Sinco Engineering, S.p.a.

Versalis S.p.a.

Valmet Aktiebolag

Beta Renewables S.p.a.

Biochemtex S.p.a.

Dario Giordano

Hussain Ali Al Ghatta

Paolo Torre

Piero Ottonello

Giuseppina Boveri

Stefano Paravisi

Pietro Pastorino

Chiara Prefumo

Guido Ghisolfi

Simone Ferrero

Francesco Cherchi

Lari Lammi

Beatriz Rivas Torres

Riccardo Bianchi

Patrizia Ferrando

Irene Bozzano

Marco Bernardi

Daniele Riva

Mats Nordgren

Tommaso Crippa

Liliane Tonet Rensi

Daniela Todaro

Guido (deceased) Ghisolfi

It is disclosed a process for producing a bio-product from a ligno-cellulosic biomass, wherein the ligno-cellulosic biomass, a gas and steam are introduced in a pressurized reactor operated in a continuous manner at conditions to have a vapor head space. In the pressurized reactor, the vapor head space is maintained at a vapor head space temperature and at a pressure which is at least 1 bar greater than a pure steam equilibrium pressure at the vapor head space temperature. The ligno-cellulosic biomass is then refined by rapidly releasing the pressure while discharging the ligno-cellulosic biomass from the pressurized reactor assembly to create a pre-treated ligno-cellulosic biomass, which is then hydrolyzed and converted to the bio-product. Preferably, at least a portion of the gas is air entrapped in the ligno-cellulosic biomass and it is introduced into the pressurized reactor as part of the ligno-cellulosic biomass. In a preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic biomass is subjected to a soaking step and an aeration step prior to being introduced into the pressurized reactor, without any xylans separation step.

Process for producing a bio-product

It is disclosed a process for increasing the enzymatic accessibility of a thermally treated ligno-cellulosic biomass feedstock which has been thermally treated at a severity factor. The process comprises a step of fiber shives reduction, for reducing the amount of long shives. The thermally treated ligno-cellulosic biomass after fiber shives reduction is characterized by having an increased glucans accessibility and by forming a slurry having a low viscosity.

Process for increasing the enzymatic accessibility of a thermally treated ligno-cellulosic biomass feedstock

It is disclosed a process to produce a bio-product starting from a ligno-cellulosic feedstock, comprising a pre-hydrolysis step of the ligno-cellulosic feedstock in one or more pre-hydrolysis vessels to produce a liquid pre-hydrolyzate comprising water and water soluble hemicellulose, followed by a multi-step hydrolysis of the water soluble hemicellulose. The hydrolysis steps are conducted in separated vessel. The liquid pre-hydrolyzate is subjected to a partial hydrolysis step in a first hydrolysis vessel, to produce a first hydrolyzate. A portion of the first hydrolyzate, comprising remnant water soluble hemicellulose, is recirculated in at least one pre-hydrolysis vessel and subjected to a second hydrolysis step. Another portion of the first hydrolyzate comprising monomeric sugars is removed and converted to the bio-product, preferably after a refining hydrolysis step. The process also produces a hemicellulose-depleted feedstock which is preferably treated to produce a cellulosic pulp. The bio-product comprises any chemical from the groups of polyols, diols, alcohols, and carboxylic acids, or lactic acid or the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof.

Process to produce a bio-product

A process for producing polyols from a low viscosity slurry comprising a thermally treated ligno-cellulosic biomass which has been subjected to a fiber shives reduction step is provided. Specifically, a continuous process for catalyzing the formation of polyol products, such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, from the low viscosity slurry is provided.

Conversion of a low viscosity ligno-cellulosic biomass slurry into polyols

Disclosed in this specification is a process for the improved hydrolysis of glucans to glucose wherein a portion of the glucose is removed from the process to improve the yield of glucose.

Sugar recovery method from ligno-cellulosic biomass

Process for the solid state polycondensation of polyamide resins by the use in the polycondensation reactor of a quantity of an inert gas such that the ratio by weight between the solid capacity/h at the reactor outlet and that one of gas fed into the reactor is lower than 0.5.

Process for the solid state polycondensation of polyamide resins

Cooling process for polyester and/or polyamide resins downstream of solid-state polycondensation plants in which the cooling is carried out by passing the solid material through two types of equipment in series, of which one is a fluid-bed, the other is a solid/wall cooling equipment. The fluid bed equipment is fed with a stream of inert-gas coming from the solid-state polycondensation reactor, previously subjected to by-products purification, drying and cooling.

Cooling process for polyester and/or polymide resins

Process for the production of aromatic polyester resins by polycondensation in the solid state of resins with intrinsic viscosity comprised between 0.1 and 0.45 dl/g, in which the ratio by weight between the hourly flow speed of the inert gas fed to the reactor and the hourly flow speed of the fed polymer is comprised between 0.1 and 0.6.

Process for the production of polyester resins

Aromatic polyester resins are continuously crystallized in a fluid bed crystallizer, where the fluidizing gas (nitrogen) enters at a temperature not lower than 195.degree. C. and the average residence time is higher than 5 minutes.

Process for the crystallization of polyester resins

Process for the solid state polycondensation of polyester resins, where an inert gas is circulating in a moving bed of polymer at a temperature between 180.degree. and 230.degree. C., characterized by the fact that the ratio by weight between the gas rate of flow per hour and that one of the discharged polymer is lower than 0.6.

Process for the solid state polycondensation of polyester resins

Process for the purification of an inert gas recycled from a solid state polycondensation (SSP) reactor of aromatic polyester resins, comprising the step of adding the gas with oxygen or gas containing oxygen in stoichiometric quantity or in such an excess that the gas at the outlet of the catalytic bed contains no more than 250 ppm of oxygen, circulating the gas on a catalytic bed comprising Pt or Pt and Pd heated at temperatures from 250.degree. to 600.degree. C. and recycling the gas to SSP reactor with previous drying to eliminate the water formed in the oxidation stage.

Growing community of inventors

Tortona, Italy

Dario Giordano