Cellulose pretreatment process

• Main Authors: BRADT CHRIS, BENSON ROBERT, LEHOUX RICHARD ROMEO, BENECH REGIS-OLIVIER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.10.2012
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DERIVATIVES OF NATURAL MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MINERAL WAXES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; NATURAL GAS; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINED SOIL SOIL; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SACCHARIDES, OTHER THAN SUCROSE, OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SOURCESOR BY HYDROLYSIS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING DI-, OLIGO- ORPOLYSACCHARIDES; SPIRITS; SUGAR INDUSTRY; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE

A process for the production of ethanol from biomass is disclosed. The process relates to the pretreatment of corncob biomass and includes the steps of exposing corncob to steam in a reaction vessel at an elevated temperature and reaction pressure for a preselected exposure time. Volatile compounds are continuously vented during pretreatment. The reaction pressure is released for explosive decomposition of the corncob biomass into fibrous solids and condensate. The exposure is preferably carried out at a temperature of 190-210° C. and a pressure of 190 psig to 275 psig and an exposure time of 3 to 10 minutes.