The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 2017
Filed:
Dec. 30, 2013
Api Intellectual Property Holdings, Llc, Atlanta, GA (US);
Theodora Retsina, Atlanta, GA (US);
Vesa Pylkkanen, Atlanta, GA (US);
API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC, Atlanta, GA (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a process for fractionating lignocellulosic biomass, comprising: contacting biomass with SO, water, and optionally a first solvent, to produce intermediate solids; then contacting the intermediate solids with SO, water, and a second solvent, to produce cellulose-rich solids and a liquid phase comprising hemicelluloses and lignin. The first concentration of SOmay be lower or higher than the second concentration of SO. It is desirable to vary the SOand solvent concentrations in different stages to optimize the removal of hemicellulose versus lignin. The resulting cellulose-rich material can contain very low hemicellulose, very low lignin, or both low hemicellulose and low lignin. High-purity cellulose is useful both for producing glucose as well as for cellulose products or derivatives. The hemicelluloses may be hydrolyzed to produce monomeric sugars, and the lignin may be recovered as a co-product.