Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120255543 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HYDROLYTIC SACCHARIFICATION OF A CELLULOSIC BIOMASS - A method and system for hydrolyzing cellulose and/or hemicellulose contained in a biomass into monosaccharides and oligosaccharides by using high-temperature and high-pressure water in a subcritical condition is provided. In hydrolyzing cellulose or hemicellulose into saccharides by using high-temperature and high-pressure water in a subcritical condition, a large amount of slurry is cooled into a condition below the subcritical condition by subjecting the slurry contained in a pressure vessel under a high-temperature and high-pressure condition to flash evaporation in a pressure vessel charged with a slurry of a cellulosic biomass and heated halfway. It is possible to prevent saccharides from degrading into organic acids and to save energy by recovery of thermal energy. The cellulosic biomass is charged into a water-permeable vessel and then the water-permeable vessel is encapsulated into the pressure vessel together with water. | 10-11-2012 |
20120260912 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HYDROLYTIC SACCHARIFICATION OF A CELLULOSIC BIOMASS - A method and system for hydrolyzing cellulose and/or hemicellulose contained in a biomass into monosaccharides and oligosaccharides by using high-temperature and high-pressure water in a subcritical condition is provided. In hydrolyzing cellulose or hemicellulose into saccharides by using high-temperature and high-pressure water in a subcritical condition, a large amount of slurry is cooled into a condition below the subcritical condition by subjecting the slurry contained in a pressure vessel under a high-temperature and high-pressure condition to flash evaporation in a pressure vessel charged with a slurry of a cellulosic biomass and heated halfway. It is possible to prevent saccharides from degrading into organic acids and to save energy by recovery of thermal energy. The cellulosic biomass is charged into a water-permeable vessel and then the water-permeable vessel is encapsulated into the pressure vessel together with water. | 10-18-2012 |
20130125877 | METHOD AND APPARATUS OF HYDROLYTIC SACCHARIFICATION OF CELLULOSIC BIOMASS - The hydrolytic saccharification method and hydrolytic saccharification apparatus according to the present invention use a hydraulic cylinder-type pressurized reactor as a reactor for causing cellulosic biomass to be in a supercritical or subcritical state, and use a hydraulic cylinder-type steam compressor as a source of superheated steam, such that the reactor and the compressor are operated in conjunction with each other. Surplus hydraulic pressure that is generated when hydrolysis of the cellulosic biomass is completed is recovered as compression power of the hydraulic cylinder-type steam compressor. Moreover, flash steam generated from slurry containing a hydrolysate is supplied to the hydraulic cylinder-type steam compressor for cyclic use of the flash steam. | 05-23-2013 |
20130171709 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING ETHANOL USING CELLULOSIC BIOMASS AS RAW MATERIAL - A method for producing ethanol by alcohol fermentation of a saccharide obtained by hydrolyzing cellulosic biomass in a supercritical or subcritical state, wherein excessive decomposition and caramelization of the saccharide are inhibited to prevent a reduction in yield of the saccharide, and flash steam is effectively used. The method for producing ethanol of the present invention is characterized in that in a saccharification/decomposition step, a slurry after saccharification/decomposition, is flash-evaporated in a first flash tank so as to have a temperature of 150° C. to 200° C.; the slurry after saccharification/decomposition, which is taken from the first flash tank, is further flash-evaporated in a second flash tank so as to have a temperature of 100° C. to 120° C.; and first flash steam generated from the first flash tank is used as a heat source in the saccharification/decomposition step or a distillation step. | 07-04-2013 |
20140234935 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING ETHANOL USING CELLULOSIC BIOMASS AS RAW MATERIAL - According to the method of the present invention, a cellulosic biomass slurry whose concentration of cellulosic biomass between 1% and 5% by mass is hydrothermally treated at a temperature of between 140° C. and 200° C. a pressure of between 1 MPa and 5 MPa to saccharify/decompose hemicellulose into C5 sugars. Then, a dewatered cake obtained after the hydrothermal treatment is slurried and has a solid concentration of between 1% and 5% by mass, and the slurry is hydrothermally treated at a temperature of between 240° C. and 300° C. and a pressure of between 4 MPa and 10 MPa to saccharify/decompose cellulose into C6 sugars. A saccharified solution is concentrated by a concentration device such as a reverse osmosis membrane device so that the concentration of sugars is 10% by mass or higher, and is then subjected to alcoholic fermentation. | 08-21-2014 |
20150329925 | METHOD FOR RECOVERING SACCHARIDE FROM SACCHARIFIED SLURRY, AND WASHING DEVICE FOR WASHING RESIDUE - A saccharide recovering method for recovering saccharides from a saccharified slurry obtained after subjecting a slurry of cellulosic biomass to a hot water treatment and to provide a washing device for washing a saccharified slurry residue suited for conducting such a saccharide recovery method is provided. Saccharified slurry of cellulosic biomass is fed on a conveyor having a net conveyor belt, the saccharified slurry is dehydrated, washing water is sprayed to dissolve saccharides remaining in the residue into the washing liquid. The residue is washed by a plurality of washing water spraying units disposed in series in such a manner that the moving direction of the residue and the moving direction of the washing water are opposite to each other. The washing water having washed the residue is used as washing water for washing water spraying unit in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the conveyor. | 11-19-2015 |
20150329926 | SACCHARIFIED SOLUTION PRODUCTION METHOD AND SACCHARIFIED SOLUTION PRODUCTION APPARATUS THAT USE CELLULOSIC BIOMASS AS STARTING MATERIAL - A saccharified solution production method includes: a saccharifying step of saccharifying hemicellulose or cellulose contained in cellulosic biomass to C5 or C6 saccharides by subjecting a slurry of cellulosic biomass to a hot water treatment in a supercritical state or subcritical state; a washing step of successively washing a solid in the slurry with washing water after the saccharifying step, by using multiple stages of thickeners for washing arranged in series so that the direction of movement of the solid in the slurry and the direction of movement of overflow water are opposite to each other; and a concentration step of removing a solid residue from the washing water recovered in the washing step by using a thickener for still standing that is different from the thickeners for washing, and then concentrating a supernatant of the thickener for still standing by using a concentration device to give a saccharified solution. | 11-19-2015 |
20150337253 | METHOD FOR REMOVING BACTERIAL CONTAMINANTS FROM SACCHARIFIED SOLUTION AND FERMENTATION SYSTEM - A method for removing bacterial contaminants from a saccharified solution capable of suppressing proliferation of bacterial contaminants in a fermentation tank without using an antibiotic in alcoholic fermentation of a biomass saccharified solution using normal yeast, and a fermentation system suited for conducting the method are provided. The method and system include drawing out a saccharified solution from a fermentation tank, conducting rough separation for recovering yeast from the solution, and conducting fine separation for removing bacterial contaminants from the solution, thereby removing only the contaminants while recovering yeast. The rough separation is through a filtering membrane having a pore size of 0.5 μm or more and 5 μm or less or centrifugal separation at 50G or higher and 500G or lower. The fine separation is through a filtering membrane having a pore size of 0.22 μm or less, or centrifugal separation at 1000G or higher and 15000G or lower. | 11-26-2015 |