U.S. patent application number 13/686477 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-17 for methods and systems for saccharification of biomass.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sweetwater Energy, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is SWEETWATER ENERGY, INC.. Invention is credited to Carl P. Felice, Sarad Parekh.
Application Number | 20130274455 13/686477 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49325664 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130274455 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Parekh; Sarad ; et
al. |
October 17, 2013 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SACCHARIFICATION OF BIOMASS
Abstract
Provided are methods and compositions for high yields while
using reduced enzyme loads in saccharification and fermentation
processes. These methods increase the efficiency of enzymes and
result in improved yields and composition of saccharification and
fermentation end products.
Inventors: |
Parekh; Sarad; (Pittsford,
NY) ; Felice; Carl P.; (Churchville, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SWEETWATER ENERGY, INC. |
Rochester |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sweetwater Energy, Inc.
Rochester
NY
|
Family ID: |
49325664 |
Appl. No.: |
13/686477 |
Filed: |
November 27, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61623907 |
Apr 13, 2012 |
|
|
|
61623881 |
Apr 13, 2012 |
|
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
536/1.11 ;
435/99 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C13K 1/02 20130101; C12P
19/14 20130101; C12P 2201/00 20130101; C13K 13/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
536/1.11 ;
435/99 |
International
Class: |
C12P 19/14 20060101
C12P019/14 |
Claims
1. A method of producing a composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides and low levels of an inhibitor compound from a biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose, the method comprising: (a) pretreating the biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose to produce a pretreated biomass composition
comprising a mixture of solid particles, wherein at least 50% of
the solid particles are less than 1.5 mm in a dimension, and C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides in a yield that is at least
50% of a theoretical maximum, wherein pretreating produces low
levels of the inhibitor compound and comprises: (i) hydration of
the biomass composition in an acid medium to produce a hydrated
biomass composition, (ii) mechanical size reduction of the hydrated
biomass composition to produce the mixture of solid particles, and
(iii) heating the hydrated biomass composition for a time
sufficient to produce the pretreated biomass composition comprising
C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides in the yield that is at
least 50% of the theoretical maximum while producing low levels of
the inhibitor compound; and (b) hydrolyzing the pretreated biomass
composition with one or more enzymes for a time sufficient to
produce the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides and low
levels of the inhibitor compound.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 50% of the mixture of
solid particles in the pretreated biomass composition are from
about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in a dimension.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the solid particles in the
pretreated biomass are less than 7.5 mm in a dimension.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the solid particles in the
pretreated biomass are less than 1 mm in a dimension.
5. (canceled)
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the yield of C5 monosaccharides
and/or disaccharides is at least 80% of the theoretical
maximum.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pretreated biomass
composition further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than
about 20% of a theoretical maximum.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrated biomass composition
comprises from about 1% to about 20% solids by dry biomass
weight.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the acidic medium is at from
about 30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein hydration of the biomass
composition is for about 1 minute to about 60 minutes.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the acidic medium comprises an
acid at from about 0.1% to about 5% v/w by dry biomass weight.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the acidic medium comprises the
acid that is sulfuric acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic acid, formic
acid, acetic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid,
sulfurous acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid,
trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic
acid, or a combination thereof.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein mechanical size reduction
comprises cutting, steam explosion, acid-catalyzed steam explosion,
or a combination thereof.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein heating of the hydrated biomass
composition is at a temperature of from about 100.degree. C. to
about 250.degree. C.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein heating of the hydrated biomass
composition is performed at a pressure of from about 100 PSIG to
about 150 PSIG.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the time sufficient to produce
the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about
1 minute to about 30 minutes.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein pretreating the biomass
composition further comprises dewatering the hydrated biomass
composition to from about 10% to about 40% solids by dry biomass
weight.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein heating comprises steam
injection, steam explosion, acid-catalyzed steam explosion, or a
combination thereof.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the pretreating is performed in
a continuous mode of operation.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the pretreating is performed in
a total time of from about 15 minutes to about 45 minutes.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more enzymes comprise
one or more hemicellulases and/or one or more cellulases.
22. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more enzymes are at a
total level from about 1% to about 20% w/w, about 1% to about 10%
w/w, or about 1% to about 5% w/w by dry biomass weight.
23. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the water
content of the pretreated biomass composition to from about 5% to
about 30% solids by dry biomass weight prior to hydrolyzing.
24. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition comprising C6
and C5 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose,
rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof.
25. (canceled)
26. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition comprising C6
and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater
than 55% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis.
27. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass composition
comprises alfalfa, algae, bagasse, bamboo, corn stover, corn cobs,
corn kernels, corn mash, corn steep liquor, corn steep solids,
distiller's grains, distiller's dried solubles, distiller's dried
grains, condensed distiller's solubles, distiller's wet grains,
distiller's dried grains with solubles, eucalyptus, food waste,
fruit peels, garden residue, grass, grain hulls, modified crop
plants, municipal waste, oat hulls, paper, paper pulp, prairie
bluestem, poplar, rice hulls, seed hulls, silage, sorghum, straw,
sugarcane, switchgrass, wheat, wheat straw, wheat bran, de-starched
wheat bran, willows, wood, plant cells, plant tissue cultures,
tissue cultures, or a combination thereof.
28. The method of claim 1, wherein mechanical size reduction does
not comprise milling.
29. A composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides produced by the
method of claim 1.
30. A method of producing a composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides and low levels of an inhibitor compound from a biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose, the method comprising: (a) pretreating the biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose to produce a pretreated biomass composition
comprising a mixture of solid particles, wherein at least 50% of
the solid particles are less than 1.5 mm in a dimension, and C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides in a yield that is at least
50% of a theoretical maximum, wherein pretreating produces low
levels of the inhibitor compound and comprises: (i) hydration of
the biomass composition in an acid medium to produce a hydrated
biomass composition, (ii) mechanical size reduction of the hydrated
biomass composition to produce the mixture of solid particles,
wherein mechanical size reduction comprises cutting with a first
rotating cutter and a second rotating cutter, and (iii) heating the
hydrated biomass composition for a time sufficient to produce the
pretreated biomass composition comprising C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides in the yield that is at least 50% of the theoretical
maximum while producing low levels of the inhibitor compound; and
(b) hydrolyzing the pretreated biomass composition with one or more
enzymes for a time sufficient to produce the composition comprising
C5 and C6 saccharides and low levels of the inhibitor compound.
31. The method of claim 1, wherein the dimension is diameter or
length.
32. The method of claim 1, wherein the inhibitor compound is
furfural.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/623,907, filed Apr. 13, 2012 and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/623,881, filed Apr. 13, 2012, each
of which application is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Biomass is an abundant potential source of fuels and
specialty chemicals. Any kind of biomass can be used to extract
carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and other valuable compounds, but,
in particular, the carbohydrate polymers of biomass derived from
plants, algae or microorganisms are used to produce such products.
Biomass generally includes three main structural elements: lignin,
hemicellulose, and cellulose. Certain components (e.g., lignin) can
reduce the chemical and physical accessibility of cellulose and
hemicellulose, which in turn, reduces the susceptibility of these
carbohydrate polymers to chemical and/or enzymatic conversion.
Because of differences in the bonding of compounds in biomass and
because of the presence of the lignin sheath, it can be more
difficult to process the cellulose and hemicellulose in biomass
than it is to process the starches in grains. Yet, in order to
avoid the use of food crops, bioenergy facilities are being
promoted that utilize the human inedible portions of biomass.
[0003] Many of the methods used to make the hemicellulose and
cellulose of biomass more accessible can generate inhibitor
compounds that can negatively affect downstream processing, such as
saccharification and/or fermentation. There is a need for
pretreatment process that provides a biomass fraction that is
accessible to effective enzymatic hydrolysis without the formation
or release of large volumes of inhibitors.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one aspect, disclosed herein are methods of producing a
composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides from a biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose, the methods comprising: (a) pretreating the biomass
composition to produce a pretreated biomass composition comprising
solid particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size and a yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least 50% of a
theoretical maximum, wherein pretreating comprises: (i) hydration
of the biomass composition in a non-neutral pH aqueous medium to
produce a hydrated biomass composition, (ii) mechanical size
reduction of the hydrated biomass composition to produce the solid
particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size, and (iii) heating the
hydrated biomass composition for a time sufficient to produce the
pretreated biomass composition comprising the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least 50% of the
theoretical maximum; and (b) hydrolyzing the pretreated biomass
composition with one or more enzymes for a time sufficient to
produce the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides. In some
embodiments, the size is length. In some embodiments, the size is
diameter. In some embodiments, at least 50% of the solid particles
in the pretreated biomass composition are from about 0.1 mm to
about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, at least 60% of the solid
particles in the pretreated biomass composition are from about 0.1
mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, at least 70% of the
solid particles in the pretreated biomass composition are from
about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, at least
80% of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass composition
are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments,
all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass are less than
7.5 mm. In some embodiments, all of the solid particles in the
pretreated biomass are less than 5 mm. In some embodiments, all of
the solid particles in the pretreated biomass are less than 1 mm.
In some embodiments, the C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides in
the pretreated biomass composition are monosaccharides. In some
embodiments, the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides
is at least 60% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments,
the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least
70% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of
C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 80% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 85% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass
composition further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than
about 20% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the
pretreated biomass composition further comprises a yield of glucose
that is less than about 15% of the theoretical maximum. In some
embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition further comprises a
yield of glucose that is less than about 10% of the theoretical
maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition
further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than about 5% of
the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the hydrated biomass
composition comprises from about 1% to about 20% solids by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the hydrated biomass
composition comprises about 5% solids by dry biomass weight. In
some embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at from
about 30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at from about 40.degree. C. to
about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous
medium is at about 50.degree. C. In some embodiments, hydration of
the biomass composition is for about 1 minute to about 60 minutes.
In some embodiments, hydration of the biomass composition is for
about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes. In some embodiments, hydration
of the biomass composition is for about 15 minutes to about 20
minutes. In some embodiments, heating of the biomass composition is
at a temperature of from about 150.degree. C. to about 200.degree.
C. In some embodiments, heating of the biomass composition is at a
temperature of from about 160.degree. C. to about 180.degree. C. In
some embodiments, heating of the biomass composition is performed
at a pressure higher than atmospheric. In some embodiments, the
pressure is from about 25 PSIG to about 250 PSIG. In some
embodiments, the pressure is from about 75 PSIG to about 200 PSIG.
In some embodiments, the pressure is from about 100 PSIG to about
150 PSIG. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the
yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about 1
minute to about 60 minutes. In some embodiments, the time
sufficient to produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides is from about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about 7.5 minutes to
about 12.5 minutes. In some embodiments, pretreating the biomass
composition further comprises dewatering the hydrated biomass
composition to from about 10% to about 40% solids by dry biomass
weight. In some embodiments, pretreating the biomass composition
further comprises dewatering the hydrated biomass composition to
about 30% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments,
heating comprises steam explosion, acid-catalyzed steam explosion,
ammonia fiber/freeze explosion (AFEX), or a combination thereof. In
some embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a single unit
operation. In some embodiments, the single unit operation comprises
one or more of a hydration unit, one or more rotating cutters, one
or more pumps, a dewatering unit, a steam injection unit, a heating
unit, a steam explosion unit, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the hydration unit is a vortex mixer outfitted with
one or more rotating cutters. Some embodiments further comprise a
rotating cutter that is outfitted with a plurality of cutting
blades and a plurality of steam injection holes. In some
embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a continuous mode of
operation. In some embodiments, the continuous mode of operation
comprises feeding the biomass composition to a hydration unit. In
some embodiments, the hydration unit is a vortex mixer. In some
embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a total time of from
about 1 minute to about 3 hours. In some embodiments, the
pretreating is performed in a total time of from about 5 minutes to
about 90 minutes. In some embodiments, the pretreating is performed
in a total time of from about 15 minutes to about 45 minutes. In
some embodiments, the one or more enzymes comprise one or more
cellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes comprise
one or more hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more
enzymes comprise one or more cellulases and one or more
hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes do not
comprise any hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more
enzymes is a cellulase and hemicellulase complex. In some
embodiments, the cellulase and hemicellulase complex is not
supplemented with additional hemicellulase enzymes. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 20% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 10% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level of less
than 15% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or
more enzymes are at a total level of less than 10% w/w by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at
a total level of less than 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 10 hours to about
100 hours. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the
composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 21 hours
to about 50 hours. Some embodiments further comprise adjusting the
water content and/or the pH of the pretreated biomass composition
prior to hydrolyzing. In some embodiments, the water content of the
pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 5% to about 30%
solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the water
content of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about
5% to about 20% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments,
the pH of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 4
to about 7. In some embodiments, the pH of the pretreated biomass
composition is adjusted to about 4.5 to about 5.5. In some
embodiments, the hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about
30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about 45.degree. C. to
about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the composition comprising
C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose, mannose,
galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides is an
aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C5 and C6 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose,
mannose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides comprises a yield of glucose in a yield that is 50%,
55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,
96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In
some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides
comprises a yield of xylose in a yield that is 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%,
70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%,
99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In some embodiments,
the theoretical maximum is mass of a given monosaccharide assuming
100% conversion of the oligosaccharides comprising the given
monosaccharide in the biomass composition. In some embodiments, the
theoretical maximum is the mass of a given monosaccharide measured
after hydrolysis of the biomass composition with 72% sulfuric acid.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5
saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 55%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
90% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 48
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 90% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
95% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 90%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the biomass composition comprises alfalfa, algae,
bagasse, bamboo, corn stover, corn cobs, corn kernels, corn mash,
corn steep liquor, corn steep solids, distiller's grains,
distiller's dried solubles, distiller's dried grains, condensed
distiller's solubles, distiller's wet grains, distiller's dried
grains with solubles, eucalyptus, food waste, fruit peels, garden
residue, grass, grain hulls, modified crop plants, municipal waste,
oat hulls, paper, paper pulp, prairie bluestem, poplar, rice hulls,
seed hulls, silage, sorghum, straw, sugarcane, switchgrass, wheat,
wheat straw, wheat bran, de-starched wheat bran, willows, wood,
plant cells, plant tissue cultures, tissue cultures, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the method is for
industrial scale production. In some embodiments, industrial scale
production comprises pretreating greater than 1 metric ton (MT) in
24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial scale production
comprises pretreating greater than 20 MT in 24 hours. In some
embodiments, industrial scale production comprises pretreating
greater than 50 MT in 24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial
scale production comprises pretreating greater than 100 MT in 24
hours. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not
comprise hammer milling. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction does not comprise colloid milling. In some embodiments,
mechanical size reduction does not comprise bead milling. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise milling.
In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise
homogenization. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does
not comprise high pressure bursting.
[0005] Also disclosed herein are compositions comprising C5 and C6
saccharides produced by any of the methods disclosed herein. In
some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides
is an aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C5 and C6 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose,
mannose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides comprises a yield of glucose in a yield that is 50%,
55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,
96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In
some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides
comprises a yield of xylose in a yield that is 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%,
70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%,
99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In some embodiments,
the theoretical maximum is mass of a given monosaccharide assuming
100% conversion of the oligosaccharides comprising the given
monosaccharide in the biomass composition. In some embodiments, the
theoretical maximum is the mass of a given monosaccharide measured
after hydrolysis of the biomass composition with 72% sulfuric
acid.
[0006] In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of producing
a composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides from a biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose, the methods comprising: (a) pretreating the biomass
composition to produce a pretreated biomass composition comprising
solid particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size and a yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least 50% of a
theoretical maximum, wherein pretreating comprises: (i) hydration
of the biomass composition in a non-neutral pH aqueous medium to
produce a hydrated biomass composition, (ii) mechanical size
reduction of the hydrated biomass composition to produce the solid
particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size, wherein mechanical
size reduction comprises cutting with a first rotating cutter and a
second rotating cutter, and (iii) heating the hydrated biomass
composition for a time sufficient to produce the pretreated biomass
composition comprising the yield of C5 monosaccharides and
disaccharides that is at least 50% of a theoretical maximum; and
(b) hydrolyzing the pretreated biomass composition with one or more
enzymes for a time sufficient to produce the composition comprising
C5 and C6 saccharides. In some embodiments, the size is length. In
some embodiments, the size is diameter. In some embodiments, at
least 50% of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
composition are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some
embodiments, at least 60% of the solid particles in the pretreated
biomass composition are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In
some embodiments, at least 70% of the solid particles in the
pretreated biomass composition are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm
in size. In some embodiments, at least 80% of the solid particles
in the pretreated biomass composition are from about 0.1 mm to
about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, all of the solid particles
in the pretreated biomass are less than 7.5 mm. In some
embodiments, all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
are less than 5 mm. In some embodiments, all of the solid particles
in the pretreated biomass are less than 1 mm. In some embodiments,
the C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides in the pretreated
biomass composition are monosaccharides. In some embodiments, the
yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 60% of
the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 70% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 80% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 85% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass
composition further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than
about 20% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the
pretreated biomass composition further comprises a yield of glucose
that is less than about 15% of the theoretical maximum. In some
embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition further comprises a
yield of glucose that is less than about 10% of the theoretical
maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition
further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than about 5% of
the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 100.degree.
C. to about 250.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 150.degree.
C. to about 200.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 160.degree.
C. to about 180.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is performed at a pressure higher than
atmospheric. In some embodiments, the pressure is from about 25
PSIG to about 250 PSIG. In some embodiments, the pressure is from
about 75 PSIG to about 200 PSIG. In some embodiments, the pressure
is from about 100 PSIG to about 150 PSIG. In some embodiments, the
time sufficient to produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides is from about 1 minute to about 60 minutes. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about 5 minutes to
about 30 minutes. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to
produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is
from about 7.5 minutes to about 12.5 minutes. In some embodiments,
the hydrated biomass composition comprises from about 1% to about
20% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the hydrated
biomass composition comprises about 5% solids by dry biomass
weight. In some embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium is
at from about 30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at from about
40.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at about 50.degree. C. In some
embodiments, hydration of the biomass composition is for about 1
minute to about 60 minutes. In some embodiments, hydration of the
biomass composition is for about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes. In
some embodiments, hydration of the biomass composition is for about
15 minutes to about 20 minutes. In some embodiments, hydration of
the biomass composition is performed in a vortex mixer. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises an acid or a
base at from about 0.1% to about 5% v/w by dry biomass weight. In
some embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium comprises the
acid that is sulfuric acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic acid, formic
acid, acetic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid,
sulfurous acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid,
trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic
acid, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral pH aqueous medium comprises the base that is sodium
hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia, ammonia
hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid
at from about 0.1% to about 5% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid
at from about 0.1% to about 2.5% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid
at about 1.8% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at about 1% v/w
by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction further comprises steam injection, steam explosion,
acid-catalyzed steam explosion, ammonia fiber/freeze explosion
(AFEX) or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, mechanical
size reduction comprises simultaneous cutting and steam injection.
In some embodiments, the second rotating cutter comprises a
plurality of cutting blades and a plurality of steam-injection
holes. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction further
comprises steam injection and steam explosion. In some embodiments,
pretreating the biomass composition further comprises dewatering
the hydrated biomass composition to from about 10% to about 40%
solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, pretreating the
biomass composition further comprises dewatering the hydrated
biomass composition to about 30% solids by dry biomass weight. In
some embodiments, heating comprises steam explosion, acid-catalyzed
steam explosion, ammonia fiber/freeze explosion (AFEX), or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the pretreating is
performed in a single unit operation. In some embodiments, the
single unit operation comprises one or more of a hydration unit,
one or more rotating cutters, one or more pumps, a dewatering unit,
a steam injection unit, a heating unit, a steam explosion unit, or
a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the hydration unit is a
vortex mixer outfitted with one or more rotating cutters. Some
embodiments comprise a rotating cutter that is outfitted with a
plurality of cutting blades and a plurality of steam injection
holes. In some embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a
continuous mode of operation. In some embodiments, the continuous
mode of operation comprises feeding the biomass composition to a
hydration unit. In some embodiments, the hydration unit is a vortex
mixer. In some embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a total
time of from about 1 minutes to about 3 hours. In some embodiments,
the pretreating is performed in a total time of from about 5
minutes to about 90 minutes. In some embodiments, the pretreating
is performed in a total time of from about 15 minutes to about 45
minutes. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes comprise one
or more cellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes
comprise one or more hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one
or more enzymes comprise one or more cellulases and one or more
hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes do not
comprise any hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the one or more
enzymes is a cellulase and hemicellulase complex. In some
embodiments, the cellulase and hemicellulase complex is not
supplemented with additional hemicellulase enzymes. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 20% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 10% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level of less
than 15% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or
more enzymes are at a total level of less than 10% w/w by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at
a total level of less than 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 10 hours to about
100 hours. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the
composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 21 hours
to about 50 hours. Some embodiments further comprise adjusting the
water content and/or the pH of the pretreated biomass composition
prior to hydrolyzing. In some embodiments, the water content of the
pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 5% to about 30%
solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the water
content of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about
5% to about 20% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments,
the pH of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 4
to about 7. In some embodiments, the pH of the pretreated biomass
composition is adjusted to about 4.5 to about 5.5. In some
embodiments, the hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about
30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about 45.degree. C. to
about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the composition comprising
C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose, mannose,
galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides is an
aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C5 and C6 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose,
mannose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides comprises a yield of glucose in a yield that is 50%,
55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,
96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In
some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides
comprises a yield of xylose in a yield that is 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%,
70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%,
99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In some embodiments,
the theoretical maximum is mass of a given monosaccharide assuming
100% conversion of the oligosaccharides comprising the given
monosaccharide in the biomass composition. In some embodiments, the
theoretical maximum is the mass of a given monosaccharide measured
after hydrolysis of the biomass composition with 72% sulfuric acid.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5
saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 55%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
90% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 48
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 90% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
95% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 90%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the biomass composition comprises alfalfa, algae,
bagasse, bamboo, corn stover, corn cobs, corn kernels, corn mash,
corn steep liquor, corn steep solids, distiller's grains,
distiller's dried solubles, distiller's dried grains, condensed
distiller's solubles, distiller's wet grains, distiller's dried
grains with solubles, eucalyptus, food waste, fruit peels, garden
residue, grass, grain hulls, modified crop plants, municipal waste,
oat hulls, paper, paper pulp, prairie bluestem, poplar, rice hulls,
seed hulls, silage, sorghum, straw, sugarcane, switchgrass, wheat,
wheat straw, wheat bran, de-starched wheat bran, willows, wood,
plant cells, plant tissue cultures, tissue cultures, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the methods are for
industrial scale production. In some embodiments, industrial scale
production comprises pretreating greater than 1 metric ton (MT) in
24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial scale production
comprises pretreating greater than 20 MT in 24 hours. In some
embodiments, industrial scale production comprises pretreating
greater than 50 MT in 24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial
scale production comprises pretreating greater than 100 MT in 24
hours. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not
comprise hammer milling. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction does not comprise colloid milling. In some embodiments,
mechanical size reduction does not comprise bead milling. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise milling.
In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise
homogenization. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does
not comprise high pressure bursting.
[0007] In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods of producing
a composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides from a biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose, the methods comprising: (a) pretreating the biomass
composition comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or
lignocellulose to produce a pretreated biomass composition
comprising solid particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size and a
yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least
50% of a theoretical maximum, wherein pretreating comprises: (i)
hydration of the biomass composition in an aqueous medium
comprising an acid at 0.1 to 5% w/w or v/w by dry biomass weight,
and (ii) mechanical size reduction of the hydrated biomass
composition to produce the solid particles that are less than 1.5
mm in size, (iii) heating the hydrated biomass composition for a
time sufficient to produce the pretreated biomass composition
comprising the yield of C5 monosaccharides and disaccharides that
is at least 50% of a theoretical maximum; and (b) hydrolyzing the
cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose of the pretreated
biomass composition with one or more enzymes for a time sufficient
to produce the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides. In
some embodiments, the size is length. In some embodiments, the size
is diameter. In some embodiments, at least 50% of the solid
particles in the pretreated biomass composition are from about 0.1
mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, at least 60% of the
solid particles in the pretreated biomass composition are from
about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, at least
70% of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass composition
are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some embodiments,
at least 80% of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
composition are from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm in size. In some
embodiments, all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
are less than 7.5 mm. In some embodiments, all of the solid
particles in the pretreated biomass are less than 5 mm. In some
embodiments, all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
are less than 1 mm. In some embodiments, the C5 monosaccharides
and/or disaccharides in the pretreated biomass composition are
monosaccharides. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 60% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 70% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 80% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 85% of the
theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass
composition further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than
about 20% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the
pretreated biomass composition further comprises a yield of glucose
that is less than about 15% of the theoretical maximum. In some
embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition further comprises a
yield of glucose that is less than about 10% of the theoretical
maximum. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition
further comprises a yield of glucose that is less than about 5% of
the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 100.degree.
