Cellulose-containing compositions and methods of making same
Inventors
Capanema, Ewellyn A. • BALAKSHIN, Mikhail Y. • FITZGIBBON, Patrick David • KOSA, Matyas • MCLARTY, Todd Michael • Sanderson, Charles Sebastian
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-11440974-B2
Publication Date
2022-09-13
Expiration Date
Abstract
Cellulose-containing compositions and method of making same are disclosed. The compositions comprise a cellulose product comprising a type-I cellulose, a type-II cellulose, amorphous cellulose, or a combination thereof. Further, methods are disclosed for making these compositions and for further hydrolyzing these compositions. Additionally, uses for the cellulose-containing compositions are disclosed.
Core Innovation
A method is disclosed in which a reactant comprising lignocellulosic biomass, cellulosic biomass, processed cellulosic biomass, starch-containing feedstock, municipal waste, or combinations thereof is contacted with water in a sub-critical, near-critical, or supercritical state to form a first reactant mixture. The first reactant mixture is at a temperature of about 250° C. to about 450° C. and at a pressure of about 110 bar to about 350 bar for about 0.1 sec to about 10 sec, and is quenched to form a first product mixture including a first liquid fraction and a first solid fraction, where the first solid fraction comprises a composition comprising a cellulose product.
The method processes the first product mixture by recovering at least a portion of the cellulose product from the first product mixture to form a recovered cellulose product with a yield of about 5% to about 100% based on the amount of cellulose in the reactant. The method also includes hydrolyzing at least a portion of the first product mixture, and the cellulose product comprises type-I cellulose and type-II cellulose.
The document further describes embodiments where the cellulose product includes at least one selected cello-saccharide from cellohexaose, cellopentaose, cellotetraose, cellotriose, cellobiose, and glucose, optionally in combination. Additional embodiments include separation of the cellulose product from the fractions formed after quenching using gravity separation, centrifugal separation, centripetal separation, filtration, or combinations thereof, and producing purified lignin by separating lignin from cellulose product-containing fractions.
Claims Coverage
The partial content identifies one independent claim. It includes two main inventive features: recovering a cellulose product from a quenched mixture and hydrolyzing the mixture, with the cellulose product comprising both type-I cellulose and type-II cellulose.
Hydrothermal contacting and quenching to form liquid and solid fractions comprising a cellulose product
A method where a reactant selected from lignocellulosic biomass, cellulosic biomass, processed cellulosic biomass, starch-containing feedstock, municipal waste, and combinations thereof is contacted with water in sub-critical, near-critical, or supercritical state under conditions of about 250° C. to about 450° C. and about 110 bar to about 350 bar for about 0.1 sec to about 10 sec, and then quenched to form a first product mixture comprising a first liquid fraction and a first solid fraction, wherein the first solid fraction comprises a composition comprising a cellulose product.
Recovering cellulose product with defined yield and hydrolyzing while the cellulose product comprises type-I and type-II cellulose
Processing the first product mixture by recovering at least a portion of the cellulose product from the first product mixture to form a recovered cellulose product with a yield of about 5% to about 100% based on the amount of cellulose in the reactant, and hydrolyzing at least a portion of the first product mixture, wherein the cellulose product comprises type-I cellulose and type-II cellulose.
Across the identified independent claim, the coverage centers on producing a cellulose product from biomass-derived reactants via sub-critical, near-critical, or supercritical water contacting followed by quenching into liquid and solid fractions, then recovering and/or hydrolyzing to produce a cellulose product that comprises both type-I cellulose and type-II cellulose.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?