National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

University of California

Sandia Corporation

Virdia, Inc.

Seema Singh

Blake A Simmons

Jian Sun

Tanmoy Dutta

Jian Shi

Parthasarathi Ramakrishnan

Anthe George

Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh

Ning Sun

Arul Mozhy Varman

Feng Xu

Patanjali Varanasi

Aaron Socha

Maxime Bergeron

Manali Sawant

Robert P Jansen

C Jeffrey Brinker

Anup Kumar Singh

Trent Russell Northen

John Michael Gladden

Philip Travisano

Kai Deng

Xiaoliang Cheng

Ryan Wesley Davis

Huawen Wu

Eric D Branson

Pratik B Shah

Wolfgang E Reindl

In one aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing a fermentation product. The methods include pre-treating a mixture of biomass and ionic liquid, wherein the ionic liquid comprises a choline cation and the biomass comprises polysaccharide and lignin. The methods further include forming hydrolysates from the introduction of glycoside hydrolase to the pre-treated mixture at conditions sufficient to produce a sugar composition mixture for fermentation steps. The present invention provides methods for loading biomass mixtures in a batch-fed process, wherein the biomass slurries can be loaded into water or a concentrated sugar composition for hydrolysate production. The methods can be performed in a one-pot process, wherein the ionic liquids are present in the mixtures throughout each step. Aspects of the invention provide compositions of sugar composition mixtures and fermentation product mixtures.

High gravity, fed-batch ionic liquid based process for deconstructing biomass

The present invention provides for novel protic ionic liquids (PIL) or phosphate-based ionic liquid (PBIL) useful for lignocellulosic processing described herein. The novel protic ionic liquids are capable of pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass over a wide range of pH.

Protic or phosphate-based ionic liquids useful for lignocellulosic processing

Methods and compositions are provided for ionic liquid processing of biomass.

Ammonium based ionic liquids useful for lignocellulosic processing

The present invention provides novel and improved processes for treating a lignocellulosic biomass or technical lignin using ionic liquids to obtain lignin breakdown products and polysaccharide biomass components. Recycling of ionic liquids can be included in the methods of the invention.

Renewable aromatics from lignocellulosic lignin

The present invention provides for a method of fermenting or saccharifying a biomass comprising: (a) (i) contacting a biomass comprising a polysaccharide, and an ionic liquid (IL) to form a first solution, or (ii) providing the first solution comprising the biomass and the IL, (b) contacting the first solution and carbon dioxide such that the first solution results in a lower pH, (c) introducing (i) an enzyme capable of enzymatically to breakdown at least one bond in the polysaccharide or a breakdown product of the polysaccharide, and/or (ii) a microorganism that capable of producing the enzyme and/or fermenting the polysaccharide or a breakdown product of the polysaccharide, such that the polysaccharide is at least partially broken down and the first solution is transformed into a second solution.

Method of adjusting the pH of a pretreatment solution using carbon dioxide useful for integrating saccharification and fermentation of a biomass

The present invention relates to methods and engineered microbial hosts useful for treating lignin or a derivative thereof. In some embodiments, the host has one or more exogenous nucleic acid sequences that encode a ligninase (e.g., a laccase and/or a peroxidase).

Engineered hosts with exogenous ligninase and uses thereof

Disclosed herein are lignin-derived ionic liquids and methods for preparing them. The methods include forming a reaction mixture comprising a lignin-derived starting material, a carbonyl compound, and an amine; maintaining the reaction mixture under conditions sufficient to form a lignin-derived aminophenol; and converting the lignin derived aminophenol to the lignin-derived ionic liquid. Monomeric phenols, oligomeric phenols, and polymeric phenols can be used as lignin-derived starting materials.

Conversion of lignin to ionic liquids

The present invention relates to synthetic promoters, as well as expression cassettes, and recombinant scaffolds, and methods thereof. In particular embodiments, the synthetic promoter is inducible by one or more chemical compounds present during lignin depolymerization.

Promoters and uses thereof

Methods and compositions are provided for synthesizing ionic liquids from lignin. Methods and compositions are also provided for treating lignin with ionic liquids.

Methods of synthesizing ionic liquids from primary alcohol-containing lignin compounds

Disclosed herein are methods for preparing sugar compositions. The methods include: i) forming a mixture including polysaccharide biomass and an ionic liquid solution, wherein the ionic liquid solution contains water and an ionic liquid, and the ionic liquid contains a) a cation and b) a sugar acid anion or a ketoacid anion; ii) maintaining the mixture under conditions sufficient to dissolve at least a portion of the polysaccharide present in the polysaccharide biomass; iii) adding at least one glycoside hydrolase to the mixture; and iv) maintaining the mixture containing the glycoside hydrolase under conditions sufficient to hydrolyze at least a portion of the dissolved polysaccharide, thereby forming the sugar compositions. The sugar compositions contain at least one monosaccharide or oligosaccharide. New sugar-based ionic liquids are also described.

Conversion of sugars to ionic liquids

Adjusting the pH of a pretreatment solution using carbon dioxide useful for integrating saccharification and fermentation

The present invention relates, in part, to methods for depolymerizing a polymer, in which the method includes use of a magnetic catalyst. The magnetic catalyst can include, e.g., a ore-shell particle, such as a particle having a magnetic core and a shell including a metal-organic framework.

Magnetically-recoverable catalysts for depolymerization

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Clarksburg, MD, United States of America

Seema Singh