C. to about 250.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 150.degree.
C. to about 200.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is at a temperature of from about 160.degree.
C. to about 180.degree. C. In some embodiments, heating of the
biomass composition is performed at a pressure higher than
atmospheric. In some embodiments, the pressure is from about 25
PSIG to about 250 PSIG. In some embodiments, the pressure is from
about 75 PSIG to about 200 PSIG. In some embodiments, the pressure
is from about 100 PSIG to about 150 PSIG. In some embodiments, the
time sufficient to produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides is from about 1 minute to about 60 minutes. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about 5 minutes to
about 30 minutes. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to
produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is
from about 7.5 minutes to about 12.5 minutes. In some embodiments,
the hydrated biomass composition comprises from about 1% to about
20% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the hydrated
biomass composition comprises about 5% solids by dry biomass
weight. In some embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium is
at from about 30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at from about
40.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral pH aqueous medium is at about 50.degree. C. In some
embodiments, hydration of the biomass composition is for about 1
minute to about 60 minutes. In some embodiments, hydration of the
biomass composition is for about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes. In
some embodiments, hydration of the biomass composition is for about
15 minutes to about 20 minutes. In some embodiments, hydration of
the biomass composition is performed in a vortex mixer. In some
embodiments, the acid is sulfuric acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic
acid, formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid,
hydrochloric acid, sulfurous acid, chloroacetic acid,
dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid,
oxalic acid, benzoic acid, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the acid is sulfuric acid. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at from about
0.1% to about 2.5% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments,
the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at about
1.8% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the
non-neutral aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at about 1% v/w
by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction comprises cutting, chipping, grinding, milling,
shredding, screening, shearing, steam injection, steam explosion,
acid-catalyzed steam explosion, ammonia fiber/freeze explosion
(AFEX) or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, mechanical
size reduction comprises milling that is hammer milling, ball
milling, bead milling, pan milling, colloid milling, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction
comprises simultaneous cutting and steam injection. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction comprises steam injection,
cutting, and steam explosion. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction comprises simultaneous cutting and steam injection using
a rotating cutter with a plurality of cutting blades and a
plurality of steam-injection holes. In some embodiments,
pretreating the biomass composition further comprises dewatering
the hydrated biomass composition to from about 10% to about 40%
solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, pretreating the
biomass composition further comprises dewatering the hydrated
biomass composition to about 30% solids by dry biomass weight. In
some embodiments, pretreating further comprises steam explosion,
acid-catalyzed steam explosion, ammonia fiber/freeze explosion
(AFEX), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
pretreating is performed in a single unit operation. In some
embodiments, the single unit operation comprises one or more of a
hydration unit, one or more rotating cutters, one or more pumps, a
dewatering unit, a steam injection unit, a heating unit, a steam
explosion unit, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
hydration unit is a vortex mixer outfitted with one or more
rotating cutters. Some embodiments comprise a rotating cutter that
is outfitted with a plurality of cutting blades and a plurality of
steam injection holes. In some embodiments, the pretreating is
performed in a continuous mode of operation. In some embodiments,
the continuous mode of operation comprises feeding the biomass
composition to a hydration unit. In some embodiments, the hydration
unit is a vortex mixer. In some embodiments, the pretreating is
performed in a total time of from about 1 minute to about 3 hours.
In some embodiments, the pretreating is performed in a total time
of from about 5 minutes to about 90 minutes. In some embodiments,
the pretreating is performed in a total time of from about 15
minutes to about 45 minutes. In some embodiments, the one or more
enzymes comprise one or more cellulases. In some embodiments, the
one or more enzymes comprise one or more hemicellulases. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes comprise one or more
cellulases and one or more hemicellulases. In some embodiments, the
one or more enzymes do not comprise any hemicellulases. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes is a cellulase and
hemicellulase complex. In some embodiments, the cellulase and
hemicellulase complex is not supplemented with additional
hemicellulase enzymes. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes
are at a total level from about 1% to about 20% w/w by dry biomass
weight. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total
level from about 1% to about 10% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level of less
than 15% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or
more enzymes are at a total level of less than 10% w/w by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at
a total level of less than 5% w/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 10 hours to about
100 hours. In some embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the
composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 21 hours
to about 50 hours. Some embodiments further comprise adjusting the
water content and/or the pH of the pretreated biomass composition
prior to hydrolyzing. In some embodiments, the water content of the
pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 5% to about 30%
solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the water
content of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about
5% to about 20% solids by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments,
the pH of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 4
to about 7. In some embodiments, the pH of the pretreated biomass
composition is adjusted to about 4.5 to about 5.5. In some
embodiments, the hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about
30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In some embodiments, the
hydrolyzing is done at a temperature of from about 45.degree. C. to
about 60.degree. C. In some embodiments, the composition comprising
C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose, mannose,
galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides is an
aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C5 and C6 saccharides comprises glucose, xylose,
mannose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6
saccharides comprises a yield of glucose in a yield that is 50%,
55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,
96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In
some embodiments, the composition comprising C5 and C6 saccharides
comprises a yield of xylose in a yield that is 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%,
70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%,
99%, 99.5%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum. In some embodiments,
the theoretical maximum is mass of a given monosaccharide assuming
100% conversion of the oligosaccharides comprising the given
monosaccharide in the biomass composition. In some embodiments, the
theoretical maximum is the mass of a given monosaccharide measured
after hydrolysis of the biomass composition with 72% sulfuric acid.
In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5
saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 55%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
90% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose
in a yield that is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 48
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that
is greater than 90% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than
95% of a theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments,
the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose
in a yield that is greater than 70% of a theoretical maximum at 21
hours of hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition
comprising C6 and C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that
is greater than 80% of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of
hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the composition comprising C6 and
C5 saccharides comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 90%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In some
embodiments, the biomass composition comprises alfalfa, algae,
bagasse, bamboo, corn stover, corn cobs, corn kernels, corn mash,
corn steep liquor, corn steep solids, distiller's grains,
distiller's dried solubles, distiller's dried grains, condensed
distiller's solubles, distiller's wet grains, distiller's dried
grains with solubles, eucalyptus, food waste, fruit peels, garden
residue, grass, grain hulls, modified crop plants, municipal waste,
oat hulls, paper, paper pulp, prairie bluestem, poplar, rice hulls,
seed hulls, silage, sorghum, straw, sugarcane, switchgrass, wheat,
wheat straw, wheat bran, de-starched wheat bran, willows, wood,
plant cells, plant tissue cultures, tissue cultures, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the method is for
industrial scale production. In some embodiments, industrial scale
production comprises pretreating greater than 1 metric ton (MT) in
24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial scale production
comprises pretreating greater than 20 MT in 24 hours. In some
embodiments, industrial scale production comprises pretreating
greater than 50 MT in 24 hours. In some embodiments, industrial
scale production comprises pretreating greater than 100 MT in 24
hours. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not
comprise hammer milling. In some embodiments, mechanical size
reduction does not comprise colloid milling. In some embodiments,
mechanical size reduction does not comprise bead milling. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise milling.
In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does not comprise
homogenization. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction does
not comprise high pressure bursting.
[0008] In another aspect, disclosed herein are methods for
producing a composition comprising saccharides from a biomass
comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose, the
methods comprising: (a) processing the biomass composition
comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose to
produce a pretreated biomass composition having solid particles
that are less than 1.5 mm in size and at least an 80% yield of C5
monomers and/or dimers, wherein processing comprises: (i) hydrating
and cutting the biomass composition by feeding the biomass
composition to a vortex mixer comprising at a rate that maintains a
solids level of about 5% w/w by dry biomass weight, wherein the
vortex mixer comprises: 1) an aqueous medium containing an acid at
a level that is from about 0.1% to about 5% w/w by dry biomass
weight, wherein the aqueous medium is at about 50.degree. C., 2)
one or more rotating cutters, wherein the rotating cutters generate
a vortex in the aqueous medium that mixes the biomass composition
and the aqueous medium and pulls the biomass composition into the
blades to produce a first cut biomass composition, (ii) dewatering
the first cut biomass composition to produce a solids plug
comprising about 30% w/w solids by dry biomass weight, (iii)
simultaneously heating and fine-cutting the solids plug by feeding
the solids plug to a rotating cutter comprising: 1) a plurality of
blades, wherein the plurality of blades fine-cut the biomass plug
to produce a second cut biomass composition comprising solid
particles that are less than 1.5 mm in size, and 2) a plurality of
microholes, wherein steam is injected into the second cut biomass
composition through the plurality of microholes to maintain a
temperature of from about 160.degree. C. to 180.degree. C. and a
pressure of about 135 psig, (iv) heating the second-cut biomass
composition for a time sufficient to produce at least an 80% yield
of monomer and dimer C5 saccharides, and (v) subjecting the solids
plug to steam explosion to produce the first pretreated biomass
composition having solid particles that are less than 1.5 mm in
size; (b) optionally separating the soluble C5 saccharides from the
solids; (c) adding water to the solids to from about 5% to about
25% solids by dry weight; (d) adding enzymes in an amount from 0.5
kg per kg biomass to about 20 kg per kg biomass; and (e)
hydrolyzing the biomass for a time sufficient to the composition
comprising C5 and C6 saccharides.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0009] All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned
in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the
same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent
application was specifically and individually indicated to be
incorporated by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The novel features disclosed herein are set forth with
particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the
features and advantages will be obtained by reference to the
following detailed description that sets forth illustrative
embodiments, in which the principles of the disclosure are
utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows glucose conversion from cellulose using
1.times., 0.5.times., and 0.25.times. enzyme loading with 8%
solids.
[0012] FIG. 2 shows xylose conversion from hemicellulose using
1.times., 0.5.times., and 0.25.times. enzyme loading with 8%
solids.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows glucose conversion from cellulose using
1.times., 0.5.times., and 0.25.times. enzyme loading with 10%
solids.
[0014] FIG. 4 shows xylose conversion from hemicellulose using
1.times., 0.5.times., and 0.25.times. enzyme loading with 10%
solids.
[0015] FIG. 5 shows glucose and xylose conversion from cellulose
and hemicellulose, respectively, using 1.times. enzyme loading with
20% solids.
[0016] FIG. 6 shows glucose and xylose conversion from cellulose
and hemicellulose, respectively, using 0.50.times. enzyme loading
with 20% solids.
[0017] FIG. 7 shows glucose and xylose conversion from cellulose
and hemicellulose, respectively, using 0.25.times. enzyme loading
with 20% solids.
[0018] FIG. 8 shows glucose and xylose conversion from cellulose
and hemicellulose, respectively, using 1.times. enzyme loading with
10% solids.
[0019] FIG. 9 shows a processing diagram for conversion of
feedstock to saccharide streams and residuals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] As used in the specification and the appended claims, the
singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural referents unless
the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,
reference to "a purified monomer" includes mixtures of two or more
purified monomers. The term "comprising" as used herein is
synonymous with "including," "containing," or "characterized by,"
and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional,
unrecited elements or method steps.
[0021] All numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction
conditions, and so forth used in the specification are to be
understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about."
Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical
parameters set forth herein are approximations that can vary
depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained. At the
very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the
doctrine of equivalents to the scope of any claims in any
application claiming priority to the present application, each
numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of
significant digits and ordinary rounding approaches.
[0022] Wherever the phrase "for example," "such as," "including"
and the like are used herein, the phrase "and without limitation"
is understood to follow unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Therefore, "for example ethanol production" means "for example and
without limitation ethanol production."
[0023] In this specification and in the claims that follow,
reference will be made to a number of terms which shall be defined
to have the following meanings. Unless characterized otherwise,
technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
DEFINITIONS
[0024] "Optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently
described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the
description includes instances where said event or circumstance
occurs and instances where it does not. For example, the phrase
"the medium can optionally contain glucose" means that the medium
may or may not contain glucose as an ingredient and that the
description includes both media containing glucose and media not
containing glucose.
[0025] "About" means a referenced numeric indication plus or minus
10% of that referenced numeric indication. For example, the term
about 4 would include a range of 3.6 to 4.4.
[0026] "Fermentive end-product" and "fermentation end-product" are
used interchangeably herein to include biofuels, chemicals,
compounds suitable as liquid fuels, gaseous fuels, triacylglycerols
(TAGs), reagents, chemical feedstocks, chemical additives,
processing aids, food additives, bioplastics and precursors to
bioplastics, and other products. Examples of fermentive
end-products include but are not limited to 1,4 diacids (succinic,
fumaric and malic), 2,5 furan dicarboxylic acid, 3 hydroxy
propionic acid, aspartic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid,
itaconic acid, levulinic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, glycerol,
sorbitol, xylitol/arabinitol, butanediol, butanol, methane,
methanol, ethane, ethene, ethanol, n-propane, 1-propene,
1-propanol, propanal, acetone, propionate, n-butane, 1-butene,
1-butanol, butanal, butanoate, isobutanal, isobutanol,
2-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanol, 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanol,
2-butene, 2-butanol, 2-butanone, 2,3-butanediol,
3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2,3-butanedione, ethylbenzene,
ethenylbenzene, 2-phenylethanol, phenylacetaldehyde,
1-phenylbutane, 4-phenyl-1-butene, 4-phenyl-2-butene,
1-phenyl-2-butene, 1-phenyl-2-butanol, 4-phenyl-2-butanol,
1-phenyl-2-butanone, 4-phenyl-2-butanone, 1-phenyl-2,3-butandiol,
1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 4-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
1-phenyl-2,3-butanedione, n-pentane, ethylphenol, ethenylphenol,
2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethanol, 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-butene,
4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butene, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-butene,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanol, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-butandiol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-butanonedione, indolylethane,
indolylethene, 2-(indole-3-)ethanol, n-pentane, 1-pentene,
1-pentanol, pentanal, pentanoate, 2-pentene, 2-pentanol,
3-pentanol, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, 4-methylpentanal,
4-methylpentanol, 2,3-pentanediol, 2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
3-hydroxy-2-pentanone, 2,3-pentanedione, 2-methylpentane,
4-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-2-pentene, 4-methyl-3-pentene,
4-methyl-2-pentanol, 2-methyl-3-pentanol, 4-methyl-2-pentanone,
2-methyl-3-pentanone, 4-methyl-2,3-pentanediol,
4-methyl-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone, 4-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-2,3-pentanedione, 1-phenylpentane, 1-phenyl-1-pentene,
1-phenyl-2-pentene, 1-phenyl-3-pentene, 1-phenyl-2-pentanol,
1-phenyl-3-pentanol, 1-phenyl-2-pentanone, 1-phenyl-3-pentanone,
1-phenyl-2,3-pentanediol, 1-phenyl-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone, 1-phenyl-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-phenylpentane, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-1-pentene,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pentene, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-pentene,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-pentanol, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pentanol,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-pentanone, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-pentanediol,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentane, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-pentene,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentene, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentene,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentanol, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentanol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentanone, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-pentanediol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentane,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-pentene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentanol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentanol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-pentanediol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
1-indole-3-pentane, 1-(indole-3)-1-pentene, 1-(indole-3)-2-pentene,
1-(indole-3)-3-pentene, 1-(indole-3)-2-pentanol,
1-(indole-3)-3-pentanol, 1-(indole-3)-2-pentanone,
1-(indole-3)-3-pentanone, 1-(indole-3)-2,3-pentanediol,
1-(indole-3)-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone,
1-(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone, 1-(indole-3)-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3-)pentane, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-pentene,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-pentene, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-1-pentene,
4-methyl-2-(indole-3)-3-pentanol, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-pentanol,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-pentanediol,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-pentanedione,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-pentanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hydroxy-3-pentanone, n-hexane, 1-hexene,
1-hexanol, hexanal, hexanoate, 2-hexene, 3-hexene, 2-hexanol,
3-hexanol, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, 2,3-hexanediol, 2,3-hexanedione,
3,4-hexanediol, 3,4-hexanedione, 2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
3-hydroxy-2-hexanone, 3-hydroxy-4-hexanone, 4-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
2-methylhexane, 3-methylhexane, 2-methyl-2-hexene,
2-methyl-3-hexene, 5-methyl-1-hexene, 5-methyl-2-hexene,
4-methyl-1-hexene, 4-methyl-2-hexene, 3-methyl-3-hexene,
3-methyl-2-hexene, 3-methyl-1-hexene, 2-methyl-3-hexanol,
5-methyl-2-hexanol, 5-methyl-3-hexanol, 2-methyl-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-2-hexanone, 5-methyl-3-hexanone, 2-methyl-3,4-hexanediol,
2-methyl-3,4-hexanedione, 5-methyl-2,3-hexanediol,
5-methyl-2,3-hexanedione, 4-methyl-2,3-hexanediol,
4-methyl-2,3-hexanedione, 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-hexanone,
2-methyl-4-hydroxy-3-hexanone, 5-methyl-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone, 4-methyl-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
4-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone, 2,5-dimethylhexane,
2,5-dimethyl-2-hexene, 2,5-dimethyl-3-hexene,
2,5-dimethyl-3-hexanol, 2,5-dimethyl-3-hexanone,
2,5-dimethyl-3,4-hexanediol, 2,5-dimethyl-3,4-hexanedione,
2,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-hexanone, 5-methyl-1-phenylhexane,
4-methyl-1-phenylhexane, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-1-hexene,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexene, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexene,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexene,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexene, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexanol,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexanol, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexanol,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexanol, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexanone, 4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hexanone, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-hexanediol,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-hexanediol,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-hexanedione,
4-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3-hexanedione,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)hexane,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-hexene,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexene,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-hexene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexene,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexene,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexanol,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexanol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexanol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexanol,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-hexanediol,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-hexanediol,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-hexanedione,
4-methyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-hexanedione,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3-)hexane, 5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-1-hexene,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexene, 5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexene,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexene,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexene, 5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexanol,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexanol, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexanol,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexanol, 5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexanone, 4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-hexanediol,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-hexanediol,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2-hydroxy-3-hexanone,
5-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-hexanedione,
4-methyl-1-(indole-3)-2,3-hexanedione, n-heptane, 1-heptene,
1-heptanol, heptanal, heptanoate, 2-heptene, 3-heptene, 2-heptanol,
3-heptanol, 4-heptanol, 2-heptanone, 3-heptanone, 4-heptanone,
2,3-heptanediol, 2,3-heptanedione, 3,4-heptanediol,
3,4-heptanedione, 2-hydroxy-3-heptanone, 3-hydroxy-2-heptanone,
3-hydroxy-4-heptanone, 4-hydroxy-3-heptanone, 2-methylheptane,
3-methylheptane, 6-methyl-2-heptene, 6-methyl-3-heptene,
2-methyl-3-heptene, 2-methyl-2-heptene, 5-methyl-2-heptene,
5-methyl-3-heptene, 3-methyl-3-heptene, 2-methyl-3-heptanol,
2-methyl-4-heptanol, 6-methyl-3-heptanol, 5-methyl-3-heptanol,
3-methyl-4-heptanol, 2-methyl-3-heptanone, 2-methyl-4-heptanone,
6-methyl-3-heptanone, 5-methyl-3-heptanone, 3-methyl-4-heptanone,
2-methyl-3,4-heptanediol, 2-methyl-3,4-heptanedione,
6-methyl-3,4-heptanediol, 6-methyl-3,4-heptanedione,
5-methyl-3,4-heptanediol, 5-methyl-3,4-heptanedione,
2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-heptanone, 2-methyl-4-hydroxy-3-heptanone,
6-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-heptanone, 6-methyl-4-hydroxy-3-heptanone,
5-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-heptanone, 5-methyl-4-hydroxy-3-heptanone,
2,6-dimethylheptane, 2,5-dimethylheptane, 2,6-dimethyl-2-heptene,
2,6-dimethyl-3-heptene, 2,5-dimethyl-2-heptene,
2,5-dimethyl-3-heptene, 3,6-dimethyl-3-heptene,
2,6-dimethyl-3-heptanol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol,
2,5-dimethyl-3-heptanol, 2,5-dimethyl-4-heptanol,
2,6-dimethyl-3,4-heptanediol, 2,6-dimethyl-3,4-heptanedione,
2,5-dimethyl-3,4-heptanediol, 2,5-dimethyl-3,4-heptanedione,
2,6-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-heptanone,
2,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3-heptanone,
2,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-heptanone,
2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3-heptanone, n-octane, 1-octene, 2-octene,
1-octanol, octanal, octanoate, 3-octene, 4-octene, 4-octanol,
4-octanone, 4,5-octanediol, 4,5-octanedione, 4-hydroxy-5-octanone,
2-methyloctane, 2-methyl-3-octene, 2-methyl-4-octene,
7-methyl-3-octene, 3-methyl-3-octene, 3-methyl-4-octene,
6-methyl-3-octene, 2-methyl-4-octanol, 7-methyl-4-octanol,
3-methyl-4-octanol, 6-methyl-4-octanol, 2-methyl-4-octanone,
7-methyl-4-octanone, 3-methyl-4-octanone, 6-methyl-4-octanone,
2-methyl-4,5-octanediol, 2-methyl-4,5-octanedione,
3-methyl-4,5-octanediol, 3-methyl-4,5-octanedione,
2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-octanone, 2-methyl-5-hydroxy-4-octanone,
3-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-octanone, 3-methyl-5-hydroxy-4-octanone,
2,7-dimethyloctane, 2,7-dimethyl-3-octene, 2,7-dimethyl-4-octene,
2,7-dimethyl-4-octanol, 2,7-dimethyl-4-octanone,
2,7-dimethyl-4,5-octanediol, 2,7-dimethyl-4,5-octanedione,
2,7-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5-octanone, 2,6-dimethyloctane,
2,6-dimethyl-3-octene, 2,6-dimethyl-4-octene,
3,7-dimethyl-3-octene, 2,6-dimethyl-4-octanol,
3,7-dimethyl-4-octanol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-octanone,
3,7-dimethyl-4-octanone, 2,6-dimethyl-4,5-octanediol,
2,6-dimethyl-4,5-octanedione, 2,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5-octanone,
2,6-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-4-octanone, 3,6-dimethyloctane,
3,6-dimethyl-3-octene, 3,6-dimethyl-4-octene,
3,6-dimethyl-4-octanol, 3,6-dimethyl-4-octanone,
3,6-dimethyl-4,5-octanediol, 3,6-dimethyl-4,5-octanedione,
3,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5-octanone, n-nonane, 1-nonene, 1-nonanol,
nonanal, nonanoate, 2-methylnonane, 2-methyl-4-nonene,
2-methyl-5-nonene, 8-methyl-4-nonene, 2-methyl-5-nonanol,
8-methyl-4-nonanol, 2-methyl-5-nonanone, 8-methyl-4-nonanone,
8-methyl-4,5-nonanediol, 8-methyl-4,5-nonanedione,
8-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-nonanone, 8-methyl-5-hydroxy-4-nonanone,
2,8-dimethylnonane, 2,8-dimethyl-3-nonene, 2,8-dimethyl-4-nonene,
2,8-dimethyl-5-nonene, 2,8-dimethyl-4-nonanol,
2,8-dimethyl-5-nonanol, 2,8-dimethyl-4-nonanone,
2,8-dimethyl-5-nonanone, 2,8-dimethyl-4,5-nonanediol,
2,8-dimethyl-4,5-nonanedione, 2,8-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5-nonanone,
2,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-4-nonanone, 2,7-dimethylnonane,
3,8-dimethyl-3-nonene, 3,8-dimethyl-4-nonene,
3,8-dimethyl-5-nonene, 3,8-dimethyl-4-nonanol,
3,8-dimethyl-5-nonanol, 3,8-dimethyl-4-nonanone,
3,8-dimethyl-5-nonanone, 3,8-dimethyl-4,5-nonanediol,
3,8-dimethyl-4,5-nonanedione, 3,8-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-5-nonanone,
3,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-4-nonanone, n-decane, 1-decene, 1-decanol,
decanoate, 2,9-dimethyldecane, 2,9-dimethyl-3-decene,
2,9-dimethyl-4-decene, 2,9-dimethyl-5-decanol,
2,9-dimethyl-5-decanone, 2,9-dimethyl-5,6-decanediol,
2,9-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-5-decanone,
2,9-dimethyl-5,6-decanedionen-undecane, 1-undecene, 1-undecanol,
undecanal, undecanoate, n-dodecane, 1-dodecene, 1-dodecanol,
dodecanal, dodecanoate, n-dodecane, 1-decadecene, n-tridecane,
1-tridecene, 1-tridecanol, tridecanal, tridecanoate, n-tetradecane,
1-tetradecene, 1-tetradecanol, tetradecanal, tetradecanoate,
n-pentadecane, 1-pentadecene, 1-pentadecanol, pentadecanal,
pentadecanoate, n-hexadecane, 1-hexadecene, 1-hexadecanol,
hexadecanal, hexadecanoate, n-heptadecane, 1-heptadecene,
1-heptadecanol, heptadecanal, heptadecanoate, n-octadecane,
1-octadecene, 1-octadecanol, octadecanal, octadecanoate,
n-nonadecane, 1-nonadecene, 1-nonadecanol, nonadecanal,
nonadecanoate, eicosane, 1-eicosene, 1-eicosanol, eicosanal,
eicosanoate, 3-hydroxy propanal, 1,3-propanediol, 4-hydroxybutanal,
1,4-butanediol, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2,3-butandiol, 1,5-pentane
diol, homocitrate, homoisocitorate, b-hydroxy adipate, glutarate,
glutarsemialdehyde, glutaraldehyde, 2-hydroxy-1-cyclopentanone,
1,2-cyclopentanediol, cyclopentanone, cyclopentanol,
(S)-2-acetolactate, (R)-2,3-Dihydroxy-isovalerate,
2-oxoisovalerate, isobutyryl-CoA, isobutyrate, isobutyraldehyde,
5-amino pentaldehyde, 1,10-diaminodecane, 1,10-diamino-5-decene,
1,10-diamino-5-hydroxydecane, 1,10-diamino-5-decanone,
1,10-diamino-5,6-decanediol, 1,10-diamino-6-hydroxy-5-decanone,
phenylacetoaldehyde, 1,4-diphenylbutane, 1,4-diphenyl-1-butene,
1,4-diphenyl-2-butene, 1,4-diphenyl-2-butanol,
1,4-diphenyl-2-butanone, 1,4-diphenyl-2,3-butanediol,
1,4-diphenyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenylbutane,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-1-butene,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-2-butene,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-2-butanol,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-2,3-butanediol,
1-(4-hydeoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenylbutane, 1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-1-butene,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-2-butene,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-2-butanol,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-2-butanone,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-2,3-butanediol,
1-(indole-3)-4-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
4-hydroxyphenylacetoaldehyde, 1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane,
1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-butene, 1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butene,
1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanol,
1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone,
1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-butanediol,
1,4-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3-)butane,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3)-1-butene,
1-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3)-2-butene,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3)-2-butanol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3)-2-butanone,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(indole-3)-2,3-butanediol,
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl-4-(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-butanone,
indole-3-acetoaldehyde, 1,4-di(indole-3-) butane,
1,4-di(indole-3)-1-butene, 1,4-di(indole-3)-2-butene,
1,4-di(indole-3)-2-butanol, 1,4-di(indole-3)-2-butanone,
1,4-di(indole-3)-2,3-butanediol,
1,4-di(indole-3)-3-hydroxy-2-butanone, succinate semialdehyde,
hexane-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, 3-hexene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid,
3-hydroxy-hexane-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, 3-hexanone-1,8-dicarboxylic
acid, 3,4-hexanediol-1,8-dicarboxylic acid,
4-hydroxy-3-hexanone-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, glycerol, fucoidan,
iodine, chlorophyll, carotenoid, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium,
potassium, phosphate, lactic acid, acetic acid, formic acid,
isoprenoids, and polyisoprenes, including rubber. Further, such
products can include succinic acid, pyruvic acid, enzymes such as
cellulases, polysaccharases, lipases, proteases, ligninases, and
hemicellulases and may be present as a pure compound, a mixture, or
an impure or diluted form.
