E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Julie Friend

Melvin P Tucker, Iii

Richard T Elander

Susan Marie Hennessey

James B Dunson, Jr

Bonnie R Hames

Robert C Lyons

Melvin Tucker

James B Dunson

Melvin P Tucker

Melvin P Tucker Iii

A method is provided for producing an improved pretreated biomass product for use in saccharification followed by fermentation to produce a target chemical that includes removal of saccharification and or fermentation inhibitors from the pretreated biomass product. Specifically, the pretreated biomass product derived from using the present method has fewer inhibitors of saccharification and/or fermentation without a loss in sugar content.

Biomass pretreatment

The present invention provides a method for treating biomass composed of integrated feedstocks to produce fermentable sugars. One aspect of the methods described herein includes a pretreatment step wherein biomass is integrated with an alternative feedstream and the resulting integrated feedstock, at relatively high concentrations, is treated with a low concentration of ammonia relative to the dry weight of biomass. In another aspect, a high solids concentration of pretreated biomass is integrated with an alternative feedstream for saccharifiaction.

Integration of alternative feedstreams for biomass treatment and utilization

A method for treating biomass was developed that uses an apparatus which moves a biomass and dilute aqueous ammonia mixture through reaction chambers without compaction. The apparatus moves the biomass using a non-compressing piston. The resulting treated biomass is saccharified to produce fermentable sugars.

Biomass treatment method

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Claymont, DE, United States of America

Julie Friend