective for digesting cellulose. For example, raw ground hardwood is only about 10 to 20% digestible into sugars using a cellulase preparation.
BACKGROUND ART
U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,699 discloses a process for obtaining ethanol by continuous acid hydrolysis of cellulosic materials by providing a homogenized slurry of heated (160° to 250° C.) cellulosic material continuously into a reactor, adding concentrated acid to the pressurized and heated cellulosic material to obtain hydrolysis, neutralizing and fermenting the resulting aqueous solution to obtain ethanol, and recovering resulting byproducts of methanol, furfural, acetic acid and lignin.
A process for the production of sugars and optionally cellulose and lignin from lignocellulosic raw materials is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,105. The process entails subjecting vegetable materials to a chemical pretreatment with a mixture of water and lower aliphatic alcohols and/or ketones at 100° C. to 190° C. for a period of from 4 hours to 2 minutes with control of the breakdown of the hemicellulose components followed by separation of residue and a subsequent chemical treatment with a similar solvent mixture at elevated temperatures for a period of from 6 hours to 2 minutes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,594 discloses a hydrolysis process system for continuous hydrolysis saccharification of lignocellulosics in a two-stage plug-flow-reactor system. The process utilizes dilute-acid hydrolysis and is primarily by reverse inter-stage transfer-flow, opposite to biomass, of second-stage surplus of: process heat; dilute-acid; and ingredient and solution water, all in an alpha cellulose hydrolysate, dilute-acid solution. T
Keller Fred A.
Nguyen Quang A.
Tucker Melvin P.
Brunsman David
Midwest Research Institute
White Paul J.
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