[0027] The term "fatty acid comprising material" as used herein has
its ordinary meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can
comprise one or more chemical compounds that include one or more
fatty acid moieties as well as derivatives of these compounds and
materials that comprise one or more of these compounds. Common
examples of compounds that include one or more fatty acid moieties
include triacylglycerides, diacylglycerides, monoacylglycerides,
phospholipids, lysophospholipids, free fatty acids, fatty acid
salts, soaps, fatty acid comprising amides, esters of fatty acids
and monohydric alcohols, esters of fatty acids and polyhydric
alcohols including glycols (e.g. ethylene glycol, propylene glycol,
etc.), esters of fatty acids and polyethylene glycol, esters of
fatty acids and polyethers, esters of fatty acids and polyglycol,
esters of fatty acids and saccharides, esters of fatty acids with
other hydroxyl-containing compounds, etc. A fatty acid comprising
material can be one or more of these compounds in an isolated or
purified form. It can be a material that includes one or more of
these compounds that is combined or blended with other similar or
different materials. It can be a material where the fatty acid
comprising material occurs with or is provided with other similar
or different materials, such as vegetable and animal oils; mixtures
of vegetable and animal oils; vegetable and animal oil byproducts;
mixtures of vegetable and animal oil byproducts; vegetable and
animal wax esters; mixtures, derivatives and byproducts of
vegetable and animal wax esters; seeds; processed seeds; seed
byproducts; nuts; processed nuts; nut byproducts; animal matter;
processed animal matter; byproducts of animal matter; corn;
processed corn; corn byproducts; distiller's grains; beans;
processed beans; bean byproducts; soy products; lipid containing
plant, fish or animal matter; processed lipid containing plant or
animal matter; byproducts of lipid containing plant, fish or animal
matter; lipid containing microbial material; processed lipid
containing microbial material; and byproducts of lipid containing
microbial matter. Such materials can be utilized in liquid or solid
forms. Solid forms include whole forms, such as cells, beans, and
seeds; ground, chopped, slurried, extracted, flaked, milled, etc.
The fatty acid portion of the fatty acid comprising compound can be
a simple fatty acid, such as one that includes a carboxyl group
attached to a substituted or un-substituted alkyl group. The
substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group can be straight or
branched, saturated or unsaturated. Substitutions on the alkyl
group can include hydroxyls, phosphates, halogens, alkoxy, or aryl
groups. The substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group can have 7 to
29 carbons and preferably 11 to 23 carbons (e.g., 8 to 30 carbons
and preferably 12 to 24 carbons counting the carboxyl group)
arranged in a linear chain with or without side chains and/or
substitutions. Addition of the fatty acid comprising compound can
be by way of adding a material comprising the fatty acid comprising
compound.
[0028] The term "pH modifier" as used herein has its ordinary
meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can include any
material that will tend to increase, decrease or hold steady the pH
of the broth or medium. A pH modifier can be an acid, a base, a
buffer, or a material that reacts with other materials present to
serve to raise, lower, or hold steady the pH. In one embodiment,
more than one pH modifier can be used, such as more than one acid,
more than one base, one or more acid with one or more bases, one or
more acids with one or more buffers, one or more bases with one or
more buffers, or one or more acids with one or more bases with one
or more buffers. In one embodiment, a buffer can be produced in the
broth or medium or separately and used as an ingredient by at least
partially reacting in acid or base with a base or an acid,
respectively. When more than one pH modifiers are utilized, they
can be added at the same time or at different times. In one
embodiment, one or more acids and one or more bases are combined,
resulting in a buffer. In one embodiment, media components, such as
a carbon source or a nitrogen source serve as a pH modifier;
suitable media components include those with high or low pH or
those with buffering capacity. Exemplary media components include
acid- or base-hydrolyzed plant polysaccharides having residual acid
or base, ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) treated plant material with
residual ammonia, lactic acid, corn steep solids or liquor.
[0029] The term "fermentation" as used herein has its ordinary
meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can include
culturing of a microorganism or group of microorganisms in or on a
suitable medium for the microorganisms. The microorganisms can be
aerobes, anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, heterotrophs,
autotrophs, photoautotrophs, photoheterotrophs, chemoautotrophs,
and/or chemoheterotrophs. The microorganisms can be growing
aerobically or anaerobically. They can be in any phase of growth,
including lag (or conduction), exponential, transition, stationary,
death, dormant, vegetative, sporulating, etc.
[0030] "Growth phase" is used herein to describe the type of
cellular growth that occurs after the "Initiation phase" and before
the "Stationary phase" and the "Death phase." The growth phase is
sometimes referred to as the exponential phase or log phase or
logarithmic phase.
[0031] The term "plant polysaccharide" as used herein has its
ordinary meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can
comprise one or more polymers of saccharides and saccharide
derivatives as well as derivatives of saccharide polymers and/or
other polymeric materials that occur in plant matter. Exemplary
plant polysaccharides include lignin, cellulose, starch, pectin,
and hemicellulose. Others are chitin, sulfonated polysaccharides
such as alginic acid, agarose, carrageenan, porphyran, furcelleran
and funoran. Generally, the polysaccharide can have two or more
saccharide units or derivatives of saccharide units. The saccharide
units and/or derivatives of saccharide units can repeat in a
regular pattern, or otherwise. The saccharide units can be hexose
units or pentose units, or combinations of these. The derivatives
of saccharide units can be sugar alcohols, sugar acids, amino
sugars, etc. The polysaccharides can be linear, branched,
cross-linked, or a mixture thereof. One type or class of
polysaccharide can be cross-linked to another type or class of
polysaccharide.
[0032] The term "fermentable saccharides" as used herein has its
ordinary meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can
include one or more saccharides and/or saccharide derivatives that
can be utilized as a carbon source by the microorganism, including
monomers, dimers, and polymers of these compounds including two or
more of these compounds. In some cases, the organism can break down
these polymers, such as by hydrolysis, prior to incorporating the
broken down material. Exemplary fermentable saccharides include,
but are not limited to glucose, dextrose, xylose, arabinose,
galactose, mannose, rhamnose, cellobiose, lactose, sucrose,
maltose, and fructose.
[0033] The term "saccharification" as used herein has its ordinary
meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can include
conversion of plant polysaccharides to lower molecular weight
species that can be utilized by the organism at hand. For some
organisms, this would include conversion to monosaccharides,
disaccharides, trisaccharides, and oligosaccharides of up to about
seven monomer units, as well as similar sized chains of saccharide
derivatives and combinations of saccharides and saccharide
derivatives. The terms "SSF" and "SHF" are known to those skilled
in the art; SSF meaning simultaneous saccharification and
fermentation, or the conversion from polysaccharides or
oligosaccharides into monosaccharides at the same time and in the
same fermentation vessel wherein monosaccharides are converted to
another chemical product such as ethanol. "SHF" indicates a
physical separation of the polymer hydrolysis or saccharification
and fermentation processes.
[0034] The term "biomass" as used herein has its ordinary meaning
as known to those skilled in the art and can include one or more
biological materials that can be converted into a biofuel, chemical
or other product. Biomass as used herein is synonymous with the
term "feedstock" and includes corn syrup, molasses, silage,
agricultural residues (corn stalks, grass, straw, grain hulls,
bagasse, etc.), animal waste (manure from cattle, poultry, and
hogs), Distillers Dried Solubles (DDS), Distillers Dried Grains
(DDG), Condensed Distillers Solubles (CDS), Distillers Wet Grains
(DWG), Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), woody
materials (wood or bark, sawdust, timber slash, and mill scrap),
municipal waste (waste paper, recycled toilet papers, yard
clippings, etc.), and energy crops (poplars, willows, Eucalyptus,
switchgrass, alfalfa, prairie bluestem, algae, including
macroalgae, etc.). One exemplary source of biomass is plant matter.
Plant matter can be, for example, woody plant matter, non-woody
plant matter, cellulosic material, lignocellulosic material,
hemicellulosic material, carbohydrates, pectin, starch, inulin,
fructans, glucans, corn, sugar cane, grasses, switchgrass, sorghum,
high biomass sorghum, bamboo, algae and material derived from
these. Plants can be in their natural state or genetically
modified, e.g., to increase the cellulosic or hemicellulosic
portion of the cell wall, or to produce additional exogenous or
endogenous enzymes to increase the separation of cell wall
components. Plant matter can be further described by reference to
the chemical species present, such as proteins, polysaccharides and
oils. Polysaccharides include polymers of various monosaccharides
and derivatives of monosaccharides including glucose, fructose,
lactose, galacturonic acid, rhamnose, etc. Plant matter also
includes agricultural waste byproducts or side streams such as
pomace, corn steep liquor, corn steep solids, distillers grains,
peels, pits, fermentation waste, straw, lumber, sewage, garbage and
food leftovers. Peels can be citrus which include, but are not
limited to, tangerine peel, grapefruit peel, orange peel, tangerine
peel, lime peel and lemon peel. These materials can come from
farms, forestry, industrial sources, households, etc. Another
non-limiting example of biomass is animal matter, including, for
example milk, meat, fat, animal processing waste, and animal waste.
Biomass can include cell or tissue cultures; for example, biomass
can include plant cell culture(s) or plant tissue culture(s).
"Feedstock" is frequently used to refer to biomass being used for a
process, such as those described herein.
[0035] "Broth" is used herein to refer to inoculated medium at any
stage of growth, including the point immediately after inoculation
and the period after any or all cellular activity has ceased and
can include the material after post-fermentation processing. It
includes the entire contents of the combination of soluble and
insoluble matter, suspended matter, cells and medium, as
appropriate.
[0036] The term "productivity" as used herein has its ordinary
meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can include the
mass of a material of interest produced in a given time in a given
volume. Units can be, for example, grams per liter-hour, or some
other combination of mass, volume, and time. In fermentation,
productivity is frequently used to characterize how fast a product
can be made within a given fermentation volume. The volume can be
referenced to the total volume of the fermentation vessel, the
working volume of the fermentation vessel, or the actual volume of
broth being fermented. The context of the phrase will indicate the
meaning intended to one of skill in the art. Productivity is
different from "titer" in that productivity includes a time term,
and titer is analogous to concentration. Titer and Productivity can
generally be measured at any time during the fermentation, such as
at the beginning, the end, or at some intermediate time, with titer
relating the amount of a particular material present or produced at
the point in time of interest and the productivity relating the
amount of a particular material produced per liter in a given
amount of time. The amount of time used in the productivity
determination can be from the beginning of the fermentation or from
some other time, and go to the end of the fermentation, such as
when no additional material is produced or when harvest occurs, or
some other time as indicated by the context of the use of the term.
"Overall productivity" refers to the productivity determined by
utilizing the final titer and the overall fermentation time.
[0037] "Titer" refers to the amount of a particular material
present in a fermentation broth. It is similar to concentration and
can refer to the amount of material made by the organism in the
broth from all fermentation cycles, or the amount of material made
in the current fermentation cycle or over a given period of time,
or the amount of material present from whatever source, such as
produced by the organism or added to the broth. Frequently, the
titer of soluble species will be referenced to the liquid portion
of the broth, with insolubles removed, and the titer of insoluble
species will be referenced to the total amount of broth with
insoluble species being present, however, the titer of soluble
species can be referenced to the total broth volume and the titer
of insoluble species can be referenced to the liquid portion, with
the context indicating the which system is used with both reference
systems intended in some cases. Frequently, the value determined
referenced to one system will be the same or a sufficient
approximation of the value referenced to the other.
[0038] "Concentration" when referring to material in the broth
generally refers to the amount of a material present from all
sources, whether made by the organism or added to the broth.
Concentration can refer to soluble species or insoluble species,
and is referenced to either the liquid portion of the broth or the
total volume of the broth, as for "titer."
[0039] The term "biocatalyst" as used herein has its ordinary
meaning as known to those skilled in the art and can include one or
more enzymes and/or microorganisms, including solutions,
suspensions, and mixtures of enzymes and microorganisms. In some
contexts this word will refer to the possible use of either enzymes
or microorganisms to serve a particular function, in other contexts
the word will refer to the combined use of the two, and in other
contexts the word will refer to only one of the two. The context of
the phrase will indicate the meaning intended to one of skill in
the art.
[0040] The terms "conversion efficiency" or "yield" as used herein
have their ordinary meaning as known to those skilled in the art
and can include the mass of product made from a mass of substrate.
The term can be expressed as a percentage yield of the product from
a starting mass of substrate. For the production of C5 and C6
saccharides (e.g., monosaccharides, e.g., glucose, xylose,
arabinose, etc.), the yield is based upon the actual weight of the
saccharides released compared to the weight of the oligosaccharides
(e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose) in the input biomass. For the
production of ethanol from glucose, the net reaction is generally
accepted as:
C.sub.6H.sub.12O.sub.6.fwdarw.2C.sub.2H.sub.5OH+2CO.sub.2
and the theoretical maximum conversion efficiency, or yield, is 51%
(wt.). Frequently, the conversion efficiency will be referenced to
the theoretical maximum, for example, "80% of the theoretical
maximum." In the case of conversion of glucose to ethanol, this
statement would indicate a conversion efficiency of 41% (wt.). The
context of the phrase will indicate the substrate and product
intended to one of skill in the art.
[0041] For substrates (e.g., a biomass composition) comprising a
mixture of different carbon sources (e.g., xylan, xylose, glucose,
cellobiose, arabinose, cellulose, hemicellulose, etc.), the
theoretical maximum conversion efficiency of the biomass to
saccharides or ethanol can be calculated as an average of the
maximum yields or conversion efficiencies of the individual carbon
source constituents weighted by the relative concentration of each
carbon source. In some cases, the theoretical maximum conversion
efficiency can be calculated based on an assumed saccharification
efficiency. By way of example only, given a carbon source
comprising 10 g of cellulose, the theoretical maximum conversion
efficiency can be calculated by assuming saccharification of the
cellulose to the assimilable carbon source (glucose) of about 75%
by weight. In this example, 10 g of cellulose can provide 7.5 g of
glucose which can provide a maximum theoretical conversion
efficiency of about 7.5 g*51% or 3.8 g of ethanol. In other cases,
the efficiency of the saccharification step can be calculated or
determined based upon a measurement of the sugars content of an
input biomass, e.g., following hydrolysis with 72% sulfuric acid.
See A Sluiter, et al., Determination of Structural Carbohydrates
and Lignin in Biomass (NREL, revised June 2010), which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety. Saccharification
efficiencies anticipated by the present invention include about
10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or about 100%
for any carbohydrate carbon sources larger than a single
monosaccharide subunit.
[0042] "Pretreatment" or "pretreated" is used herein to refer to
any mechanical, chemical, thermal, biochemical process or
combination of these processes whether in a combined step or
performed sequentially, that achieves disruption or expansion of
the biomass so as to render the biomass more susceptible to attack
by enzymes and/or microbes. In one embodiment, pretreatment
includes removal or disruption of lignin so as to make the
cellulose and hemicellulose polymers in the plant biomass more
available to cellulolytic and/or hemicellulolytic enzymes and/or
microbes, for example, by treatment with acid or base. In one
embodiment, pretreatment includes disruption or expansion of
cellulosic and/or hemicellulosic material. Steam explosion, and
ammonia fiber expansion (or explosion) (AFEX) are well known
thermal/chemical techniques. Hydrolysis, including methods that
utilize acids, bases, and/or enzymes can be used. Other thermal,
chemical, biochemical, enzymatic techniques can also be used.
[0043] "Fed-batch" or "fed-batch fermentation" is used herein to
include methods of culturing microorganisms where nutrients, other
medium components, or biocatalysts (including, for example,
enzymes, fresh organisms, extracellular broth, genetically modified
plants and/or organisms, etc.) are supplied to the fermentor during
cultivation, but culture broth is not harvested from the fermentor
until the end of the fermentation, although it can also include
"self seeding" or "partial harvest" techniques where a portion of
the fermentor volume is harvested and then fresh medium is added to
the remaining broth in the fermentor, with at least a portion of
the inoculum being the broth that was left in the fermentor. During
a fed-batch fermentation, the broth volume can increase, at least
for a period, by adding medium or nutrients to the broth while
fermentation organisms are present. Suitable nutrients which can be
utilized include those that are soluble, insoluble, and partially
soluble, including gasses, liquids and solids. In one embodiment, a
fed-batch process is referred to with a phrase such as, "fed-batch
with cell augmentation." This phrase can include an operation where
nutrients and cells are added or one where cells with no
substantial amount of nutrients are added. The more general phrase
"fed-batch" encompasses these operations as well. The context where
any of these phrases is used will indicate to one of skill in the
art the techniques being considered.
[0044] "Saccharide compounds" or "saccharide streams" is used
herein to indicate mostly monosaccharide saccharides, dissolved,
crystallized, evaporated, or partially dissolved, including but not
limited to hexoses and pentoses; sugar alcohols; sugar acids; sugar
amines; compounds containing two or more of these linked together
directly or indirectly through covalent or ionic bonds; and
mixtures thereof. Included within this description are
disaccharides; trisaccharides; oligosaccharides; polysaccharides;
and saccharide chains, branched and/or linear, of any length. A
saccharide stream can consist of primarily or substantially C6
saccharides, C5 saccharides, or mixtures of both C6 and C5
saccharides in varying ratios of said saccharides. C6 saccharides
have a six-carbon molecular backbone and C5 saccharides have a
five-carbon molecular backbone.
DESCRIPTION
[0045] The following description and examples illustrate some
exemplary embodiments of the disclosure in detail. Those of skill
in the art will recognize that there are numerous variations and
modifications of this disclosure that are encompassed by its scope.
Accordingly, the description of a certain exemplary embodiment
should not be deemed to limit the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0046] Introduction
[0047] Many of the methods used to make the hemicellulose and
cellulose of biomass more accessible can generate inhibitor
compounds that can negatively affect downstream processing, such as
saccharification and/or fermentation. There is a need for
pretreatment process that provides a biomass fraction that is
accessible to effective enzymatic hydrolysis without the formation
or release of large volumes of inhibitors.
[0048] Some methods used in pretreating biomass utilize high
temperatures, pressure and/or steam without a highly satisfactory
result to extract most or all the carbohydrate in biomass. Alkali
pretreatment can be used, but can be costly because of the high
volume of water that may be necessary to rinse the biomass. Acid
hydrolysis can be used to extract and reduce the hemicellulose and
cellulose to C5 and C6 saccharides. Because the process uses acid,
process equipment such as pumps and pipes must be corrosion
resistant and can be more expensive than those used to process
grains. This process can also generate neutralization byproducts,
such as calcium sulfate or gypsum, which may need to be isolated
and disposed of. The processes described can also produce
inhibitors that can be difficult to remove and can negatively
affect the fermentation process.
[0049] Methods of pretreating biomass to avoid acid processing have
also been investigated. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,787
discloses a process in which cellulose-containing material is
pretreated by combining the material with water in a reactor and
heating the resultant combination to a temperature of 160.degree.
C. to 220.degree. C. while maintaining the pH at 5 to 8. The
resultant material may then be hydrolyzed using enzymes. This
process, however, only works on herbaceous materials and biomass
that has been preprocessed (municipal sewage waste, recycled
materials, etc.) It may not work well on a woody biomass.
Furthermore, the above methods only result in process slurries that
must be significantly diluted to be manageable. And, prior acid and
steam explosion processes may be limited to 8% to 15% by weight
solids based on the total weight of the slurry.
[0050] The processes describe above are designed to make the
carbohydrate polymers accessible to enzymatic hydrolysis to produce
monomers, whether the addition of enzymes is separate from
downstream fermentation to biofuels and chemical products, or
whether simultaneous saccharification and fermentation through
isolated enzyme addition and/or microbial enzymatic action in the
conversion of polymers to end product. Further, the enzyme loads
necessary to hydrolyze such imperfectly processed materials can be
high and therefore costly. Despite high enzyme loads, inhibitors
released during pretreatment can interfere with enzymatic
hydrolysis and simultaneous or subsequent fermentation.
[0051] Biomass and Pretreatment of Biomass Compositions
[0052] Disclosed herein are methods of producing compositions
comprising C5 and/or C6 saccharides from a biomass composition
comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose. The
methods can comprise pretreatment of the biomass composition and/or
enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated biomass. Pretreatment of the
biomass composition can reduce solid particle size. Reducing the
size of biomass solids can increase the efficiency of other
processing steps such as chemical treatment, thermal treatment,
enzymatic treatment. Increased efficiency can mean that less time
is required in another processing step. Increased efficiency can
mean that a higher yield of a desirable product such as C5 and/or
C6 saccharides is produced in another processing step. Increased
efficiency can mean that fewer inhibitors are produced in another
processing step.
[0053] Biomass can be derived from agricultural crops, crop
residues, trees, woodchips, sawdust, paper, cardboard, grasses,
algae, municipal waste and other sources as described supra. In one
embodiment, the biomass contains cellulosic, hemicellulosic, and/or
lignocellulosic material. In one embodiment the biomass is woody
(poplar, Eucalyptus, willow, pine, etc.). In another embodiment,
the biomass is non-woody plant material, such as grasses, dicots,
monocots, etc. Other biomasses include algal biomass, nonvascular
plant biomass, and processed materials derived from plants; e.g.,
hulls, distiller's grains, municipal sewage waste, and the
like.
