PRETREATMENT PROCESS OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIALS, USING IONIC LIQUIDS, TO OBTAIN BIOETHANOL

• Main Authors: Omar MERINO PÉREZ, Rafael MARTÍNEZ PALOU, Jorge Arturo ABURTO ANELL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: 08.02.2019
• Subjects: APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DERIVATIVES OF NATURAL MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; DERIVATIVES THEREOF; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PAPER-MAKING; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; POLYSACCHARIDES; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE BY REMOVING NON-CELLULOSE SUBSTANCESFROM CELLULOSE-CONTAINING MATERIALS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; REGENERATION OF PULPING LIQUORS; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP

The present disclosure is related to a pretreatment process of lignocellulosic materials and waste, which is carried out in a practical and efficient way, using ionic liquids (IL's) as pre-conditioning solvents that modify the structural characteristics of lignocellulosic materials, under mild conditions of temperature and pressure. The process of the present invention is carried out by mixing lignocellulosic materials and waste with water and ionic liquids in a reactor. Using thermal conditions and self-generated pressure, in order to favor the hydrolysis of lignin and cellulose and hemicellulose polymers, on lignocellulosic materials and waste, such as pastures, to obtain lignocellulosic materials with a high content of hydrolysable reducing sugars (monomeric sugars). Mainly for use in the production of bioethanol and other byproducts derived from furfural and hydroxyacids of great importance in the chemical and industrial area, much more efficiently than without pre-treatment. La presente invención se relaciona con un proceso de pretratamiento de materiales y desechos lignocelulósicos, que se lleva a cabo de forma práctica y eficiente, empleando líquidos iónicos (LI´s) como disolventes pre acondicionadores que modifican las características estructurales de los materiales lignocelulósicos, en condiciones suaves de temperatura y presión. Al respecto, el proceso de la presente invención se lleva a cabo mezclando materiales y desechos lignocelulósicos con agua y líquidos iónicos en un reactor, utilizando condiciones térmicas y presión autogenerada, con la finalidad de favorecer la hidrólisis de la lignina y los polímeros de celulosa y hermicelulosa, sobre materiales y desechos lignocelulósicos, tal como los pastos, para obtener materiales lignocelulósicos con alto contenido de azúcares reductores hidrolizables (azúcares monoméricos), principalmente para su uso en la producción de bioetanol y otros subproductos derivados de furfural e hidroxiácidos de gran importancia en el área química e industrial, con mucha mayor eficiencia que sin previo pretratamiento.