[0054] In one embodiment, a biomass composition comprising
cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose comprises alfalfa,
algae, bagasse, bamboo, corn stover, corn cobs, corn kernels, corn
mash, corn steep liquor, corn steep solids, distiller's grains,
distiller's dried solubles, distiller's dried grains, condensed
distiller's solubles, distiller's wet grains, distiller's dried
grains with solubles, eucalyptus, food waste, fruit peels, garden
residue, grass, grain hulls, modified crop plants, municipal waste,
oat hulls, paper, paper pulp, prairie bluestem, poplar, rice hulls,
seed hulls, silage, sorghum, straw, sugarcane, switchgrass, wheat,
wheat straw, wheat bran, de-starched wheat bran, willows, wood,
plant cells, plant tissue cultures, tissue cultures, or a
combination thereof.
[0055] Cellulose can be a linear polymer of glucose where the
glucose units are connected via .beta.(1.fwdarw.4) linkages.
Hemicellulose can be a branched polymer of a number of saccharide
monomers including glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose
and arabinose, and can have sugar acids such as mannuronic acid and
galacturonic acid present as well. Lignin can be a cross-linked,
racemic macromolecule of p-coumaryl alcohol, conferyl alcohol and
sinapyl alcohol. These three polymers can occur together in
lignocellulosic materials in biomass. The different characteristics
of the three polymers can make hydrolysis of the combination
difficult as each polymer tends to shield the others from enzymatic
attack.
[0056] Prior to pretreatment of a biomass composition, some
processing can occur. For example, debris, such as soil, inert
matter (rocks, pebbles) and other non-biological material can be
removed by sifting or sorting in some manner. The biomass
composition can be cleaned by washing with water or other
chemicals. The biomass composition can be dried. The biomass
composition can be mechanically processed (e.g., coarse chopped or
ground) to reduce the size of any solids prior to pretreatment. The
amount of mechanical processing prior to pretreatment can depend
upon the biomass. For example, woody materials can be chipped, cut,
milled, ground prior or otherwise reduced in size prior to
pretreatment. In one embodiment, woody materials are reduced in
size to about a cm or less prior to pretreatment. In another
embodiment, woody materials are reduced to less than 0.5 cm prior
to pretreatment. In another example, agricultural residues (e.g.,
corn stover, wheat, straw, etc.) can be cut, chopped, shredded, or
otherwise reduced in size prior to pretreatment. In one embodiment,
agricultural residues are reduced in size to less than 10 cm in
length prior to pretreatment. In another embodiment, agricultural
residues are reduced in size to less than 5 cm in length prior to
pretreatment.
[0057] See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,898, No. 8,110,383, No.
7,932,063, or No. 7,503,981, which are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entireties.
[0058] In some embodiments, the preferred biomass particle size to
be suspended varies depending on a number of factors, including:
the composition of the biomass material, the composition of the
liquid hydrocarbon material, the velocity of the liquid hydrocarbon
material, the temperature and pressure of the suspension, the
material of the conduit (e.g. pipe or tank), holding the
suspension, the amount of time the suspension is to remain together
and the like considerations. In one embodiment, the suspension of
the biomass material and liquid hydrocarbon material is contained
within a pipe at a refinery and the biomass material may be
considered efficiently carried by the liquid hydrocarbon material
so long as the pipe does not substantially plug after continued
use.
[0059] Consumers of saccharide streams produced from biomass have a
variety of needs regarding the purity and concentration of the
saccharides. In general, the more reduced the inhibitor
concentration, the more fermentable the saccharides. Purified
saccharides can be used to produce concentrated, clean end-products
of fermentation such as succinic acid which is used as a precursor
for plastic manufacture. To satisfy a wide range of consumers of
saccharides, the amount of C5 and C6 saccharides that go into each
batch for distribution must be controlled. The ability to
solubilize nearly all C5 saccharides in the pretreatment, is the
only way to separate the streams efficiently. A pretreatment that
results in a fine, homogeneous particle size allows solubilization
of over 85% of the available hemicellulose prior to enzymatic
hydrolyzation. This reduces the evaporation needed to achieve a
concentrated C5 stream and, therefore reduces the phenolics and
other inhibitors present in the system making the C5 stream more
fermentable than what could be achieved by poor solubilization of
hemicellulose during pretreatment. When the particle size is
reduced, the cooking of the material during pretreatment is much
more uniform. With heterogeneous material, some particles are
undercooked and some are overcooked. As the particle size becomes
more homogenous, cooking can be optimized across the entire system.
This even heating prevents charring of the material that can lead
to significant losses in saccharides and higher production of
inhibitors. Uniform heat throughout the biomass also prevents
undercooking which can lead to unhydrolyzed cellulose during enzyme
hydrolysis.
[0060] Pretreating a biomass composition can comprise mechanical,
thermal, pressure, chemical, thermochemical, and/or biochemical
processes. These processes can be performed individually or in
combination. Pretreatment of the biomass composition can be
performed such that any solids are reduced in size. Reducing the
size of solids in the biomass composition can be advantageous
because smaller particles have larger surface area to volume
ratios. Increasing the ratio of surface area to volume can be
advantageous because it can, for example, increase the rate of
particle wetting (e.g., with water or a chemical agent such as an
acid or a base), increase the accessibility of enzymes to the
polysaccharides in the biomass, enable the use of a smaller dose of
enzymes during a hydrolysis of the biomass, enable the use of fewer
or lower amounts of chemicals (e.g., acids or bases) during a
pretreatment and/or hydrolysis step, enable the use of weaker acids
or bases in a pretreatment or hydrolysis step, enable the use of
higher concentrations of solids in any further processing step
(e.g., during a hydrolysis step), and/or increase the yield of
saccharides from the hydrolysis of the biomass.
[0061] Biomass compositions can be reduced in size to a mixture of
particles having a uniform, or substantially uniform, size. Such
mixtures can be referred to as homogeneous mixtures. Homogeneous
mixtures of particles can have many advantages over mixtures of
particles having heterogeneous sizes with respect to further
pretreatment processes and/or during hydrolysis to produce
saccharide streams. For example, heterogeneous mixtures of
particles can experience uneven heating during thermal and
thermochemical processing steps. Uneven heating can lead to
overcooking (e.g., charring/burning) of particles and/or
undercooking of particles. Charring or burning of particles can
reduce the yield of saccharide from the hydrolysis of the
particles; this can be due to degradation or denaturation of
saccharide polymers such as starch, hemicellulose, and/or
cellulose. Undercooking of particles can lead to unhydrolyzed
saccharide polymers (e.g., starch, hemicellulose, cellulose) during
enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis, which can also reduce the yield
of saccharide. In contrast, uniform heating, wetting, chemical
treatment (e.g., acid or base treatment), and/or enzyme hydrolysis
can be achieved with mixtures of particles having uniform sizes
(e.g., homogeneous mixtures).
[0062] In one embodiment, methods are provided for the pretreatment
of biomass used in the production of saccharide streams and/or
production of fermentation end-products such as biofuels and
chemicals.
[0063] In one embodiment, methods are provided for the pretreatment
of feedstock used in the fermentation and production of the
biofuels and chemicals. The pretreatment steps can include
mechanical, thermal, pressure, chemical, thermochemical, and/or
biochemical tests pretreatment prior to being used in a bioprocess
for the production of fuels and chemicals, but untreated biomass
material can be used in the process as well. Mechanical processes
can reduce the particle size of the biomass material so that it can
be more conveniently handled in the bioprocess and can increase the
surface area of the feedstock to facilitate contact with
chemicals/biochemicals/biocatalysts. Mechanical processes can also
separate one type of biomass material from another. The biomass
material can also be subjected to thermal and/or chemical
pretreatments to render plant polymers more accessible. Multiple
steps of treatment can also be used. Mechanical processes include,
are not limited to, washing, soaking, milling, size reduction,
screening, shearing, chopping, pressurization, and the like, as
well as size classification and density classification processes.
Any process can be used that reduces the size of the feedstock to a
homogeneous mixture of particles of less than 10 mm, 7.5 mm, 5 mm,
2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, or 1 mm in size (e.g., diameter or length).
One such method is to use a vortex generator and cutting system
such as that found in U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 2002192774A1,
2012037325A1, and 2011275860A1.
[0064] In one embodiment, biomass is conveyed into a vortex mixer
outfitted with blades. Water with or without one or more acids,
bases, or other chemicals (e.g., dilute sulfuric acid) is dispersed
with these solids in a mix of 5% solids to 95% water at about
50.degree. C. The vortex is intended to pull the materials through
while the pH is adjusted and temperature maintained. The material
is deposited in a second chamber where dewatering takes place until
the feedstock is a plug. The feedstock plug then goes through other
blades with microholes. Steam is added to maintain heat and
pressure and the plug is subjected to even 160.degree. C. to
180.degree. C. temperatures and thorough cooking and mixing for a
period of time as it is pushed through a pipe. At the end of the
pipe, the material is subjected to steam explosion and is collected
into a bin where water is added to a desired solid to liquid
ratio.
[0065] Chemical pretreatment processes include, but are not limited
to, bleaching, oxidation, reduction, acid treatment, base
treatment, sulfite treatment, acid sulfite treatment, basic sulfite
treatment, ammonia treatment, and hydrolysis. Thermal pretreatment
processes include, but are not limited to, sterilization, ammonia
fiber expansion or explosion ("AFEX"), steam explosion, holding at
elevated temperatures, pressurized or unpressurized, in the
presence or absence of water, and freezing. Biochemical processes
include, but are not limited to, treatment with enzymes, including
enzymes produced by genetically-modified plants, and treatment with
microorganisms. Various enzymes that can be utilized include
cellulase, amylase, .beta.-glucosidase, xylanase, gluconase, and
other polysaccharases; lysozyme; laccase, and other
lignin-modifying enzymes; lipoxygenase, peroxidase, and other
oxidative enzymes; proteases; and lipases. One or more of the
mechanical, chemical, thermal, thermochemical, and biochemical
processes can be combined or used separately. Such combined
processes can also include those used in the production of paper,
cellulose products, microcrystalline cellulose, and cellulosics and
can include pulping, kraft pulping, acidic sulfite processing. The
feedstock can be a side stream or waste stream from a facility that
utilizes one or more of these processes on a biomass material, such
as cellulosic, hemicellulosic or lignocellulosic material. Examples
include paper plants, cellulosics plants, distillation plants,
cotton processing plants, and microcrystalline cellulose plants.
The feedstock can also include cellulose-containing or cellulosic
containing waste materials. The feedstock can also be biomass
materials, such as wood, grasses, corn, starch, or saccharide,
produced or harvested as an intended feedstock for production of
ethanol or other products such as by biocatalysts.
[0066] In another embodiment, a method can utilize a pretreatment
process disclosed in U.S. patents and patent applications
US20040152881, US20040171136, US20040168960, US20080121359,
US20060069244, US20060188980, US20080176301, U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,693,296, 6,262,313, US20060024801, U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,189,
6,043,392, US20020038058, U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,898, U.S. Pat. No.
5,865,898, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,478,965, 5,986,133, or US20080280338,
each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety
[0067] In another embodiment, the AFEX process is be used for
pretreatment of biomass. The AFEX process can be used in the
preparation of cellulosic, hemicellulosic or lignocellulosic
materials for fermentation to ethanol or other products. The
process generally includes combining the feedstock with ammonia,
heating under pressure, and suddenly releasing the pressure. Water
can be present in various amounts. The AFEX process has been the
subject of numerous patents and publications.
[0068] In another embodiment, the pretreatment of biomass comprises
the addition of calcium hydroxide to a biomass to render the
biomass susceptible to degradation. Pretreatment comprises the
addition of calcium hydroxide and water to the biomass to form a
mixture, and maintaining the mixture at a relatively high
temperature. Alternatively, an oxidizing agent, selected from the
group consisting of oxygen and oxygen-containing gasses, can be
added under pressure to the mixture. Examples of carbon hydroxide
treatments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,898 to Holtzapple
and S. Kim and M. T. Holzapple, Bioresource Technology, 96, (2005)
1994, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0069] In one embodiment, pretreatment of biomass comprises dilute
acid hydrolysis. Example of dilute acid hydrolysis treatment are
disclosed in T. A. Lloyd and C. E Wyman, Bioresource Technology,
(2005) 96, 1967), incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
[0070] In another embodiment, pretreatment of biomass comprises pH
controlled liquid hot water treatment. Examples of pH controlled
liquid hot water treatments are disclosed in N. Mosier et al.,
Bioresource Technology, (2005) 96, 1986, incorporated by reference
herein in its entirety.
[0071] In one embodiment, pretreatment of biomass comprises aqueous
ammonia recycle process (ARP). Examples of aqueous ammonia recycle
process are described in T. H. Kim and Y. Y. Lee, Bioresource
Technology, (2005)96, 2007, incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
[0072] In one embodiment, the above mentioned methods have two
steps: a pretreatment step that leads to a wash stream, and an
enzymatic hydrolysis step of pretreated-biomass that produces a
hydrolysate stream. In the above methods, the pH at which the
pretreatment step is carried out includes acid hydrolysis, hot
water pretreatment, steam explosion or alkaline reagent based
methods (AFEX, ARP, and lime pretreatments). Dilute acid and hot
water treatment methods solubilize mostly hemicellulose, whereas
methods employing alkaline reagents remove most lignin during the
pretreatment step. As a result, the wash stream from the
pretreatment step in the former methods contains mostly
hemicellulose-based saccharides, whereas this stream has mostly
lignin for the high-pH methods. The subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis
of the residual biomass leads to mixed saccharides (C5 and C6) in
the alkali based pretreatment methods, while glucose is the major
product in the hydrolyzate from the low and neutral pH methods. In
one embodiment, the treated material is additionally treated with
catalase or another similar chemical, chelating agents,
surfactants, and other compounds to remove impurities or toxic
chemicals or further release polysaccharides.
[0073] In one embodiment, pretreatment of biomass comprises ionic
liquid (IL) pretreatment. Biomass can be pretreated by incubation
with an ionic liquid, followed by IL extraction with a wash solvent
such as alcohol or water. The treated biomass can then be separated
from the ionic liquid/wash-solvent solution by centrifugation or
filtration, and sent to the saccharification reactor or vessel.
Examples of ionic liquid pretreatment are disclosed in US
publication No. 2008/0227162, incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety.
[0074] In another embodiment, a method can utilize a pretreatment
process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,590 to Dale, U.S. Pat. No.
4,644,060 to Chou, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,663 to Dale. U.S. Pat. No.
5,171,592 to Holtzapple, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,544 to
Karstens, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,061 to Bredereck, et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,621 to Karstens., U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,888 to
Dale, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,176 to Dale, et al., PCT
publication WO2008/020901 to Dale, et al., Felix, A., et al., Anim
Prod. 51, 47-61 (1990), Wais, A. C., Jr., et al., Journal of Animal
Science, 35, No. 1, 109-112 (1972), which are incorporated herein
by reference in their entireties.
[0075] Alteration of the pH of a pretreated feedstock can be
accomplished by washing the feedstock (e.g., with water) one or
more times to remove an alkaline or acidic substance, or other
substance used or produced during pretreatment. Washing can
comprise exposing the pretreated feedstock to an equal volume of
water 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or more times. In another embodiment, a
pH modifier can be added. For example, an acid, a buffer, or a
material that reacts with other materials present can be added to
modulate the pH of the feedstock. In one embodiment, more than one
pH modifier can be used, such as one or more bases, one or more
bases with one or more buffers, one or more acids, one or more
acids with one or more buffers, or one or more buffers. When more
than one pH modifiers are utilized, they can be added at the same
time or at different times. Other non-limiting exemplary methods
for neutralizing feedstocks treated with alkaline substances have
been described, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,048,341; 4,182,780;
and 5,693,296.
[0076] In one embodiment, one or more acids can be combined,
resulting in a buffer. Suitable acids and buffers that can be used
as pH modifiers include any liquid or gaseous acid that is
compatible with the microorganism. Non-limiting examples include
peroxyacetic acid, sulfuric acid, lactic acid, citric acid,
phosphoric acid, and hydrochloric acid. In some instances, the pH
can be lowered to neutral pH or acidic pH, for example a pH of 7.0,
6.5, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, or lower. In some embodiments, the pH
is lowered and/or maintained within a range of about pH 4.5 to
about 7.1, or about 4.5 to about 6.9, or about pH 5.0 to about 6.3,
or about pH 5.5 to about 6.3, or about pH 6.0 to about 6.5, or
about pH 5.5 to about 6.9 or about pH 6.2 to about 6.7.
[0077] In another embodiment, biomass can be pre-treated at an
elevated temperature and/or pressure. In one embodiment biomass is
pre treated at a temperature range of 20.degree. C. to 400.degree.
C. In another embodiment biomass is pretreated at a temperature of
about 20.degree. C., 25.degree. C., 30.degree. C., 35.degree. C.,
40.degree. C., 45.degree. C., 50.degree. C., 55.degree. C.,
60.degree. C., 65.degree. C., 80.degree. C., 90.degree. C.,
100.degree. C., 120.degree. C., 150.degree. C., 200.degree. C.,
250.degree. C., 300.degree. C., 350.degree. C., 400.degree. C. or
higher. In another embodiment, elevated temperatures are provided
by the use of steam, hot water, or hot gases. In one embodiment
steam can be injected into a biomass containing vessel. In another
embodiment the steam, hot water, or hot gas can be injected into a
vessel jacket such that it heats, but does not directly contact the
biomass.
[0078] In another embodiment, a biomass can be treated at an
elevated pressure. In one embodiment biomass is pre treated at a
pressure range of about 1 psi to about 30 psi. In another
embodiment biomass is pre treated at a pressure or about 1 psi, 2
psi, 3 psi, 4 psi, 5 psi, 6 psi, 7 psi, 8 psi, 9 psi, 10 psi, 12
psi, 15 psi, 18 psi, 20 psi, 22 psi, 24 psi, 26 psi, 28 psi, 30 psi
or more. In some embodiments, biomass can be treated with elevated
pressures by the injection of steam into a biomass containing
vessel. In one embodiment, the biomass can be treated to vacuum
conditions prior or subsequent to alkaline or acid treatment or any
other treatment methods provided herein.
[0079] In one embodiment alkaline or acid pretreated biomass is
washed (e.g. with water (hot or cold) or other solvent such as
alcohol (e.g. ethanol)), pH neutralized with an acid, base, or
buffering agent (e.g. phosphate, citrate, borate, or carbonate
salt) or dried prior to fermentation. In one embodiment, the drying
step can be performed under vacuum to increase the rate of
evaporation of water or other solvents. Alternatively, or
additionally, the drying step can be performed at elevated
temperatures such as about 20.degree. C., 25.degree. C., 30.degree.
C., 35.degree. C., 40.degree. C., 45.degree. C., 50.degree. C.,
55.degree. C., 60.degree. C., 65.degree. C., 80.degree. C.,
90.degree. C., 100.degree. C., 120.degree. C., 150.degree. C.,
200.degree. C., 250.degree. C., 300.degree. C. or more.
[0080] In one embodiment of the present invention, the pretreatment
step includes a step of solids recovery. The solids recovery step
can be during or after pretreatment (e.g., acid or alkali
pretreatment), or before the drying step. In one embodiment, the
solids recovery step provided by the methods of the present
invention includes the use of a sieve, filter, screen, or a
membrane for separating the liquid and solids fractions. In one
embodiment a suitable sieve pore diameter size ranges from about
0.001 microns to 8 mm, such as about 0.005 microns to 3 mm or about
0.01 microns to 1 mm. In one embodiment a sieve pore size has a
pore diameter of about 0.01 microns, 0.02 microns, 0.05 microns,
0.1 microns, 0.5 microns, 1 micron, 2 microns, 4 microns, 5
microns, 10 microns, 20 microns, 25 microns, 50 microns, 75
microns, 100 microns, 125 microns, 150 microns, 200 microns, 250
microns, 300 microns, 400 microns, 500 microns, 750 microns, 1 mm
or more. In one embodiment, biomass (e.g. corn stover) is processed
or pretreated prior to fermentation. In one embodiment a method of
pre-treatment includes but is not limited to, biomass particle size
reduction, such as for example shredding, milling, chipping,
crushing, grinding, or pulverizing. In one embodiment, biomass
particle size reduction can include size separation methods such as
sieving, or other suitable methods known in the art to separate
materials based on size. In one embodiment size separation can
provide for enhanced yields. In one embodiment, separation of
finely shredded biomass (e.g. particles smaller than about 3 mm in
diameter, such as, 3, 2.9, 2.7, 2.5, 2.3, 2, 1.9, 1.7, 1.5, 1.3, 1,
0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, or 0.1 mm) from larger
particles allows the recycling of the larger particles back into
the size reduction process, thereby increasing the final yield of
processed biomass. In one embodiment, a fermentative mixture is
provided which comprises a pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock
comprising less than about 50% of a lignin component present in the
feedstock prior to pretreatment and comprising more than about 60%
of a hemicellulose component present in the feedstock prior to
pretreatment; and a microorganism capable of fermenting a
five-carbon saccharide, such as xylose, arabinose or a combination
thereof, and a six-carbon saccharide, such as glucose, galactose,
mannose or a combination thereof. In some instances, pretreatment
of the lignocellulosic feedstock comprises adding an alkaline
substance which raises the pH to an alkaline level, for example
NaOH. In one embodiment, NaOH is added at a concentration of about
0.5% to about 2% by weight of the feedstock. In one embodiment,
pretreatment also comprises addition of a chelating agent.
[0081] Disclosed herein are methods of producing a composition
comprising C5 and/or C6 saccharides from a biomass composition
comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose. In some
embodiments, the methods comprise pretreating the biomass
composition to produce a pretreated biomass composition.
Pretreating the biomass composition can comprise hydrating the
biomass composition, mechanically reducing the size of solids in
the biomass composition, heating the biomass composition, or a
combination thereof. In some embodiments, the pretreated biomass
composition comprises solid particles that are less than 10 mm, 7.5
mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, or 1 mm in size. In some
embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition further comprises a
yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least
50% of a theoretical maximum.
[0082] In some embodiments, pretreatment of a biomass composition
comprises hydration of the biomass composition to produce a
hydrated biomass composition. Hydration of the biomass composition
can comprise mixing or soaking the biomass composition in an
aqueous medium. The aqueous medium can be a non-neutral aqueous
medium. The non-neutral aqueous medium can comprise one or more
acids or one or more bases. The one or more acids can be sulfuric
acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, acetic acid,
citric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfurous acid,
chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid,
trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, or a combination
thereof. The one or more bases can be sodium hydroxide, calcium
hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia, ammonia hydroxide,
hydrogen peroxide or a combination thereof. Hydration of the
biomass composition with one or more acids or one or more bases can
precondition the biomass composition for thermochemical hydrolysis
by impregnating the solids of the biomass composition with the one
or more acids or the one or more bases. In some embodiments, the
hydrolysis conditions are such that there is no or substantially no
hydrolysis of cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose in
the biomass composition.
[0083] In some embodiments, pretreatment of a biomass composition
comprises hydration of the biomass composition in a non-neutral
aqueous medium comprises from about 0.1% to about 50% w/w or v/w by
dry biomass weight of one or more acids or one or more bases. For
example, the non-neutral aqueous medium can comprise about 25-50%,
10-50%, 10-25%, 5-50%, 5-25%, 5-10%, 4-50%, 4-25%, 4-10%, 4-5%,
3-50%, 3-25%, 3-10%, 3-5%, 3-4%, 2-50%, 2-25%, 2-10%, 2-5%, 2-4%,
2-3%, 1-50%, 1-25%, 1-10%, 1-5%, 1-4%, 1-3%, 1-2%, 0.5-50%,
0.5-25%, 0.5-10%, 0.5-5%, 0.5-4%, 0.5-3%, 0.5-2%, 0.5-1%, 0.5-%,
0.1-50%, 0.1-25%, 0.1-10%, 0.1-5%, 0.1-4%, 0.1-3%, 0.1-2%, 0.1-1%,
0.1-0.5%, 50%, 45%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 24%, 23%, 22%, 21%, 20%,
19%, 18%, 17%, 16%, 15%, 14%, 13%, 12%, 11%, 10%, 9.5%, 9%, 8.5%,
8%, 7.5%, 7%, 6.5%, 6%, 5.5%, 5%, 4.9%, 4.8%, 4.7%, 4.6%, 4.5%,
4.4%, 4.3%, 4.2%, 4.1%, 4%, 3.9%, 3.8%, 3.7%, 3.6%, 3.5%, 3.4%,
3.3%, 3.2%, 3.1%, 3%, 2.9%, 2.8%, 2.7%, 2.6%, 2.5%, 2.4%, 2.3%,
2.2%, 2.1%, 2%, 1.9%, 1.8%, 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.4%, 1.3%, 1.2%,
1.1%, 1%, 0.9%, 0.8%, 0.7%, 0.6%, 0.5%, 0.4%, 0.3%, 0.2%, or 0.1%
of the one or more acids or the one or more bases. The one or more
acids can be sulfuric acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic acid, formic
acid, acetic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid,
sulfurous acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid,
trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, benzoic
acid, or a combination thereof. The one or more bases can be sodium
hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia, ammonia
hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium comprises the one or
more acids or the one or more bases at from about 0.1% to about 5%
v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the non-neutral
aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at from about 0.1% to about
5% v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the non-neutral
aqueous medium comprises sulfuric acid at about 1.8% v/w by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the non-neutral aqueous medium
comprises sulfuric acid at about 1% v/w by dry biomass weight.
[0084] In some embodiments, pretreatment of the biomass composition
comprises hydration of the biomass composition in a non-neutral
aqueous medium having a pH that is less than 7. For example, the
non-neutral aqueous medium can have a pH that is less than 7, 6.5,
6, 5.5, 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, or 1. For example, the
non-neutral aqueous medium can have a pH that is about 6.5, 6.4,
6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6, 5.9, 5.8, 5.7, 5.6, 5.5, 5.4, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1, 5,
4.9, 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4, 3.9, 3.8, 3.7, 3.6,
3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3, 2.9, 2.8, 2.7, 2.6, 2.5, 2.4, 2.3, 2.2,
2.1, 2, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, 1.1, 1, 0.9, 0.8,
0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, or lower. The non-neutral
aqueous medium having a pH that is less than 7 can comprise one or
more acids such as sulfuric acid, peroxyacetic acid, lactic acid,
formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid,
hydrochloric acid, sulfurous acid, chloroacetic acid,
dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid,
oxalic acid, benzoic acid, or a combination thereof. The one or
more acids can be at any suitable concentration, such as any of the
concentrations disclosed herein.
[0085] In some embodiments, pretreatment of the biomass composition
comprises hydration of the biomass composition in a non-neutral
aqueous medium having a pH that is greater than 7. For example, the
non-neutral aqueous medium can have a pH that is greater than 7,
7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5 or
higher. For example, the non-neutral aqueous medium can have a pH
that is about 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5,
8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9,
10, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 11, 11.1,
11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.9, 12, 12.1, 12.2,
12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, 13, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3,
13.4, 13.5, 13.6, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9, or higher. The non-neutral
aqueous medium having a pH greater than 7 can comprise one or more
bases such as sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium
hydroxide, ammonia, ammonia hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide or a
combination thereof. The one or more bases can be at any suitable
concentration, such as any of the concentrations disclosed
herein.
[0086] In some embodiments, hydration of a biomass composition in
an aqueous medium, such as any of the aqueous media disclosed
herein, can be performed at a temperature that is from about
10.degree. C. to about 100.degree. C. For example, the hydration
temperature can be about 10-100.degree. C., 20-80.degree. C.,
30-70.degree. C., 40-60.degree. C., 10.degree. C., 15.degree. C.,
20.degree. C., 25.degree. C., 30.degree. C., 35.degree. C.,
40.degree. C., 45.degree. C., 50.degree. C., 55.degree. C.,
60.degree. C., 65.degree. C., 70.degree. C., 75.degree. C.,
80.degree. C., 85.degree. C., 90.degree. C., 95.degree. C., or
100.degree. C. In one embodiment, the temperature is from about
30.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. In another embodiment, the
temperature is from about 40.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C. In
another embodiment, the temperature is about 50.degree. C.
[0087] In some embodiments, hydration of a biomass composition in
an aqueous medium, such as any of the aqueous media disclosed
herein, is for a hydration time of from about 1 minute to about 24
hours. For example, the hydration time can be about 1-24 hr, 1-18
hr, 1-12 hr, 1-6 hr, 6-24 hr, 6-18 hr, 6-12 hr, 12-24 hr, 12-18 hr,
18-24 hr, 1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr, 5 hr, 6 hr, 7 hr, 8 hr, 9 hr, 10
hr, 11 hr, 12 hr, 13 hr, 14 hr, 15 hr, 16 hr, 17 hr, 18 hr, 19 hr,
20 hr, 21 hr, 22 hr, 23 hr, 24 hr. In another example, the
hydration time can be about 1-60 min, 1-45 min, 1-30 min, 1-15 min,
1-10 min, 1-5 min, 5-45 min, 5-30 min, 5-15 min, 5-10 min, 10-30
min, 10-15 min, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 6 min, 7 min, 8
min, 9 min, 10 min, 11 min, 12 min, 13 min, 14 min, 15 min, 16 min,
17 min, 18 min, 19 min, 20 min, 21 min, 22 min, 23 min, 24 min, 25
min, 26 min, 27 min, 28 min, 29 min, 30 min, 31 min, 32 min, 33
min, 34 min, 35 min, 36 min, 37 min, 38 min, 39 min, 40 min, 41
min, 42 min, 43 min, 44 min, 45 min, 46 min, 47 min, 48 min, 49
min, 50 min, 51 min, 52 min, 53 min, 54 min, 55 min, 56 min, 57
min, 58 min, 59 min, or 60 min. In one embodiment, hydration of the
biomass composition is for about 1 minute to about 60 minutes. In
another embodiment, hydration of the biomass composition is for
about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes. In another embodiment,
hydration of the biomass is for about 15 minutes to about 20
minutes.
[0088] In some embodiments, hydration of a biomass composition in
an aqueous medium produces a hydrated biomass composition
comprising from about 1% to about 40% solids by dry biomass weight.
For example, the hydrated biomass composition can comprise about
1-40%, 1-30%, 1-20%, 1-10%, 1-5%, 1-2.5%, 2.5-20%, 2.5-10%, 2.5-5%,
5-20%, 5-10%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%,
13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40% solids
by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the hydrated biomass
composition comprises from about 1% to about 20% solids by dry
biomass weight. In some embodiments, the hydrated biomass
composition comprises about 5% solids by biomass weight.
[0089] In some embodiments, a biomass composition is pretreated to
produce a pretreated biomass composition, wherein pretreatment
comprises mechanical size reduction of solids in the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In some embodiments, the pretreated
biomass composition comprises solid particles that are less than
7.5 mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, 1 mm, or 0.5 mm in size, or
less. Mechanical size reduction can comprise cutting, chipping,
grinding, milling, shredding, screening, shearing, steam injection,
steam explosion, acid-catalyzed steam explosion, ammonia
fiber/freeze explosion (AFEX), or a combination thereof. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction comprises milling that is
hammer milling, ball milling, bead milling, pan milling, colloid
milling, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, mechanical
size reduction does not comprise milling. In some embodiments,
mechanical size reduction comprises simultaneous cutting and steam
injection. In some embodiments, mechanical size reduction comprises
steam injection, cutting, and steam explosion. In some embodiments,
mechanical size reduction comprises simultaneous cutting and steam
injection using a rotating cutter with a plurality of cutting
blades and a plurality of steam-injection holes. In some
embodiments, mechanical size reduction comprises cutting with a
first rotating cutter and a second rotating cutter. In some
embodiments, the second rotating cutter comprises a plurality of
cutting blades and a plurality of steam-injection holes.
[0090] In some embodiments, a biomass composition is pretreated to
produce a pretreated biomass composition, wherein pretreatment
comprises mechanical size reduction of solids in the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In some embodiments, the pretreated
biomass composition comprises solid particles that are less than
about 10 mm in size (e.g., length, diameter). For example, the
pretreated biomass composition can comprise solid particles having
a size of less than about 0.01 mm, 0.02 mm, 0.03 mm, 0.04 mm, 0.05
mm, 0.06 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.09 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.2 mm,
0.25 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.45 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.55 mm, 0.6 mm,
0.65 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.75 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.85 mm, 0.9 mm, 0.95 mm, 1 mm,
1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.9
mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8
mm, 9 mm, or 10 mm. In one embodiment, the pretreated biomass
composition comprises solid particles that are less than about 7.5
mm in size. In another embodiment, the pretreated biomass
composition comprises solid particles that are less than about 5 mm
in size. In another embodiment, the pretreated biomass composition
comprises solid particles that are less than about 1.5 mm in size.
In another embodiment, the pretreated biomass composition comprises
solid particles that are less than about 1 mm in size. In one
embodiment, all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
are less than 7.5 mm in size. In another embodiment, all of the
solid particles in the pretreated biomass are less than 5 mm in
size. In another embodiment, all of the solid particles in the
pretreated biomass are less than 2.5 mm in size. In another
embodiment, all of the solid particles in the pretreated biomass
are less than 2 mm in size. In another embodiment, all of the solid
particles in the pretreated biomass are less than 1.5 mm in size.
In another embodiment, all of the solid particles in the pretreated
biomass are less than 1 mm in size. In some embodiments, the
particles in the pretreated biomass composition have uniform or
substantially uniform sizes.
[0091] In some embodiments, a biomass composition is pretreated to
produce a pretreated biomass composition, wherein pretreatment
comprises mechanical size reduction of solids in the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In some embodiments, the pretreated
biomass composition comprises solid particles having an average
size (e.g., diameter or length) of from about 0.01 mm to about 10
mm. For example, the mixture of particles can have an average
particle size (e.g., length or diameter) of about 0.01-10 mm,
0.01-7.5 mm, 0.01-5 mm, 0.01-2.5 mm, 0.01-2 mm, 0.01-1.5 mm, 0.01-1
mm, 0.01-0.5 mm, 0.01-0.1 mm, 0.1-10 mm, 0.1-7.5 mm, 0.1-5 mm,
0.1-2.5 mm, 0.1-2 mm, 0.1-1.5 mm, 0.1-1 mm, 0.1-0.5 mm, 0.5-10 mm,
0.5-7.5 mm, 0.5-5 mm, 0.5-2.5 mm, 0.5-2 mm, 0.5-1.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm,
1-10 mm, 1-7.5 mm, 1-5 mm, 1-2.5 mm, 1-2 mm, 1-1.5 mm, 1.5-10 mm,
1.5-7.5 mm, 1.5-5 mm, 1.5-2.5 mm, 1.5-2 mm, 2-10 mm, 2-7.5 mm, 2-5
mm, 2-2.5 mm, 2.5-10 mm, 2.5-7.5 mm, 2.5-5 mm, 5-10 mm, 5-7.5 mm,
7.5-10 mm, 0.01 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5
mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm,
1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.9 mm, 2 mm, 2.1 mm, 2.2
mm, 2.3 mm, 2.4 mm, 2.5 mm, 2.75 mm, 3 mm, 3.25 mm, 3.5 mm, 3.75
mm, 4 mm, 4.25 mm, 4.5 mm, 4.75 mm, 5 mm, 5.25 mm, 5.5 mm, 5.75 mm,
6 mm, 6.25 mm, 6.5 mm, 6.75 mm, 7 mm, 7.25 mm, 7.5 mm, 8 mm, 8.5
mm, 9 mm, 9.5 mm, 10 mm. In one embodiment, the pretreated biomass
composition comprises solid particles having an average size of
from about 0.1 mm to about 7.5 mm. In another embodiment, the
pretreated biomass composition comprises solid particles having an
average size of from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. In another
embodiment, the pretreated biomass composition comprises solid
particles having an average size of from about 0.1 mm to about 1.5
mm. In another embodiment, the pretreated biomass composition
comprises solid particles having an average size of from about 0.1
mm to about 1 mm. In another embodiment, the pretreated biomass
composition comprises solid particles having an average size of
from about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm. In some embodiments, the particles
in the pretreated biomass composition have uniform or substantially
uniform sizes.
[0092] In some embodiments, a biomass composition is pretreated to
produce a pretreated biomass composition, wherein pretreatment
comprises mechanical size reduction of solids in the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In some embodiments, the solid
particles in the pretreated biomass composition are homogenous in
size or substantially homogenous in size. The solid particles in
the pretreated biomass composition can be considered to be
homogenous or substantially homogeneous if greater than about 50%
of the particles fall within a given size range. For example, the
mixture of particles can be considered homogeneous or substantially
homogeneous if about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%,
95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100% of the solid particles
falls within a given size range. The given size range can be from
about 0.01 mm to about 10 mm; for example, about 0.01-10 mm,
0.01-7.5 mm, 0.01-5 mm, 0.01-2.5 mm, 0.01-2 mm, 0.01-1.5 mm, 0.01-1
mm, 0.01-0.5 mm, 0.01-0.1 mm, 0.1-10 mm, 0.1-7.5 mm, 0.1-5 mm,
0.1-2.5 mm, 0.1-2 mm, 0.1-1.5 mm, 0.1-1 mm, 0.1-0.5 mm, 0.5-10 mm,
0.5-7.5 mm, 0.5-5 mm, 0.5-2.5 mm, 0.5-2 mm, 0.5-1.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm,
1-10 mm, 1-7.5 mm, 1-5 mm, 1-2.5 mm, 1-2 mm, 1-1.5 mm, 1.5-10 mm,
1.5-7.5 mm, 1.5-5 mm, 1.5-2.5 mm, 1.5-2 mm, 2-10 mm, 2-7.5 mm, 2-5
mm, 2-2.5 mm, 2.5-10 mm, 2.5-7.5 mm, 2.5-5 mm, 5-10 mm, 5-7.5 mm,
or 7.5-10 mm. In one embodiment, the given size range is from about
0.1 mm to about 7.5 mm. In another embodiment, the given size range
is from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. In another embodiment, the
given size range is from about 0.1 mm to about 2.5 mm. In another
embodiment, the given size range is from about 0.1 mm to about 2
mm. In another embodiment, the given size range is from about 0.1
mm to about 1.5 mm In another embodiment, the given size range is
from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm.
[0093] In some embodiments, a biomass composition is pretreated to
produce a pretreated biomass composition, wherein pretreatment
comprises mechanical size reduction of solids in the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In one embodiment, a homogeneous
mixture of particles is produced during pretreatment of a biomass
composition wherein greater than 50% (e.g., about 50%, 55%, 60%,
65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or
100%) of the particles in the mixture have a size (e.g., diameter
or length) that is from about 0.01 to about 10 mm. In another
embodiment, a homogeneous mixture of particles is produced during
pretreatment of biomass wherein greater than 50% (e.g., about 50%,
55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%,
99.5%, or 100%) of the particles in the mixture have a size (e.g.,
diameter or length) that is from about 0.1 to about 5 mm. In
another embodiment, a homogeneous mixture of particles is produced
during pretreatment of biomass wherein greater than 50% (e.g.,
about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%,
98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100%) of the particles in the mixture have a
size (e.g., diameter or length) that is from about 0.1 to about 1.5
mm. In one embodiment, a homogeneous mixture of particles is
produced during pretreatment of biomass wherein greater than 50%
(e.g., about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%,
97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 100%) of the particles in the mixture have
a size (e.g., diameter or length) that is from about 0.1 mm to
about 1 mm.
[0094] Some embodiments, where pretreatment comprises hydration of
a biomass composition to product a hydrated biomass composition and
mechanical size reduction of the hydrated biomass composition to
produce solid particles less than 10 mm, 7.5 mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2
mm, 1.5 mm, or 1 mm in size, further comprise dewatering the
hydrated biomass composition to a solids content of from about 5%
to about 40% by dry biomass weight. For example, the solids content
can be about 5-40%, 5-35%, 5-30%, 5-25%, 5-20%, 5-15%, 5-10%,
10-40%, 10-35%, 10-30%, 10-25%, 10-20%, 10-15%, 15-40%, 15-35%,
15-30%, 15-25%, 15-20%, 20-40%, 20-35%, 20-30%, 20-25%, 25-40%,
25-35%, 25-30%, 30-40%, 30-35%, 35-40%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%,
11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, 21%, 22%, 23%,
24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 31%, 32%, 33%, 34%, 35%, 36%,
37%, 38%, 39%, or 40% by dry biomass weight. In one embodiment, the
hydrated biomass is dewatered to a solids content of about 30% by
dry biomass weight. Dewatering can be performed before, during,
and/or after mechanical size reduction. Dewatering can be performed
with a filter, a filter press, a centrifuge, or any other suitable
apparatus.
[0095] In some embodiments, pretreatment of a biomass composition
comprises heating the biomass composition. The pretreatment can
further comprises hydrating the biomass composition and/or
mechanically reducing the size of the solids in the biomass
composition. Heating, hydrating, and/or mechanically reducing the
size of the biomass composition during pretreatment can be
performed in any order. Heating, hydrating, and/or mechanically
reducing the size of the biomass composition can be performed
sequentially, at the same time, or can partially overlap in
time.
[0096] In some embodiments, heating the biomass composition
hydrolyzes a portion of the hemicellulose of the biomass
composition to C5 monosaccharides and disaccharides. In some
embodiments, a yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is
at least 50% of the theoretical maximum. In some embodiments, the
yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is at least 60%,
65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90% of the theoretical maximum. In some
embodiments, the C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides are
monosaccharides. In some embodiments, the biomass composition is a
hydrated biomass composition. In some embodiments, the hydrated
composition is impregnated with one or more acids or one or more
bases.
[0097] In some embodiments, heating a biomass composition does not,
or does not substantially hydrolyze the cellulose of the biomass
composition. In some embodiments, a yield of glucose after heating
the biomass composition is less than 20% of a theoretical maximum.
In some embodiments, the yield of glucose is less than 15%, 10%,
5%, 2.5%, or 1% of the theoretical maximum.
[0098] In some embodiments, heating the biomass composition (that
was optionally hydrated, mechanically reduced in size, and/or
dewatered) is performed at a temperature of from about 100.degree.
C. to about 250.degree. C. For example, the temperature can be
about 100-250.degree. C., 100-200.degree. C., 100-180.degree. C.,
100-160.degree. C., 100-140.degree. C., 100-120.degree. C.,
120-200.degree. C., 120-180.degree. C., 120-160.degree. C.,
120-140.degree. C., 140-180.degree. C., 140-160.degree. C.,
160-180.degree. C., 100.degree. C., 110.degree. C., 120.degree. C.,
130.degree. C., 140.degree. C., 150.degree. C., 155.degree. C.,
160.degree. C., 165.degree. C., 170.degree. C., 175.degree. C.,
180.degree. C., 185.degree. C., 190.degree. C., 200.degree. C.,
210.degree. C., 220.degree. C., 230.degree. C., 240.degree. C., or
250.degree. C. In one embodiment, heating of the biomass
composition is at a temperature of from about 100.degree. C. to
about 250.degree. C. In another embodiment, heating of the biomass
composition is at a temperature of from about 150.degree. C. to
about 200.degree. C. In another embodiment, heating of the biomass
composition is at a temperature of from about 160.degree. C. to
about 180.degree. C.
[0099] In some embodiments, heating the biomass composition (that
was optionally hydrated, mechanically reduced in size, and/or
dewatered) is performed at a pressure higher than atmospheric. The
pressure can be from about 25 PSIG to about 250 PSIG. For example,
the pressure can be about 25-250 PSIG, 25-225 PSIG, 25-200 PSIG,
25-175 PSIG, 25-150 PSIG, 25-125 PSIG, 25-100 PSIG, 25-75 PSIG,
25-50 PSIG, 50-225 PSIG, 50-200 PSIG, 50-175 PSIG, 50-150 PSIG,
50-125 PSIG, 50-100 PSIG, 50-75 PSIG, 75-200 PSIG, 75-175 PSIG,
75-150 PSIG, 75-125 PSIG, 75-100 PSIG, 100-175 PSIG, 100-150 PSIG,
100-125 PSIG, 125-150 PSIG, 25 PSIG, 30 PSIG, 35 PSIG, 40 PSIG, 45
PSIG, 50 PSIG, 55 PSIG, 60 PSIG, 65 PSIG, 70 PSIG, 75 PSIG, 80
PSIG, 85 PSIG, 90 PSIG, 95 PSIG, 100 PSIG, 105 PSIG, 110 PSIG, 115
PSIG, 120 PSIG, 125 PSIG, 130 PSIG, 135 PSIG, 140 PSIG, 145 PSIG,
150 PSIG, 155 PSIG, 160 PSIG, 165 PSIG, 170 PSIG, 175 PSIG, 180
PSIG, 185 PSIG, 190 PSIG, 195 PSIG, 200 PSIG, 205 PSIG, 210 PSIG,
215 PSIG, 220 PSIG, 225 PSIG, 230 PSIG, 235 PSIG, 240 PSIG, 245
PSIG, 250 PSIG. In one embodiment, the pressure is from about 25
PSIG to about 250 PSIG. In another embodiment, the pressure is from
about 75 PSIG to about 200 PSIG.
[0100] In another embodiment, the pressure is from about 100 PSIG
to about 150 PSIG.
[0101] In some embodiments, pretreatment comprises heating a
biomass composition (that was optionally hydrated, mechanically
reduced in size, and/or dewatered) under any of the conditions
disclosed herein for a time sufficient to produce a yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides that is at least 50% of a
theoretical maximum. The time sufficient to produce the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides can be from about 1 minute to
about 120 minutes. For example, the time can be about 1-120 min,
1-90 min, 1-60 min, 1-30 min, 1-15 min, 1-10 min, 1-5 min, 5-60
min, 5-30 min, 5-15 min, 5-10 min, 120 min, 110 min, 100 min, 90
min, 80 min, 70 min, 60 min, 50 min, 45 min, 40 min, 35 min, 30
min, 25 min, 20 min, 19 min, 18 min, 17 min, 16 min, 15 min, 14
min, 13 min, 12 min, 11 min, 10 min, 9 min, 8 min, 7 min, 6 min, 5
min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min. In one embodiment, the time
sufficient to produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides is from about 1 minute to about 60 minutes. In
another embodiment, the time sufficient to produce the yield of C5
monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is from about 5 minutes to
about 30 minutes. In another embodiment, the time sufficient to
produce the yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is
from about 7.5 minutes to about 12.5 minutes.
[0102] In some embodiments, the method disclosed herein are for
industrial scale production of compositions comprising C5 and C6
saccharides. In one embodiment industrial scale production
comprises pretreating greater than 1 metric ton (MT) in 24 hours.
In another embodiment, industrial scale production comprises
pretreating greater than 20 MT in 24 hours. In another embodiment,
industrial scale production comprises pretreating greater than 50
MT in 24 hours. In another embodiment, industrial scale production
comprises pretreating greater than 100 MT in 24 hours.
[0103] Hydrolysis
[0104] Disclosed herein are methods of producing a composition
comprising C5 and/or C6 saccharides from a biomass composition
comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignocellulose. The
methods can comprise pretreating the biomass composition according
to any of the methods disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the
biomass composition is pretreated to produce a pretreated biomass
composition, wherein pretreatment comprises mechanical size
reduction of solids in the biomass composition. In some
embodiments, the pretreated biomass composition comprises solid
particles that are less than 7.5 mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, 1
mm, or 0.5 mm in size, or less. The pretreated biomass composition
can further comprise a yield of C5 monosaccharides and/or
disaccharides that is at least 50%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%,
or 90% of a theoretical maximum. The methods of producing a
composition can further comprise hydrolyzing the biomass
composition or pretreated biomass composition with one or more
enzymes for a time sufficient to produce the composition comprising
C5 and C6 saccharides. The C5 and C6 saccharides can comprise
glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, or a
combination thereof. The composition comprising C5 and/or C6
saccharides can be an aqueous composition.
[0105] In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes comprise one or
more cellulase enzymes and optionally one or more hemicellulase
enzymes. In one embodiment, the one or more enzymes is a cellulase
and hemicellulase complex. In one embodiment, the cellulase and
hemicellulase complex is not supplemented with additional
hemicellulase enzymes. In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes
comprise a commercially available enzyme cocktail (e.g.,
Accellerase.TM. 1000, CelluSeb-TL, CelluSeb-TS, Cellic.TM., Ctec,
Cellic.TM., CTec2, Cellic.TM., CTec3, STARGEN.TM., Maxalig.TM.,
Spezyme.R.TM., Distillase.R.TM., G-Zyme.R.TM., Fermenzyme.R.TM.,
Fermgen.TM., GC 212, or Optimash.TM., etc.).
[0106] In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total
level from about 1% to about 20% w/w or v/w by dry biomass weight.
In some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level
from about 1% to about 10% w/w or v/w by dry biomass weight. In
some embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level from
about 1% to about 5% w/w or v/w by dry biomass weight. In some
embodiments, the one or more enzymes are at a total level of less
than 15% w/w or v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the
one or more enzymes are at a total level of less than 10% w/w or
v/w by dry biomass weight. In some embodiments, the one or more
enzymes are at a total level of less than 5% w/w or v/w by dry
biomass weight.
[0107] In some embodiments, the time sufficient to produce the
composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides is from about 10 hours
to about 100 hours. For example, the time can be about 10-100 hr,
10-75 hr, 10-50 hr, 10-20 hr, 20-100 hr, 20-75 hr, 20-50 hr, 50-100
hr, 50-75 hr, 75-100 hr, 10 hr, 11 hr, 12 hr, 13 hr, 14 hr, 15 hr,
16 hr, 17 hr, 18 hr, 19 hr, 20 hr, 21 hr, 22 hr, 23 hr, 24 hr, 25
hr, 30 hr, 35 hr, 40 hr, 45 hr, 50 hr, 55 hr, 60 hr, 65 hr, 70 hr,
75 hr, 80 hr, 85 hr, 90 hr, 95 hr, or 100 hr. In one embodiment,
the time sufficient to produce the composition comprising C6 and C5
saccharides is from about 21 hours to about 50 hours.
[0108] In one embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5
saccharides comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 55%
of a theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 80% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 90% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 80% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 90% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises glucose in a yield that is greater than 95% of a
theoretical maximum at 48 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 60% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 70% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 80% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis. In another
embodiment, the composition comprising C6 and C5 saccharides
comprises xylose in a yield that is greater than 90% of a
theoretical maximum at 21 hours of hydrolysis.
[0109] Some embodiments comprise adjusting the water content and/or
the pH of a pretreated biomass prior to hydrolyzing with one or
more enzymes.
[0110] The water content of a pretreated biomass composition can be
adjusted to from about 5% to about 30% solids by dry biomass weight
prior to hydrolyzing with one or more enzymes. For example, the
water content can be adjusted to about 5-30%, 5-25%, 5-20%, 5-15%,
5-12%, 5-10%, 5-8%, 8-30%, 8-25%, 8-20%, 8-15%, 8-12%, 8-10%,
10-30%, 10-25%, 10-20%, 10-15%, 10-12%, 12-30%, 12-25%, 12-20%,
12-15%, 15-30%, 15-25%, 15-20%, 20-30%, 20-25%, 25-30%, 5%, 6%, 7%,
8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, 21%,
22%, 23%, 24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, or 30% solids by dry
biomass weight. In one embodiment, the water content of the
pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about 5% to about 30%
solids by dry biomass weight. In another embodiment, the water
content of the pretreated biomass composition is adjusted to about
5% to about 20% solids by dry biomass weight.
[0111] The pH of a pretreated biomass composition can be adjusted
to from about 3 to about 8 prior to hydrolyzing with one or more
enzymes. For example, the pH can be adjusted to about 3-8, 3-7,
3-6, 3-5.5, 3-4.5, 3-4, 4-7, 4-6, 4-5.5, 4-4.5, 4.5-6, 4.5-5.5, 3,
3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8,
4.9, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6, 6.5, 7,
7.5, or 8. In one embodiment, the pH of the pretreated biomass
composition is adjusted to about 4 to about 7. In another
embodiment, the pH of the pretreated biomass composition is
adjusted to about 4.5 to about 5.5.
[0112] Hydrolysis of a pretreated biomass composition with one or
more enzymes can be done at a temperature of from about 30.degree.
C. to about 70.degree. C. For example, the temperature of
hydrolysis can be about 30-70.degree. C., 30-65.degree. C.,
30-60.degree. C., 30-55.degree. C., 30-50.degree. C., 30-45.degree.
C., 30-40.degree. C., 40-65.degree. C., 40-60.degree. C.,
40-55.degree. C., 40-50.degree. C., 40-45.degree. C., 45-60.degree.
C., 45-55.degree. C., 45-50.degree. C., 50-60.degree. C.,
50-55.degree. C. In one embodiment, the temperature of hydrolysis
is from about 45.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C.
[0113] In one embodiment, the biomass hydrolyzing unit provides
useful advantages for the conversion of biomass to biofuels and
chemical products. One advantage of this unit is its ability to
produce monomeric saccharides from multiple types of biomass,
including mixtures of different biomass materials, and is capable
of hydrolyzing polysaccharides and higher molecular weight
saccharides to lower molecular weight saccharides. In one
embodiment, the hydrolyzing unit utilizes a pretreatment process
and a hydrolytic enzyme which facilitates the production of a
saccharide stream containing a concentration of a monomeric
saccharide or several monomeric saccharides derived from cellulosic
and/or hemicellulosic polymers. Examples of biomass material that
can be pretreated and hydrolyzed to manufacture saccharide monomers
include, but are not limited to, cellulosic, hemicellulosic,
lignocellulosic materials; pectins; starches; wood; paper;
agricultural products; forest waste; tree waste; tree bark; leaves;
grasses; sawgrass; woody plant matter; non-woody plant matter;
carbohydrates; starch; inulin; fructans; glucans; corn; sugar cane;
sorghum, other grasses; bamboo, algae, and material derived from
these materials. This ability to use a very wide range of
pretreatment methods and hydrolytic enzymes gives distinct
advantages in biomass fermentations. Various pretreatment
conditions and enzyme hydrolysis can enhance the extraction of
saccharides from biomass, resulting in higher yields, higher
productivity, greater product selectivity, and/or greater
conversion efficiency.
[0114] In one embodiment, the enzyme treatment is used to hydrolyze
various higher saccharides (higher molecular weight) present in
biomass to lower saccharides (lower molecular weight), such as in
preparation for fermentation by biocatalysts such as yeasts to
produce ethanol, hydrogen, or other chemicals such as organic acids
including succinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid.
These enzymes and/or the hydrolysate can be used in fermentations
to produce various products including fuels, and other
chemicals.
[0115] In one example, the process for converting biomass material
into ethanol includes pretreating the biomass material (e.g.,
"feedstock"), hydrolyzing the pretreated biomass to convert
polysaccharides to oligosaccharides, further hydrolyzing the
oligosaccharides to monosaccharides, and converting the
monosaccharides to biofuels and chemical products. Enzymes such as
cellulases, polysaccharases, lipases, proteases, ligninases, and
hemicellulases, help produce the monosaccharides can be used in the
biosynthesis of fermentation end-products. Biomass material that
can be utilized includes woody plant matter, non-woody plant
matter, cellulosic material, lignocellulosic material,
hemicellulosic material, carbohydrates, pectin, starch, inulin,
fructans, glucans, corn, algae, sugarcane, other grasses,
switchgrass, bagasse, wheat straw, barley straw, rice straw,
corncobs, bamboo, citrus peels, sorghum, high biomass sorghum, seed
hulls, and material derived from these. The final product can then
be separated and/or purified, as indicated by the properties for
the desired final product. In some instances, compounds related to
saccharides such as sugar alcohols or sugar acids can be utilized
as well.
[0116] Chemicals used in the methods of the present invention are
readily available and can be purchased from a commercial supplier,
such as Sigma-Aldrich. Additionally, commercial enzyme cocktails
(e.g. Accellerase.TM. 1000, CelluSeb-TL, CelluSeb-TS, Cellic.TM.,
Ctec, Cellic.TM., CTec2, Cellic.TM., CTec3, STARGEN.TM.,
Maxalig.TM., Spezyme.R.TM., Distillase.R.TM., G-Zyme.R.TM.,
Fermenzyme.R.TM., Fermgen.TM., GC 212, or Optimash.TM.) or any
other commercial enzyme cocktail can be purchased from vendors such
as Specialty Enzymes & Biochemicals Co., Genencor, or
Novozymes. Alternatively, enzyme cocktails can be prepared by
growing one or more organisms such as for example a fungi (e.g. a
Trichoderma, a Saccharomyces, a Pichia, a White Rot Fungus etc.), a
bacteria (e.g. a Clostridium, or a coliform bacterium, a Zymomonas
bacterium, Sacharophagus degradans etc.) in a suitable medium and
harvesting enzymes produced therefrom. In some embodiments, the
harvesting can include one or more steps of purification of
enzymes.
[0117] In one embodiment, treatment of biomass comprises enzyme
hydrolysis. In one embodiment a biomass is treated with an enzyme
or a mixture of enzymes, e.g., endoglucanases, exoglucanases,
cellobiohydrolases, cellulase, beta-glucosidases, glycoside
hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, lyases, esterases and proteins
containing carbohydrate-binding modules. In one embodiment, the
enzyme or mixture of enzymes is one or more individual enzymes with
distinct activities. In another embodiment, the enzyme or mixture
of enzymes can be enzyme domains with a particular catalytic
activity. For example, an enzyme with multiple activities can have
multiple enzyme domains, including for example glycoside
hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, lyases and/or esterases catalytic
domains.
[0118] As used herein, a multi-enzyme product is one that can be
obtained from or derived from a microbial, plant, or other source
or combination thereof, and will contain enzymes capable of
degrading lignocellulosic material. Examples of enzymes comprising
the multi-enzyme products of the invention include cellulases (such
as cellobiohydrolases, endoglucanase, .beta.-glucosidases,
hemicellulases (such as xylanases, including endoxylanases,
exoxylanase, and .beta.-xylosidase), ligninases, amylases,
.alpha.-arabinofuranosidases, .alpha.-glucuronidases,
.alpha.-glucuronidases, arabinases, glucuronidases, proteases,
esterases (including ferulic acid esterase and acetylxylan
esterase), lipases, glucomannanases, and xylogluconases.
[0119] In some embodiments, the multi-enzyme product comprises a
hemicellulase. Hemicellulose is a complex polymer, and its
composition often varies widely from organism to organism, and from
one tissue type to another. In general, a main component of
hemicellulose is beta-1,4-linked xylose, a five carbon saccharide.
However, this xylose is often branched as beta-1,3 linkages, and
can be substituted with linkages to arabinose, galactose, mannose,
glucuronic acid, or by esterification to acetic acid. Hemicellulose
can also contain glucan, which is a general term for beta-linked
six carbon saccharides. Those hemicelluloses include xyloglucan,
glucomannan, and galactomannan.
[0120] The composition, nature of substitution, and degree of
branching of hemicellulose is very different in dicotyledonous
plants (dicots, e.g., plant whose seeds have two cotyledons or seed
leaves such as lima beans, peanuts, almonds, peas, kidney beans) as
compared to monocotyledonous plants (monocots; e.g., plants having
a single cotyledon or seed leaf such as corn, wheat, rice, grasses,
barley). In dicots, hemicellulose is comprised mainly of
xyloglucans that are 1,4-beta-linked glucose chains with
1,6-beta-linked xylosyl side chains. In monocots, including most
grain crops, the principal components of hemicellulose are
heteroxylans. These are primarily comprised of 1,4-beta-linked
xylose backbone polymers with 1,3-beta linkages to arabinose,
galactose and mannose as well as xylose modified by ester-linked
acetic acids. Also present are branched beta glucans comprised of
1,3- and 1,4-beta-linked glucosyl chains. In monocots, cellulose,
heteroxylans and beta glucans are present in roughly equal amounts,
each comprising about 15-25% of the dry matter of cell walls.
[0121] Hemicellulolytic enzymes, e.g. hemicellulases, include
includes both exohydrolytic and endohydrolytic enzymes, such as
xylanase, .beta.-xylosidase and esterases, which actively cleave
hemicellulosic material through hydrolysis. These xylanase and
esterase enzymes cleave the xylan and acetyl side chains of xylan
and the remaining xylo-oligomers are unsubstituted and can thus be
hydrolyzed with xylosidase only. In addition, several less known
side activities have been found in enzyme preparations which
hydrolyze hemicellulose. While the multi-enzyme product may contain
many types of enzymes, mixtures comprising enzymes that increase or
enhance saccharide release from biomass are preferred, including
hemicellulases. In one embodiment, the hemicellulase is a xylanase,
an arabinofuranosidase, an acetyl xylan esterase, a glucuronidase,
an endo-galactanase, a mannanase, an endo arabinase, an exo
arabinase, an exo-galactanase, a ferulic acid esterase, a
galactomannanase, a xylogluconase, or mixtures of any of these. In
particular, the enzymes can include glucoamylase, .beta.-xylosidase
and/or .beta.-glucosidase. The enzymes of the multi-enzyme product
can be provided by a variety of sources. In one embodiment, the
enzymes can be produced by growing microorganisms or plants that
produce the enzymes naturally or by virtue of being genetically
modified to express the enzyme or enzymes. In another embodiment,
at least one enzyme of the multi-enzyme product is commercially
available.
[0122] In one embodiment, enzymes that degrade polysaccharides are
used for the hydrolysis of biomass and can include enzymes that
degrade cellulose, namely, cellulases. Examples of some cellulases
include endocellulases and exo-cellulases that hydrolyze
beta-1,4-glucosidic bonds.
[0123] In one embodiment, enzymes that degrade polysaccharides are
used for the hydrolysis of biomass and can include enzymes that
have the ability to degrade hemicellulose, namely, hemicellulases.
Hemicellulose can be a major component of plant biomass and can
contain a mixture of pentoses and hexoses, for example,
D-xylopyranose, L-arabinofuranose, D-mannopyranose,
D-glucopyranose, D-galactopyranose, D-glucopyranosyluronic acid and
other saccharides. In one embodiment, enzymes that degrade
polysaccharides are used for the hydrolysis of biomass and can
include enzymes that have the ability to degrade pectin, namely,
pectinases. In plant cell walls, the cross-linked cellulose network
can be embedded in a matrix of pectins that can be covalently
cross-linked to xyloglucans and certain structural proteins. Pectin
can comprise homogalacturonan (HG) or rhamnogalacturonan (RH).
[0124] In one embodiment, hydrolysis of biomass includes enzymes
that can hydrolyze starch. Enzymes that hydrolyze starch include
alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, beta-amylase, exo-alpha-1,4-glucanase,
and pullulanase.
[0125] In one embodiment, hydrolysis of biomass comprises
hydrolases that can include enzymes that hydrolyze chitin. In
another embodiment, hydrolases can include enzymes that hydrolyze
lichen, namely, lichenase.
[0126] In one embodiment, after pretreatment and/or hydrolysis by
any of the above methods the feedstock contains cellulose,
hemicellulose, soluble oligomers, simple saccharides, lignin,
volatiles and ash. The parameters of the hydrolysis can be changed
to vary the concentration of the components of the pretreated
feedstock. For example, in one embodiment a hydrolysis is chosen so
that the concentration of soluble C5 saccharides is high and the
concentration of lignin is low after hydrolysis. Examples of
parameters of the hydrolysis include temperature, pressure, time,
concentration, composition and pH.
[0127] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and
hydrolysis are changed to vary the concentration of the components
of the pretreated feedstock such that concentration of the
components in the pretreated and hydrolyzed feedstock is optimal
for fermentation with a microbe such as a yeast or bacterium
microbe.
[0128] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment are
changed to encourage the release of the components of a genetically
modified feedstock such as enzymes stored within a vacuole to
increase or complement the enzymes synthesized by biocatalyst to
produce optimal release of the fermentable components during
hydrolysis and fermentation.
[0129] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and
hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of accessible
cellulose in the pretreated feedstock is 1%, 5%, 10%, 12%, 13%,
14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 19%, 20%, 30%, 40% or 50%. In one embodiment,
the parameters of the pretreatment are changed such that
concentration of accessible cellulose in the pretreated feedstock
is 5% to 30%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment
are changed such that concentration of accessible cellulose in the
pretreated feedstock is 10% to 20%.
[0130] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment are
changed such that concentration of hemicellulose in the pretreated
feedstock is 1%, 5%, 10%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 19%, 20%,
21%, 22%, 23%, 24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 40% or 50%. In
one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment are changed such
that concentration of hemicellulose in the pretreated feedstock is
5% to 40%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment
are changed such that concentration of hemicellulose in the
pretreated feedstock is 10% to 30%.
[0131] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and
hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of soluble oligomers
in the pretreated feedstock is 1%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%,
40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 99%.
Examples of soluble oligomers include, but are not limited to,
cellobiose and xylobiose. In one embodiment, the parameters of the
pretreatment are changed such that concentration of soluble
oligomers in the pretreated feedstock is 30% to 90%. In one
embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or hydrolysis
are changed such that concentration of soluble oligomers in the
pretreated feedstock is 45% to 80%.
[0132] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and
hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of simple
saccharides in the pretreated feedstock is 1%, 5%, 10%, 12%, 13%,
14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 19%, 20%, 30%, 40% or 50%. In one embodiment,
the parameters of the pretreatment and hydrolysis are changed such
that concentration of simple saccharides in the pretreated
feedstock is 0% to 20%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the
pretreatment and hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of
simple saccharides in the pretreated feedstock is 0% to 5%.
Examples of simple saccharides include, but are not limited to, C5
and C6 monomers and dimers.
[0133] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment are
changed such that concentration of lignin in the pretreated and/or
hydrolyzed feedstock is 1%, 5%, 10%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%,
19%, 20%, 30%, 40% or 50%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the
pretreatment and/or hydrolysis are changed such that concentration
of lignin in the pretreated feedstock is 0% to 20%. In one
embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or hydrolysis
are changed such that concentration of lignin in the pretreated
feedstock is 0% to 5%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the
pretreatment and hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of
lignin in the pretreated and/or hydrolyzed feedstock is less than
1% to 2%. In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment
and/or hydrolysis are changed such that the concentration of
phenolics is minimized.
[0134] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or
hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of furfural and low
molecular weight lignin in the pretreated and/or hydrolyzed
feedstock is less than 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, or 1%.
In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or
hydrolysis are changed such that concentration of furfural and low
molecular weight lignin in the pretreated and/or hydrolyzed
feedstock is less than 1% to 2%.
[0135] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or
hydrolysis are changed such that the concentration of simple
saccharides is at least 75% to 85%, and the concentration of lignin
is 0% to 5% and the concentration of furfural and low molecular
weight lignin in the pretreated feedstock is less than 1% to
2%.
[0136] In one embodiment, the parameters of the pretreatment and/or
hydrolysis are changed to obtain a high concentration of
hemicellulose and a low concentration of lignin. In one embodiment,
the parameters of the pretreatment and/or hydrolysis are changed to
obtain a high concentration of hemicellulose and a low
concentration of lignin such that concentration of the components
in the pretreated stock is optimal for fermentation with a microbe
such as biocatalyst.
[0137] In one embodiment, more than one of these steps can occur at
any given time. For example, hydrolysis of the pretreated feedstock
and hydrolysis of the oligosaccharides can occur simultaneously,
and one or more of these can occur simultaneously to the conversion
of monosaccharides to a fuel or chemical.
[0138] In another embodiment, an enzyme can directly convert the
polysaccharide to monosaccharides. In some instances, an enzyme can
hydrolyze the polysaccharide to oligosaccharides and the enzyme or
another enzyme can hydrolyze the oligosaccharides to
monosaccharides.
[0139] In another embodiment, the enzymes can be added to the
fermentation or they can be produced by microorganisms present in
the fermentation. In one embodiment, the microorganism present in
the fermentation produces some enzymes. In another embodiment,
enzymes are produced separately and added to the fermentation.
[0140] For the overall conversion of pretreated biomass to final
product to occur at high rates, it is generally necessary for each
of the necessary enzymes for each conversion step to be present
with sufficiently high activity. If one of these enzymes is missing
or is present in insufficient quantities, the production rate of an
end product will be reduced. The production rate can also be
reduced if the microorganisms responsible for the conversion of
monosaccharides to product only slowly take up monosaccharides
and/or have only limited capability for translocation of the
monosaccharides and intermediates produced during the conversion to
end product. Additions of fractions obtained from pretreatment
and/or pretreatment and hydrolysis can increase initial or overall
growth rates. In another embodiment, oligomers are taken up slowly
by a biocatalyst, necessitating an almost complete conversion of
polysaccharides and oligomers to monomeric saccharides.
[0141] In another embodiment, the enzymes of the method are
produced by a biocatalyst, including a range of hydrolytic enzymes
suitable for the biomass materials used in the fermentation
methods. In one embodiment, a biocatalyst is grown under conditions
appropriate to induce and/or promote production of the enzymes
needed for the saccharification of the polysaccharide present. The
production of these enzymes can occur in a separate vessel, such as
a seed fermentation vessel or other fermentation vessel, or in the
production fermentation vessel where ethanol production occurs.
When the enzymes are produced in a separate vessel, they can, for
example, be transferred to the production fermentation vessel along
with the cells, or as a relatively cell free solution liquid
containing the intercellular medium with the enzymes. When the
enzymes are produced in a separate vessel, they can also be dried
and/or purified prior to adding them to the hydrolysis or the
production fermentation vessel. The conditions appropriate for
production of the enzymes are frequently managed by growing the
cells in a medium that includes the biomass that the cells will be
expected to hydrolyze in subsequent fermentation steps. Additional
medium components, such as salt supplements, growth factors, and
cofactors including, but not limited to phytate, amino acids, and
peptides can also assist in the production of the enzymes utilized
by the microorganism in the production of the desired products.
[0142] Fermentation
[0143] The present disclosure also provides a fermentative mixture
comprising: a cellulosic feedstock pre-treated with an alkaline or
acid substance and at a temperature of from about 80.degree. C. to
about 120.degree. C.; subsequently hydrolyzed with an enzyme
mixture, and a microorganism capable of fermenting a five-carbon
saccharide and/or a six-carbon saccharide. In one embodiment, the
five-carbon saccharide is xylose, arabinose, or a combination
thereof. In one embodiment, the six-carbon saccharide is glucose,
galactose, mannose, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment,
the alkaline substance is NaOH. In some embodiments, NaOH is added
at a concentration of about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the
feedstock. In one embodiment, the acid is equal to or less than 2%
HCl or H.sub.2SO.sub.4. In one embodiment, the microorganism is a
Rhodococcus strain, a Clostridium strain, a Trichoderma strain, a
Saccharomyces strain, a Zymomonas strain, or another microorganism
suitable for fermentation of biomass. In another embodiment, the
fermentation process comprises fermentation of the biomass using a
microorganism that is Clostridium phytofermentans, Clostridium
algidixylanolyticum, Clostridium xylanolyticum, Clostridium
cellulovorans, Clostridium cellulolyticum, Clostridium
thermocellum, Clostridium josui, Clostridium papyrosolvens,
Clostridium cellobioparum, Clostridium hungatei, Clostridium
cellulosi, Clostridium stercorarium, Clostridium termitidis,
Clostridium thermocopriae, Clostridium celerecrescens, Clostridium
polysaccharolyticum, Clostridium populeti, Clostridium lentocellum,
Clostridium chartatabidum, Clostridium aldrichii, Clostridium
herbivorans, Acetivibrio cellulolyticus, Bacteroides
cellulosolvens, Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticum, Rhodococcus
opacus, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Fibrobacter
succinogenes, Eubacterium cellulosolvens, Butyrivibrio
fibrisolvens, Anaerocellum thermophilum, Halocella cellulolytica,
Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum, Sacharophagus
degradans, or Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum. In still
another embodiment, the microorganism is genetically modified to
enhance activity of one or more hydrolytic enzymes, such as a
genetically-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
[0144] In one embodiment a wild type or a genetically-improved
microorganism can be used for chemical production by fermentation.
Methods to produce a genetically-improved strain can include
genetic modification, mutagenesis, and adaptive processes, such as
directed evolution. For example, yeasts can be genetically-modified
to ferment C5 saccharides. Other useful yeasts are species of
Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Deddera, Hanseniaspora,
Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Schizosaccharomyces, and Zygosaccharomyces.
Rhodococus strains, such as Rhodococcus opacus variants are a
source of triacylglycerols and other storage lipids. (See, e.g.,
Walternann, et al., Microbiology 146:1143-1149 (2000)). Other
useful organisms for fermentation include, but are not limited to,
yeasts, especially Saccaromyces strains and bacteria such as
Clostridium phytofermentans, Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus,
Clostridium thermocellum, Clostridium beijerinickii, Clostridium
acetobutylicum, Clostridium tyrobutyricum, Clostridium
thermobutyricum, Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum,
Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus, Clostridium
acetobutylicum, Moorella ssp., Carboxydocella ssp., Zymomonas
mobilis, recombinant E. Coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Rhodococcus
opacus and Clostridium beijerickii.
[0145] An advantage of yeasts are their ability to grow under
conditions that include elevated ethanol concentration, high
saccharide concentration, low saccharide concentration, and/or
operate under anaerobic conditions. These characteristics, in
various combinations, can be used to achieve operation with long or
short fermentation cycles and can be used in combination with batch
fermentations, fed batch fermentations, self-seeding/partial
harvest fermentations, and recycle of cells from the final
fermentation as inoculum.
[0146] In one embodiment, fed-batch fermentation is performed on
the treated biomass to produce a fermentation end-product, such as
alcohol, ethanol, organic acid, succinic acid, TAG, or hydrogen. In
one embodiment, the fermentation process comprises simultaneous
hydrolysis and fermentation (SSF) of the biomass using one or more
microorganisms such as a Rhodococcus strain, a Clostridium strain,
a Trichoderma strain, a Saccharomyces strain, a Zymomonas strain,
or another microorganism suitable for fermentation of biomass. In
another embodiment, the fermentation process comprises simultaneous
hydrolysis and fermentation of the biomass using a microorganism
that is Clostridium algidixylanolyticum, Clostridium xylanolyticum,
Clostridium cellulovorans, Clostridium cellulolyticum, Clostridium
thermocellum, Clostridium josui, Clostridium papyrosolvens,
Clostridium cellobioparum, Clostridium hungatei, Clostridium
cellulosi, Clostridium stercorarium, Clostridium termitidis,
Clostridium thermocopriae, Clostridium celerecrescens, Clostridium
polysaccharolyticum, Clostridium populeti, Clostridium lentocellum,
Clostridium chartatabidum, Clostridium aldrichii, Clostridium
herbivorans, Clostridium phytofermentans, Acetivibrio
cellulolyticus, Bacteroides cellulosolvens, Caldicellulosiruptor
saccharolyticum, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens,
Fibrobacter succinogenes, Eubacterium cellulosolvens, Butyrivibrio
fibrisolvens, Anaerocellum thermophilum, Halocella cellulolytica,
Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum, Sacharophagus
degradans, or Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum.
[0147] In one embodiment, the fermentation process can include
separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) of a biomass with one or
more enzymes, such as a xylanases, endo-1,4-beta-xylanases,
xylosidases, beta-D-xylosidases, cellulases, hemicellulases,
carbohydrases, glucanases, endoglucanases,
endo-1,4-beta-glucanases, exoglucanases, glucosidases,
beta-D-glucosidases, amylases, cellobiohydrolases,
exocellobiohydrolases, phytases, proteases, peroxidase, pectate
lyases, galacturonases, or laccases. In one embodiment one or more
enzymes used to treat a biomass is thermostable. In another
embodiment a biomass is treated with one or more enzymes, such as
those provided herein, prior to fermentation. In another embodiment
a biomass is treated with one or more enzymes, such as those
provided herein, during fermentation. In another embodiment a
biomass is treated with one or more enzymes, such as those provided
herein, prior to fermentation and during fermentation. In another
embodiment an enzyme used for hydrolysis of a biomass is the same
as those added during fermentation. In another embodiment an enzyme
used for hydrolysis of biomass is different from those added during
fermentation.
[0148] In some embodiments, fermentation can be performed in an
apparatus such as bioreactor, a fermentation vessel, a stirred tank
reactor, or a fluidized bed reactor. In one embodiment the treated
biomass can be supplemented with suitable chemicals to facilitate
robust growth of the one or more fermenting organisms. In one
embodiment a useful supplement includes but is not limited to, a
source of nitrogen and/or amino acids such as yeast extract,
cysteine, or ammonium salts (e.g. nitrate, sulfate, phosphate,
etc.); a source of simple carbohydrates such as corn steep liquor,
and malt syrup; a source of vitamins such as yeast extract;
buffering agents such as salts (including but not limited to
citrate salts, phosphate salts, or carbonate salts); or mineral
nutrients such as salts of magnesium, calcium, or iron. In some
embodiments redox modifiers are added to the fermentation mixture
including but not limited to cysteine or mercaptoethanol.
[0149] In one embodiment the titer and/or productivity of
fermentation end-product production by a microorganism is improved
by culturing the microorganism in a medium comprising one or more
compounds comprising hexose and/or pentose saccharides. In one
embodiment, a process comprises conversion of a starting material
(such as a biomass) to a biofuel, such as one or more alcohols. In
one embodiment, methods of the invention comprise contacting
substrate comprising both hexose (e.g. glucose, cellobiose) and
pentose (e.g. xylose, arabinose) saccharides with a microorganism
that can hydrolyze C5 and C6 saccharides to produce ethanol. In
another embodiment, methods of the invention comprise contacting
substrate comprising both hexose (e.g. glucose, cellobiose) and
pentose (e.g. xylose, arabinose) saccharides with R. opacus to
produce TAG.
[0150] In some embodiments of the present invention, batch
fermentation with a microorganism of a mixture of hexose and
pentose saccharides using the methods of the present invention
provides uptake rates of about 0.1-8 g/L/h or more of hexose and
about 0.1-8 g/L/h or more of pentose (xylose, arabinose, etc.). In
some embodiments of the present invention, batch fermentation with
a microorganism of a mixture of hexose and pentose saccharides
using the methods of the present invention provides uptake rates of
about 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 0.7, 0.8, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 g/L/h
or more of hexose and about 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 0.7, 0.8, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, or 6 g/L/h or more of pentose.
[0151] In one embodiment, a method for production of ethanol or
another alcohol produces about 10 g/l to 120 gain 40 hours or less.
In another embodiment a method for production of ethanol produces
about 10 g/l, 11 g/L, 12 g/L, 13 g/L, 14 g/L, 15 g/L, 16 g/L, 17
g/L, 18 g/L, 19 g/L, 20 g/L, 21 g/L, 22 g/L, 23 g/L, 24 g/L, 25
g/L, 26 g/L, 27 g/L, 28 g/L, 29 g/L, 30 g/L, 31 g/L, 32 g/L, 33
g/L, 34 g/L, 35 g/L, 36 g/L, 37 g/L, 38 g/L, 39 g/L, 40 g/L, 41
g/L, 42 g/L, 43 g/L, 44 g/L, 45 g/L, 46 g/L, 47 g/L, 48 g/L, 49
g/L, 50 g/L, 51 g/L, 52 g/L, 53 g/L, 54 g/L, 55 g/L, 56 g/L, 57
g/L, 58 g/L, 59 g/L, 60 g/L, 61 g/L, 62 g/L, 63 g/L, 64 g/L, 65
g/L, 66 g/L, 67 g/L, 68 g/L, 69 g/L, 70 g/L, 71 g/L, 72 g/L, 73
g/L, 74 g/L, 75 g/L, 76 g/L, 77 g/L, 78 g/L, 79 g/L, 80 g/L, 81
g/L, 82 g/L, 83 g/L, 84 g/L, 85 g/L, 86 g/L, 87 g/L, 88 g/L, 89
g/L, 90 g/L, 91 g/L, 92 g/L, 93 g/L, 94 g/L, 95 g/L, 96 g/L, 97
g/L, 98 g/L, 99 g/L, 100 g/L, 110 g/l, 120 g/l, or more alcohol in
40 hours by the fermentation of biomass. In another embodiment,
alcohol is produced by a method comprising simultaneous
fermentation of hexose and pentose saccharides. In another
embodiment, alcohol is produced by a microorganism comprising
simultaneous fermentation of hexose and pentose saccharides.
[0152] In another embodiment, the level of a medium component is
maintained at a desired level by adding additional medium component
as the component is consumed or taken up by the organism. Examples
of medium components included, but are not limited to, carbon
substrate, nitrogen substrate, vitamins, minerals, growth factors,
cofactors, and biocatalysts. The medium component can be added
continuously or at regular or irregular intervals. In one
embodiment, additional medium component is added prior to the
complete depletion of the medium component in the medium. In one
embodiment, complete depletion can effectively be used, for example
to initiate different metabolic pathways, to simplify downstream
operations, or for other reasons as well. In one embodiment, the
medium component level is allowed to vary by about 10% around a
midpoint, in one embodiment, it is allowed to vary by about 30%
around a midpoint, and in one embodiment, it is allowed to vary by
60% or more around a midpoint. In one embodiment, the medium
component level is maintained by allowing the medium component to
be depleted to an appropriate level, followed by increasing the
medium component level to another appropriate level. In one
embodiment, a medium component, such as vitamin, is added at two
different time points during fermentation process. For example,
one-half of a total amount of vitamin is added at the beginning of
fermentation and the other half is added at midpoint of
fermentation.
[0153] In another embodiment, the nitrogen level is maintained at a
desired level by adding additional nitrogen-containing material as
nitrogen is consumed or taken up by the organism. The
nitrogen-containing material can be added continuously or at
regular or irregular intervals. Useful nitrogen levels include
levels of about 5 to about 10 g/L. In one embodiment levels of
about Ito about 12 g/L can also be usefully employed. In another
embodiment levels, such as about 0.5, 0.1 g/L or even lower, and
higher levels, such as about 20, 30 g/L or even higher are used. In
another embodiment a useful nitrogen level is about 0.01, 0.05,
0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30 g/L. Nitrogen can be supplied as a simple
nitrogen-containing material, such as an ammonium compounds (e.g.
ammonium sulfate, ammonium hydroxide, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, or
any other compound or mixture containing an ammonium moiety),
nitrate or nitrite compounds (e.g. potassium, sodium, ammonium,
calcium, or other compound or mixture containing a nitrate or
nitrite moiety), or as a more complex nitrogen-containing material,
such as amino acids, proteins, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed
yeast, yeast extract, dried brewer's yeast, yeast hydrolysates,
distillers' grains, soy protein, hydrolyzed soy protein,
fermentation products, and processed or corn steep powder or
unprocessed protein-rich vegetable or animal matter, including
those derived from bean, seeds, soy, legumes, nuts, milk, pig,
cattle, mammal, fish, as well as other parts of plants and other
types of animals. Nitrogen-containing materials useful in various
embodiments also include materials that contain a
nitrogen-containing material, including, but not limited to
mixtures of a simple or more complex nitrogen-containing material
mixed with a carbon source, another nitrogen-containing material,
or other nutrients or non-nutrients, and AFEX treated plant
matter.
[0154] In another embodiment, the carbon level is maintained at a
desired level by adding saccharide compounds or material containing
saccharide compounds ("saccharide-containing material") as
saccharide is consumed or taken up by the organism. The
saccharide-containing material can be added continuously or at
regular or irregular intervals. In one embodiment, additional
saccharide-containing material is added prior to the complete
depletion of the saccharide compounds available in the medium. In
one embodiment, complete depletion can effectively be used, for
example to initiate different metabolic pathways, to simplify
downstream operations, or for other reasons as well. In one
embodiment, the carbon level (as measured by the grams of
saccharide present in the saccharide-containing material per liter
of broth) is allowed to vary by about 10% around a midpoint, in one
embodiment, it is allowed to vary by about 30% around a midpoint,
and in one embodiment, it is allowed to vary by 60% or more around
a midpoint. In one embodiment, the carbon level is maintained by
allowing the carbon to be depleted to an appropriate level,
followed by increasing the carbon level to another appropriate
level. In some embodiments, the carbon level can be maintained at a
level of about 5 to about 120 g/L. However, levels of about 30 to
about 100 g/L can also be usefully employed as well as levels of
about 60 to about 80 g/L. In one embodiment, the carbon level is
maintained at greater than 25 g/L for a portion of the culturing.
In another embodiment, the carbon level is maintained at about 5
g/L, 6 g/L, 7 g/L, 8 g/L, 9 g/L, 10 g/L, 11 g/L, 12 g/L, 13 g/L, 14
g/L, 15 g/L, 16 g/L, 17 g/L, 18 g/L, 19 g/L, 20 g/L, 21 g/L, 22
g/L, 23 g/L, 24 g/L, 25 g/L, 26 g/L, 27 g/L, 28 g/L, 29 g/L, 30
g/L, 31 g/L, 32 g/L, 33 g/L, 34 g/L, 35 g/L, 36 g/L, 37 g/L, 38
g/L, 39 g/L, 40 g/L, 41 g/L, 42 g/L, 43 g/L, 44 g/L, 45 g/L, 46
g/L, 47 g/L, 48 g/L, 49 g/L, 50 g/L, 51 g/L, 52 g/L, 53 g/L, 54
g/L, 55 g/L, 56 g/L, 57 g/L, 58 g/L, 59 g/L, 60 g/L, 61 g/L, 62
g/L, 63 g/L, 64 g/L, 65 g/L, 66 g/L, 67 g/L, 68 g/L, 69 g/L, 70
g/L, 71 g/L, 72 g/L, 73 g/L, 74 g/L, 75 g/L, 76 g/L, 77 g/L, 78
g/L, 79 g/L, 80 g/L, 81 g/L, 82 g/L, 83 g/L, 84 g/L, 85 g/L, 86
g/L, 87 g/L, 88 g/L, 89 g/L, 90 g/L, 91 g/L, 92 g/L, 93 g/L, 94
g/L, 95 g/L, 96 g/L, 97 g/L, 98 g/L, 99 g/L, 100 g/L, 101 g/L, 102
g/L, 103 g/L, 104 g/L, 105 g/L, 106 g/L, 107 g/L, 108 g/L, 109 g/L,
110 g/L, 111 g/L, 112 g/L, 113 g/L, 114 g/L, 115 g/L, 116 g/L, 117
g/L, 118 g/L, 119 g/L, 120 g/L, 121 g/L, 122 g/L, 123 g/L, 124 g/L,
125 g/L, 126 g/L, 127 g/L, 128 g/L, 129 g/L, 130 g/L, 131 g/L, 132
g/L, 133 g/L, 134 g/L, 135 g/L, 136 g/L, 137 g/L, 138 g/L, 139 g/L,
140 g/L, 141 g/L, 142 g/L, 143 g/L, 144 g/L, 145 g/L, 146 g/L, 147
g/L, 148 g/L, 149 g/L, or 150 g/L.
[0155] The carbon substrate, like the nitrogen substrate, is
necessary for cell production and enzyme production, but unlike the
nitrogen substrate, it serves as the raw material for production of
end products. Frequently, more carbon substrate can lead to greater
production of end products. In another embodiment, it can be
advantageous to operate with the carbon level and nitrogen level
related to each other for at least a portion of the fermentation
time. In one embodiment, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen is
maintained within a range of about 30:1 to about 10:1. In another
embodiment, the ratio of carbon nitrogen is maintained from about
20:1 to about 10:1 or more preferably from about 15:1 to about
10:1. In another embodiment the ratio of carbon nitrogen is about
30:1, 29:1, 28:1, 27:1, 26:1, 25:1, 24:1, 23:1, 22:1, 21:1, 20:1,
19:1, 18:1, 17:1, 16:1, 15:1, 14:1, 13:1, 12:1, 11:1, 10:1, 9:1,
8:1, 7:1, 6:1, 5:1, 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, or 1:1.
[0156] Maintaining the ratio of carbon and nitrogen ratio within
particular ranges can result in benefits to the operation such as
the rate of metabolism of carbon substrate, which depends on the
amount of carbon substrate and the amount and activity of enzymes
present, being balanced to the rate of end product production.
Balancing the carbon to nitrogen ratio can, for example, facilitate
the sustained production of these enzymes such as to replace those
which have lost activity.
[0157] In another embodiment, the amount and/or timing of carbon,
nitrogen, or other medium component addition can be related to
measurements taken during the fermentation. For example, the amount
of monosaccharides present, the amount of insoluble polysaccharide
present, the polysaccharase activity, the amount of product
present, the amount of cellular material (for example, packed cell
volume, dry cell weight, etc.) and/or the amount of nitrogen (for
example, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, urea, proteins, amino acids,
etc.) present can be measured. The concentration of the particular
species, the total amount of the species present in the fermentor,
the number of hours the fermentation has been running, and the
volume of the fermentor can be considered. In various embodiments,
these measurements can be compared to each other and/or they can be
compared to previous measurements of the same parameter previously
taken from the same fermentation or another fermentation.
Adjustments to the amount of a medium component can be accomplished
such as by changing the flow rate of a stream containing that
component or by changing the frequency of the additions for that
component. For example, the amount of saccharide can be increased
when the cell production increases faster than the end product
production. In another embodiment the amount of nitrogen can be
increased when the enzyme activity level decreases.
[0158] In another embodiment, a fed batch operation can be
employed, wherein medium components and/or fresh cells are added
during the fermentation without removal of a portion of the broth
for harvest prior to the end of the fermentation. In one embodiment
a fed-batch process is based on feeding a growth limiting nutrient
medium to a culture of microorganisms. In one embodiment the feed
medium is highly concentrated to avoid dilution of the bioreactor.
In another embodiment the controlled addition of the nutrient
directly affects the growth rate of the culture and avoids overflow
metabolism such as the formation of side metabolites. In one
embodiment the growth limiting nutrient is a nitrogen source or a
saccharide source.
[0159] In various embodiments, particular medium components can
have beneficial effects on the performance of the fermentation,
such as increasing the titer of desired products, or increasing the
rate that the desired products are produced. Specific compounds can
be supplied as a specific, pure ingredient, such as a particular
amino acid, or it can be supplied as a component of a more complex
ingredient, such as using a microbial, plant or animal product as a
medium ingredient to provide a particular amino acid, promoter,
cofactor, or other beneficial compound. In some cases, the
particular compound supplied in the medium ingredient can be
combined with other compounds by the organism resulting in a
fermentation-beneficial compound. One example of this situation
would be where a medium ingredient provides a specific amino acid
which the organism uses to make an enzyme beneficial to the
fermentation. Other examples can include medium components that are
used to generate growth or product promoters, etc. In such cases,
it can be possible to obtain a fermentation-beneficial result by
supplementing the enzyme, promoter, growth factor, etc. or by
adding the precursor. In some situations, the specific mechanism
whereby the medium component benefits the fermentation is not
known, only that a beneficial result is achieved.
[0160] In one embodiment, a fermentation to produce a fuel is
performed by culturing a strain of R. opacus in a medium having a
supplement of lignin component and a concentration of one or more
carbon sources. The resulting production of end product such as TAG
can be up to 1-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, 5-fold, 6-fold,
7-fold, 8-fold, 9-fold, and in some cases up to 10-fold and higher
in volumetric productivity than a process using only the addition
of a relatively pure saccharide source, and can achieve a carbon
conversion efficiency approaching the theoretical maximum. The
theoretical maximum can vary with the substrate and product. For
example, the generally accepted maximum efficiency for conversion
of glucose to ethanol is 0.51 g ethanol/g glucose. In one
embodiment a biocatalyst can produce about 40-100% of a theoretical
maximum yield of ethanol. In another embodiment, a biocatalyst can
produce up to about 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% and even 100%
of the theoretical maximum yield of ethanol. In one embodiment a
biocatalyst can produce up to about 1% 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%,
9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, 21%,
22%, 23%, 24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 31%, 32%, 33%, 34%,
35%, 36%, 37%, 38%, 39%, 40%, 41%, 42%, 43%, 44%, 45%, 46%, 47%,
48%, 49%, 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%,
61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%,
74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%,
87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%,
99.99%, or 100% of a theoretical maximum yield of a fuel. It can be
possible to obtain a fermentation-beneficial result by
supplementing the medium with a pretreatment or hydrolysis
component. In some situations, the specific mechanism whereby the
medium component benefits the fermentation is not known, only that
a beneficial result is achieved.
[0161] Various embodiments offer benefits relating to improving the
titer and/or productivity of fermentation end-product production by
a biocatalyst by culturing the organism in a medium comprising one
or more compounds comprising particular fatty acid moieties and/or
culturing the organism under conditions of controlled pH.
[0162] In one embodiment, the pH of the medium is controlled at
less than about pH 7.2 for at least a portion of the fermentation.
In one embodiment, the pH is controlled within a range of about pH
3.0 to about 7.1 or about pH 4.5 to about 7.1, or about pH 5.0 to
about 6.3, or about pH 5.5 to about 6.3, or about pH 6.0 to about
6.5, or about pH 5.5 to about 6.9 or about pH 6.2 to about 6.7. The
pH can be controlled by the addition of a pH modifier. In one
embodiment, a pH modifier is an acid, a base, a buffer, or a
material that reacts with other materials present to serve to raise
of lower the pH. In one embodiment, more than one pH modifier can
be used, such as more than one acid, more than one base, one or
more acid with one or more bases, one or more acids with one or
more buffers, one or more bases with one or more buffers, or one or
more acids with one or more bases with one or more buffers. When
more than one pH modifiers are utilized, they can be added at the
same time or at different times. In one embodiment, one or more
acids and one or more bases can be combined, resulting in a buffer.
In one embodiment, media components, such as a carbon source or a
nitrogen source can also serve as a pH modifier; suitable media
components include those with high or low pH or those with
buffering capacity. Exemplary media components include acid- or
base-hydrolyzed plant polysaccharides having with residual acid or
base, AFEX treated plant material with residual ammonia, lactic
acid, corn steep solids or liquor.
[0163] In one embodiment, a constant pH can be utilized throughout
the fermentation. In one embodiment, the timing and/or amount of pH
reduction can be related to the growth conditions of the cells,
such as in relation to the cell count, the end product produced,
the end product present, or the rate of end product production. In
one embodiment, the pH reduction can be made in relation to
physical or chemical properties of the fermentation, such as
viscosity, medium composition, gas production, off gas composition,
etc.
[0164] Recovery of Fermentive End Products
[0165] In another aspect, methods are provided for the recovery of
the fermentive end products, such as an alcohol (e.g. ethanol,
propanol, methanol, butanol, etc.) another biofuel or chemical
product. In one embodiment, broth will be harvested at some point
during of the fermentation, and fermentive end product or products
will be recovered. The broth with end product to be recovered will
include both end product and impurities. The impurities include
materials such as water, cell bodies, cellular debris, excess
carbon substrate, excess nitrogen substrate, other remaining
nutrients, other metabolites, and other medium components or
digested medium components. During the course of processing the
broth, the broth can be heated and/or reacted with various
reagents, resulting in additional impurities in the broth.
[0166] In one embodiment, the processing steps to recover end
product frequently includes several separation steps, including,
for example, distillation of a high concentration alcohol material
from a less pure alcohol-containing material. In one embodiment,
the high concentration ethanol material can be further concentrated
to achieve very high concentration alcohol, such as 98% or 99% or
99.5% (wt.) or even higher. Other separation steps, such as
filtration, centrifugation, extraction, adsorption, etc. can also
be a part of some recovery processes for alcohol as a product or
biofuel, or other biofuels or chemical products.
[0167] In one embodiment a process can be scaled to produce
commercially useful biofuels. In another embodiment biocatalyst is
used to produce an alcohol, e.g., ethanol, butanol, propanol,
methanol, or a fuel such as hydrocarbons hydrogen, TAG, and hydroxy
compounds. In another embodiment biocatalyst is used to produce a
carbonyl compound such as an aldehyde or ketone (e.g. acetone,
formaldehyde, 1-propanal, etc.), an organic acid, a derivative of
an organic acid such as an ester (e.g. wax ester, glyceride, etc.),
1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, lactic acid, formic acid, acetic
acid, succinic acid, pyruvic acid, or an enzyme such as a
cellulase, polysaccharase, lipases, protease, ligninase, and
hemicellulase.
[0168] TAG biosynthesis is widely distributed in nature and the
occurrence of TAG as reserve compounds is widespread among plants,
animals, yeast and fungi. In contrast, however, TAGs have not been
regarded as common storage compounds in bacteria. Biosynthesis and
accumulation of TAGs have been described only for a few bacteria
belonging to the actinomycetes group, such as genera of
Streptomyces, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium, Dietzia and
Gordonia, and, to a minor extent, also in a few other bacteria,
such as Acinetobacter baylyi and Alcanivorax borkumensis. Since the
mid-1990's, TAG production in hydrocarbon-degrading strains of
those genera has been frequently reported. TAGs are stored in
spherical lipid bodies as intracellular inclusions, with the
amounts depending on the respective species, cultural conditions
and growth phase. Commonly, the important factor for the production
of TAGs is the amount of nitrogen that is supplied to the culture
medium. The excess carbon, which is available to the culture after
nitrogen exhaustion, continues to be assimilated by the cells and,
by virtue of oleaginous bacteria possessing the requisite enzymes,
is converted directly into lipid. The compositions and structures
of bacterial TAG molecules vary considerably depending on the
bacterium and on the cultural conditions, especially the carbon
sources. See, Brigham C J, et al. (2011) J Microbial Biochem
Technol S3:002.
[0169] In one embodiment, useful biochemicals can be produced from
non-food plant biomass, with a steam or hot-water extraction
technique that is carried out by contacting a charge of non-food
plant pretreated biomass material such as corn stover or sorghum
with water and/or acid (with or without additional process
enhancing compounds or materials), in a pressurized vessel at an
elevated temperature up to about 160-220.degree. C. and at a pH
below about 7.0, to yield an aqueous (extract solution) mixture of
useful saccharides including long-chain saccharides (saccharides),
acetic acid, and lignin, while leaving the structural (cellulose
and lignin) portion of the lignocellulosic material largely intact.
In combination, these potential inhibitory chemicals especially
saccharide degradation products are low, and the plant derived
nutrients that are naturally occurring lignocellulosic-based
components are also recovered that are beneficial to a C5 and C6
fermenting organism. Toward this objective, the aqueous extract is
concentrated (by centrifugation, filtration, solvent extraction,
flocculation, evaporation), by producing a concentrated saccharide
stream, apart from the other hemicellulose (C5 rich) and cellulosic
derived saccharides (C6 rich) which are channeled into a
fermentable stream.
[0170] In another embodiment, following enzyme/acid hydrolysis,
additional chemical compounds that are released are recovered with
the saccharide stream resulting in a short-chain saccharide
solution containing xylose, mannose, arabinose, rhamnose,
galactose, and glucose (5 and 6-carbon saccharides). The saccharide
stream, now significantly rich in C5 and C6 substances can be
converted by microbial fermentation or chemical catalysis into such
products as triacylglycerol or TAG and further refined to produce
stream rich in JP8 or jet fuels. If C5 saccharide percentage
correction has not been performed, it can be performed before
fermentation to satisfy desired combination of C5 and C6
saccharides for the fermentation organism and corresponding end
product.
[0171] Biofuel Plant and Process of Producing Biofuel:
[0172] Generally, there are several basic approaches to producing
fuels and chemical end-products from biomass on a large scale
utilizing of microbial cells. In the one method, one first
pretreats and hydrolyzes a biomass material that includes high
molecular weight carbohydrates to lower molecular weight
carbohydrates, and then ferments the lower molecular weight
carbohydrates utilizing of microbial cells to produce fuel or other
products. In the second method, one treats the biomass material
itself using mechanical, chemical and/or enzymatic methods. In all
methods, depending on the type of biomass and its physical
manifestation, one of the processes can comprise a milling of the
carbonaceous material, via wet or dry milling, to reduce the
material in size and increase the surface to volume ratio (physical
modification).
[0173] In one embodiment, hydrolysis can be accomplished using
acids, e.g., Bronsted acids (e.g., sulfuric or hydrochloric acid),
bases, e.g., sodium hydroxide, hydrothermal processes, ammonia
fiber explosion processes ("AFEX"), lime processes, enzymes, or
combination of these. Hydrogen, and other end products of the
fermentation can be captured and purified if desired, or disposed
of, e.g., by burning. For example, the hydrogen gas can be flared,
or used as an energy source in the process, e.g., to drive a steam
boiler, e.g., by burning. Hydrolysis and/or steam treatment of the
biomass can, e.g., increase porosity and/or surface area of the
biomass, often leaving the cellulosic materials more exposed to the
biocatalyst cells, which can increase fermentation rate and yield.
Removal of lignin can, e.g., provide a combustible fuel for driving
a boiler, and can also, e.g., increase porosity and/or surface area
of the biomass, often increasing fermentation rate and yield.
Generally, in any of the these embodiments, the initial
concentration of the carbohydrates in the medium is greater than 20
mM, e.g., greater than 30 mM, 50 mM, 75 mM, 100 mM, 150 mM, 200 mM,
or even greater than 500 mM.
[0174] Biomass Processing Plant and Process of Producing Products
from Biomass
[0175] In one aspect, a fuel or chemical plant that includes a
pretreatment unit to prepare biomass for improved exposure and
biopolymer separation, a hydrolysis unit configured to hydrolyze a
biomass material that includes a high molecular weight
carbohydrate, and one or more product recovery system(s) to isolate
a product or products and associated by-products and co-products is
provided. In another aspect, methods of purifying lower molecular
weight carbohydrate from solid byproducts and/or toxic impurities
is provided.
[0176] In another aspect, methods of making a product or products
that include combining biocatalyst cells of a microorganism and a
biomass feed in a medium wherein the biomass feed contains lower
molecular weight carbohydrates and unseparated solids and/or other
liquids from pretreatment and hydrolysis, and fermenting the
biomass material under conditions and for a time sufficient to
produce a biofuel, chemical product or fermentive end-products,
e.g. ethanol, propanol, hydrogen, succinic acid, lignin,
terpenoids, and the like as described above, is provided.
[0177] In another aspect, products made by any of the processes
described herein is also provided herein.
[0178] FIG. 9 is an example of a method for producing chemical
products from biomass by a first mechanical treatment that consists
of one or more steps, depending on the condition of the biomass
feedstock. In a first step, debris is removed by sifting, sorting,
or other means to remove non-carbohydrate containing material. In
another step, the feedstock is chopped, shredded, ground or
otherwise reduced in size. This process can include dry processing
or wet processing. If wet processing occurs, the feedstock can be
swollen with steam or hot water and pressure applied to soften or
swell the fibers in the material. The material can then be ground
to very small size particles. If the feedstock is woody, it is
expected that the majority of the processing will be chopping. If a
more malleable feedstock is present, grinding, vortexing, or even
just hot water and pressure can be all that is necessary. It is
expected that the biomass is reduced in size to a fine powder or
sludge (if wet) for further processing, if necessary, prior to
further pretreatment to produce more accessible cellulose and
hemicellulose prior to enzymatic hydrolysis of these polymers.
[0179] Biomass is then treated with an acid at elevated temperature
and pressure in a hydrolysis unit. The biomass may first be heated
by addition of hot water or steam. The biomass may be acidified by
bubbling gaseous sulfur dioxide through the biomass that is
suspended in water, or by adding a strong acid, e.g., sulfuric,
hydrochloric, or nitric acid with or without
preheating/presteaming/water addition. During the acidification,
the pH is maintained at a low level, e.g., below about 5. The
temperature and pressure may be elevated after acid addition. In
addition to the acid already in the acidification unit, optionally,
a metal salt such as ferrous sulfate, ferric sulfate, ferric
chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, magnesium sulfate,
or mixtures of these can be added to aid in the acid hydrolysis of
the biomass. The acid-impregnated biomass is fed into the
hydrolysis section of the pretreatment unit. Steam is injected into
the hydrolysis portion of the pretreatment unit to directly contact
and heat the biomass to the desired temperature. The temperature of
the biomass after steam addition is, e.g., between about
130.degree. C. and 220.degree. C. The acid hydrolysate is then
discharged into the flash tank portion of the pretreatment unit,
and is held in the tank for a period of time to further hydrolyze
the biomass, e.g., into oligosaccharides and monomeric saccharides.
Other methods can also be used to further break down biomass.
Alternatively, the biomass can be subject to discharge through a
pressure lock for any high-pressure pretreatment process.
Hydrolysate is then discharged from the pretreatment reactor, with
or without the addition of water, e.g., at solids concentrations
between about 10% and 60%.
[0180] After pretreatment, the biomass may be dewatered and/or
washed with a quantity of water, e.g. by squeezing or by
centrifugation, or by filtration using, e.g. a countercurrent
extractor, wash press, filter press, pressure filter, a screw
conveyor extractor, or a vacuum belt extractor to remove acidified
fluid. Wash fluids can be collected to concentrate the C5
saccharides in the wash stream. The acidified fluid, with or
without further treatment, e.g. addition of alkali (e.g. lime) and
or ammonia (e.g. ammonium phosphate), can be re-used, e.g., in the
acidification portion of the pretreatment unit, or added to the
fermentation, or collected for other use/treatment. Products may be
derived from treatment of the acidified fluid, e.g., gypsum or
ammonium phosphate. Enzymes or a mixture of enzymes can be added
during pretreatment to hydrolyze, e.g. endoglucanases,
exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases (CBH), beta-glucosidases,
glycoside hydrolases, glycosyltransferases, alphyamylases,
chitinases, pectinases, lyases, and esterases active against
components of cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin, and starch, in the
hydrolysis of high molecular weight components.
[0181] One aspect of this invention is the reduction in size and
uniformity of biomass particles, whether a single feedstock or
mixed feedstocks are used. Without being limited by theory, it is
believed that an unexpected increase in the conversion of the
feedstock to fermentable saccharides is achieved if the size of any
feedstock fed to the enzyme hydrolysis reactor is small and
uniform, as long as sufficient enzyme is present for hydrolysis of
the feedstock. If the cellulosic feedstock that is fed to a hot
water, acid, or steam explosion reactor is not uniform and cannot
be uniformly treated, then a smaller percentage of the available
sites of the feedstock are activated and/or hydrolyzed than would
be expected. Further, it is difficult to mix larger-sized particles
and process a batch of heterogeneous material so that heat and
moisture is evenly distributed; thus resulting in an uneven
autohydrolysis reaction. Even transfer of heat, chemicals, and
moisture results in reduced processing time, less release of
inhibitors, and improved release of hemicellulose and cellulose,
especially microcrystalline cellulose. If the temperature in parts
of the processing feedstock are too high, then some percentage of
the hemicellulose saccharides are degraded to inhibitory compounds.
Further, even heat prevents charring of the material that can lead
to significant losses in saccharides. This also prevents
undercooking which can lead to unhydrolyzed cellulose during enzyme
hydrolysis.
[0182] Feedstocks pretreated under any of the conditions described
above, which are reduced to a uniform size of less than 10 mm, 7.5
mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, 1.5 mm, or 1 mm in size (e.g., diameter or
length, are then hydrolyzed with enzymes to reduce the carbohydrate
polymers to disaccharides or monomeric saccharides. In one
embodiment, the particle size is reduced wherein approximately all
of the particles are 1.5, 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, 1.1, 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7,
0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2 or 0.1 mm in diameter (or length). In one
embodiment wherein isolated enzymes are used, the standard addition
or "normal load" is 5% (5 kg)/per 100 kg of the feedstock solids
wherein the solids are at 1-25% w/v. The enzymes can be any
combination of cellulases, hemicellulases, amylases, lipases,
chitinases, pectinases, etc., depending on the combination and kind
of polymers in the solids mix. In another embodiment of this
invention, wherein the particle size of the feedstock is uniformly
reduced to a size of less than 10 mm, 7.5 mm, 5 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm,
1.5 mm, or 1 mm in size (e.g., diameter or length), the enzyme
addition can be reduced to 20% (1.0 kg per 100 kg solids), 25%
(1.25 kg per 100 kg solids), 30% (1.5 kg per 100 kg solids), 35%
(1.75 kg per 100 kg solids), 40% (2.0 kg per 100 kg solids), 45%
(2.25 kg per 100 kg solids), 50% (2.50 kg per 100 kg solids), 55%
(2.75 kg per 100 kg solids), 60% (3.0 kg per 100 kg solids), 65%
(3.25 kg per 100 kg solids), 70% (3.5 kg per 100 kg solids), 75%
(3.75 kg per 100 kg solids), 80 (4.0 kg per 100 kg solids), 85%
(4.25 kg per 100 kg solids), or 90% (4.5 kg per 100 kg solids) of a
normal load. Preferably, the total enzyme addition is 1% (1 kg) per
100 kg solids for particles less than 1 mm in diameter or
length.
[0183] The commercial viability of a hydrolysis process is
dependent on the character of the feedstock provided to the
hydrolysis unit. If such an activated feedstock is provided to an
enzymatic hydrolysis unit, then at least 60%, preferably more than
75% and more preferably over 90% of the cellulose and
hemicelluloses may be converted to monomeric saccharides. This
saccharide rich process stream may subsequently be subjected to
fermentation to produce an alcohol stream. The alcohol stream from
the fermentation stage (e.g., the raw alcohol stream) may have an
alcohol content of about 3-22% v/v, preferably about 5-15% and more
preferably more about 8-12%.
[0184] In another embodiment, a combination of isolated enzymes and
a microorganism that produces carbohydrate polymerases can be used
to hydrolyze the polymers in an SSF reaction whereby the
microorganism's enzymatic metabolism is supplemented by the
addition of enzymes. In one embodiment, the additional enzymes are
primarily hemicellulases and the microorganism is able to produce
C6 monomeric saccharides or oligomers from polymers. An example
would be yeasts, C. thermocellum, or C. beijerinckii, and the
product produced from the saccharides is an alcohol, such as
ethanol or butanol. In another embodiment, the microorganism is a
C5/C6 hydrolyzing microorganism, such as C. phytofermentans and the
addition of other enzymes speeds up the fermentation process. In
either type of process, the additional enzymes can be added prior
to microorganism in an SHF process or simultaneously with the
microorganism (SSF), or in a "fed-batch" type process wherein the
exogenous enzyme is added partially before or through the
fermentation process with a microorganism. The reduced particle
size can assist such microorganisms in accessibility of,
[0185] not only the exogenous enzyme which amount can be reduced,
but in making the carbohydrate polymers more available to the
endogenously-produced enzymes of the microorganism.
[0186] Examples of such organisms, in addition to those described
supra, Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum, Thermoanaerobacter
ethanolicus, Theroanaerobium brockii, T reesei, Aspergilus sp.,
Rhizopus sp., Zygmitis sp., Trichosporon cutaneum, R. albus, B.
succinogenes, B. fibrisolvens, R. flavefaciens, E. cellulosolvens,
C. cellobioparum, Chlorella sp., and the like. Also, recombinant
cellulolytic or xylanolytic microorganisms have been developed by
expressing heterologous cellulases or hemicellulases, such as S.
cerevisiae, Z. mobilis, E. coli, K. marxianus, A. aculeatus,
Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum, Pichia stipitis, H.
polymorpha, Klebsiella oxytoca, R. opacus, and the like. Further,
there are examples of amylolytic microorganisms that can benefit
from the addition of exogenous enzymes to make starch more
accessible. In one embodiment, examples of amylolytic yeasts and
bacteria are Saccharomyces castelli, S. diastaticus, Edomycopsis
filbuligera, C. thermohydrosulfuricum.
[0187] In another embodiment, it would be understood by those of
skill in the art that the microorganism enzymes are more efficient
in such processes as those described supra since the small particle
size benefits the microorganism's enzyme. The same advantages of
uniform small particle size and access to hemicellulose and
cellulose fractions would apply to any enzyme, whether enmeshed in
a cellulosome or extracellular docking type molecules. The reduced
inhibitor fraction and additional available microcrystalline
cellulose can reduce lag periods of initial growth.
[0188] A fermenter, attached or at a separate site, can be fed with
hydrolyzed biomass, any liquid fraction from biomass pretreatment,
an active seed culture of a biocatalyst, such as a yeast, if
desired a co-fermenting microbe, e.g., another yeast or E. coli,
and, if required, nutrients to promote growth of the biocatalyst or
other microbes. Alternatively, the pretreated biomass or liquid
fraction can be split into multiple fermenters, each containing a
different strain of a biocatalyst and/or other microbes, and each
operating under specific physical conditions. Fermentation is
allowed to proceed for a period of time, e.g., between about 1 and
150 hours, while maintaining a temperature of, e.g., between about
25.degree. C. and 50.degree. C. Gas produced during the
fermentation is swept from fermentor and is discharged, collected,
or flared with or without additional processing, e.g. hydrogen gas
may be collected and used as a power source or purified as a
co-product.
[0189] In another aspect, methods of making a fuel or fuels that
include combining one or more biocatalyst and a lignocellulosic
material (and/or other biomass material) in a medium, adding a
lignin fraction from pretreatment, and fermenting the
lignocellulosic material under conditions and for a time sufficient
to produce a fuel or fuels, e.g., ethanol, propanol and/or hydrogen
or another chemical compound is provided herein.
[0190] In another aspect, the products made by any of the processes
described herein is provided.
EXAMPLES
[0191] The following examples serve to illustrate certain
embodiments and aspects and are not to be construed as limiting the
scope thereof.
Example 1
Pretreatment of Corn Stover and Wheat Straw
[0192] This is a direct comparison of saccharification yields
between pretreated biomass compositions comprising larger and
heterogeneous lignocellulosic biomass particles (solids A) and
small, homogeneous biomass particles (solids B).
[0193] Solids A is wheat straw that was ground using standard
milling techniques to produce particles sizes of 0.5 to 2.5 cm in
length with about a 1 mm thickness. These solids were soaked for 16
hours at about 35% total solids in water containing 1% v/w sulfuric
acid based on the dry weight of the solids. The acid soaked
material (pH about 2.9) was then charged to a pressurized steam
explosion batch reactor where they were held at a temperature of
about 200.degree. C. and a pressure of 231 psig for 7.5 minutes
before explosive pressure release.
[0194] Solids B is wheat straw that was pretreated according to the
methods disclosed herein. Briefly, the wheat straw was hydrated in
water containing 1.8% v/w sulfuric acid based on dry biomass weight
for 15-20 minutes at about 50.degree. C. The hydrated material was
then cut by rotating blades and dewatered to a solids content of
about 30% by dry biomass weight. The dewatered solids were then
simultaneously injected with steam and cut by a second set of
rotating blades to produce solid particles less than 1.5 mm in
size. The small, homogenous particles were maintained at a
temperature of about 160.degree. C. to 180.degree. C. and a
pressure of about 135 psig for about 10 minutes before explosive
pressure release.
[0195] The water content of both the Solids A and Solids B samples
were determined and adjusted to a solids content of about 8% (w/v)
solids (moisture content of about 85% (w/v) using a 24 hour soaking
treatment. Other samples were adjusted to a solids content of 8%,
or 10% solids.
[0196] Table 1 shows the percent cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin
and other components of corn stover and wheat straw.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 % Composition Corn Stover Wheat Straw
Cellulose-C6 49.4 38.0 Hemicellulose Xylan-C5 22.9 23.3 Lignin 20.6
21 Others 7.1 13.4
Example 2
Saccharification
[0197] The hemicellulase and cellulase enzymes used were provided
by Novozymes (Novozymes A/S, Krogshoejvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd
Denmark). When referring to an enzyme dosage (e.g., 1.times. or 5%
based on dry solids (v/w)) it means that the enzymes were blended
together to total 5% based on dry solids. All Samples were analyzed
using HPLC and a Bio-Rad HPX-87H Aminex column.
[0198] Standard National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
procedures were used to determine the theoretical yields of C6 and
C5 saccharides by HPLC, including lignin and extractives. See A
Sluiter, et al., Determination of Structural Carbohydrates and
Lignin in Biomass (NREL, revised June 2010), which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety. Briefly, a 72% sulfuric
acid hydrolysis is performed on the input, dried biomass solids.
The results from the 72% acid hydrolysis indicate the total
carbohydrate content of the dried biomass solids. This is
considered the theoretical maximum amount of sugars. The amount of
sugars released, as measured by HPLC, is then compared to the
theoretical maximum of sugars that can be released from a given
mass of starting solids.
[0199] Tables 2 and 3 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material. Both solid sets were adjusted to 8% solids (w/v)
and hydrolyzed using 1.times. the standard enzyme dosage (5%
loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables show the
percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the total
theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass.
[0200] Before enzymatic hydrolysis, Solids B contained an 87.42%
theoretical yield of xylose. In comparison, Solids A did not
contain any xylose. After only 21 hr, the conversion rates for
cellulose and xylan are surprisingly superior for Solids B (e.g.,
after particle size reduction and in homogeneous material). The
xylose saccharide stream is also more transparent in appearance,
indicating the reduction in inhibitors.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 "A" % Conversion - 8% Solids 1x Enzymes Time
(in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 79.94 89.62 92.88 Xylose 0.00
86.87 97.63 103.79
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 "B" % Conversion - 8% Solids 1x Enzymes Time
(in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 91.78 98.39 98.47 Xylose 87.42
93.06 100.71 102.39
[0201] Tables 4 and 5 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material wherein both solid sets were adjusted to 8% solids
(w/v) and hydrolyzed using 0.5.times. the standard enzyme dosage
(2.5% loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables show the
percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the total
theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass. Again, it
only takes 21 hr, to demonstrate that the conversion rates for
cellulose and xylan are highly superior after particle size
reduction and in homogeneous material. The glucose saccharide
stream shows almost complete conversion after 48-96 hrs.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 "A" % Conversion - 8% Solids 0.5x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 57.72 67.62 73.43 Xylose
0.00 79.14 91.49 97.49
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 "B" % Conversion - 8% Solids 0.5x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 81.29 98.25 98.01 Xylose
87.42 91.50 99.72 99.61
[0202] Tables 6 and 7 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material wherein both solid sets were adjusted to 8% solids
(w/v) and hydrolyzed using 0.25.times. the standard enzyme dosage
(1.25% loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables show the
percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the total
theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass. At all time
points, even reducing enzyme addition to only one-quarter of
recommended levels, the conversion rates for cellulose and xylan
are highly superior after particle size reduction and in
homogeneous material.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 "A" % Conversion - 8% Solids 0.25x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 35.68 45.86 55.29 Xylose
0.00 67.24 86.58 95.76
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 "B" % Conversion - 8% Solids 0.25x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 57.32 78.18 90.06 Xylose
87.42 88.90 98.23 98.69
[0203] Tables 8 and 9 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material wherein both solid sets were adjusted to 10%
solids (w/v) and hydrolyzed using 1.times. the standard enzyme
dosage (5% loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables show
the percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the total
theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass. At all time
points, the conversion rates for cellulose and xylan are highly
superior after particle size reduction and in homogeneous material
showing clearly that, even under a high solids load, that biomass B
mixes more evenly and provides better enzyme access to cellulose
and hemicellulose polymers.
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 "A" % Conversion - 10% Solids 1x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 74.15 84.24 86.89 Xylose
0.00 86.89 97.75 102.30
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 "B" % Conversion - 10% Solids 1x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 92.90 97.56 98.41 Xylose
87.42 96.66 103.59 102.67
[0204] Tables 10 and 11 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material wherein both solid sets were adjusted to 10%
solids (w/v) and hydrolyzed using 0.5.times. the standard enzyme
dosage (0.25% loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables
show the percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the
total theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass. With
half the normal complement of enzyme, the conversion rates for
cellulose and xylan are highly superior after particle size
reduction and in homogeneous material showing clearly that, even
under a high solids load, that biomass B mixes more evenly and
provides better enzyme access to cellulose and hemicellulose
polymers.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 "A" % Conversion - 10% Solids 0.5x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 57.75 73.38 74.83 Xylose
0.00 77.37 97.75 94.04
TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 "B" % Conversion - 10% Solids 0.5x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 76.00 92.72 93.41 Xylose
87.42 94.66 100.41 101.19
[0205] Tables 12 and 13 directly compare solids taken from A and B
treated material wherein both solid sets were adjusted to 10%
solids (w/v) and hydrolyzed using 0.25.times. the standard enzyme
dosage (1.25% loading based on total dry solids)(v/w). The Tables
show the percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the
total theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass. At all
time points, the conversion rates for cellulose and xylan are
highly superior after particle size reduction and in homogeneous
material showing clearly that, even under a high solids load, that
biomass B mixes more evenly and provides better enzyme access to
cellulose and hemicellulose polymers.
TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 "A" % Conversion - 10% Solids 0.25x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 40.02 49.98 55.24 Xylose
0.00 68.98 82.52 88.08
TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 "B" % Conversion - 10% Solids 0.25x Enzymes
Time (in Hours) 0 21 48 96 Glucose 0.00 62.22 83.96 95.23 Xylose
87.42 91.92 100.41 102.67
[0206] To sum up this data, FIGS. 1-4 show a direct comparison of
polymer-to-saccharide conversion percentage with each enzyme dosage
(1.times., 0.5.times. and 0.25.times.) as well as a direct
comparison between the percentage of solids used during enzymatic
hydrolysis (8% and 10%).
[0207] In addition to 8% and 10% solids, 20% solids were also
tested with reduced enzyme doses. Wheat straw was processed as
described above for "B" and the solids were made up to 20% w/v
prior to enzyme addition. FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 directly compare the
saccharification of wheat straw sets that were adjusted to 20%
solids (w/v) and hydrolyzed using 1.0.times., 0.50.times. and
0.25.times. the standard enzyme dosage (v/w). FIG. 5 shows the
percent conversion of xylan and cellulose based on the total
theoretical yields of saccharides within the biomass are rapid and
very high suggesting that there is little, if any, inhibitor
activity. FIG. 6 shows only a slight reduction in glucose
conversion for a half-dose of enzymes and the rate of C5 conversion
remains very high. FIG. 7 shows a slight reduction in xylose
conversion from xylan and a slower rate of conversion of glucose
from cellulose. At all time points, the conversion rates for
cellulose and xylan were still considerable after particle size
reduction and in homogeneous material showing clearly that, even
under a high solids load, that biomass B mixes more evenly and
provides better enzyme access to cellulose and hemicellulose
polymers.
Example 3
Pretreatment and Hydrolysis of Corn Cobs
[0208] In this example, corn cobs were pretreated and hydrolyzed as
described for solids B in Examples 1 and 2. The corncobs were
hydrolyzed at 10% solids by dry biomass weight using a 5% v/w
(1.times.) enzyme load. The yields of glucose and xylose were
measured at 0, 24, and 68 hours of hydrolysis. The results are
tabulated in Table 14 and graphed in FIG. 8. At time 0, the percent
yield from the hemicellulose was 88.08% of the theoretical maximum
while the yield of glucose was 13.60% of the theoretical maximum.
By 24 hours, the yield of glucose had increased to greater than 80%
of the theoretical maximum; and a 95% yield was achieved after only
68 hours of enzymatic hydrolysis.
TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Time 0 24 68 glucose (g/L) 6.2 31.2 36.1
xylose (g/L) 24.9 29.3 29.8 arabinose (g/L) 1.7 2.7 3 % glucose
13.59649 82.10526 95 % hemicellulose 88.07947 105.9603 108.6093
[0209] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those
skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of
example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will
now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the
invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the
embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in
practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims
define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures
within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered
thereby.
* * * * *