IP Library Granted Patent US 11,827,860
Granted Patent B2
US 11,827,860 · App. 16/304,458 · Granted Nov 28, 2023

Integrated process for the pre-treatment of biomass and production of bio-oil

Inventors: Danilo Ribeiro De Lima (Jacareí, BR); Matheus Antunes Guimaraes (Aracruz, BR); Barry Freel (Ontario, CA); Geoffrey D. Hopkins (Ontario, CA)
Assignee: Suzano S.A.
C10L5/44C01G1/04C10B53/02C10B57/08C11B1/04C10L2200/0469C10L2290/547Y02E50/10Y02E50/30Y02P20/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,827,860
App. No.
16/304,458
Granted
Nov 28, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention aims to provide an integrated process for the pre-treatment of biomass and its use as a feedstock in a process for the production of biochemicals and biofuels, said integrated process preferably allowing the obtaining of quality bio-oil from a biomass such as wood, forest residues, and residues from the sugar-alcohol and energy cane industry.

Claims (29)

1. An integrated process for the conversion of a biomass with an impurity content, the process comprising pretreating the biomass to convert the biomass into a quality feedstock with a desired moisture content; and transporting the pretreated and converted biomass for the production of biochemicals and biofuels;

wherein said pretreating is a leaching process comprising the following phases:

a1. feeding at least one biomass or mixture of biomasses to a tank with a stirring system;

a2. recovering an untreated effluent from an existing and adjacent factory, plant or mill, and wherein the untreated effluent is defined from the group consisting of effluents from a cellulose production mill, effluents from the sugarcane or energy cane processing plant, or effluents from the cellulose sugar production plant

b. adding the untreated effluent of phase (a2) as a solvent to the biomass of phase (a1) to form a solid/solvent mixture;

c. adjusting the consistency of the solid/solvent mixture;

d. stirring the solid/solvent mixture;

e. discharging material obtained in phase (d) for separation of liquid and solid phases;

f. sending the liquid phase to a biomass fines recovery system;

g. feeding the solid material to a secondary dewatering system to obtain a high quality pretreated biomass;

wherein the biomass of step (b) is a plant biomass defined from the group consisting of: wood, including bark and chips, leaves and roots; shrub and herbaceous biomass, including grasses and weeds; sugarcane, including bagasse resulting from the processing in the industry and straw from the harvest; energy cane as a whole, or just stems; straw and agricultural residues from the processing of maize, including the cob and leaves; cereal straw such as rice, wheat, rye, inter alia, and sawdust, cardboard and urban organic waste; or a mixture thereof,

wherein the leaching time is between 1 and 5 minutes,

wherein the moisture range of the pretreated biomass is between 56% and 80%,

wherein the pretreated biomass has a potassium content between 209 and 1200 ppm, and

wherein the pretreated biomass has a sodium content between 200 and 650 ppm.

2. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the wood is selected from a group consisting of araucaria ; long fiber cedar wood; cypress; Rocky Mountain Douglas fir; European yew; hemlock; kauri; kaya; larch; pine tree; redwood; rimu; fir; sugi; acacia; azalea; albizia (lebbek tree); alder; apple tree; arbutus; ash wood; aspen; Australian red cedar; ayan; balsa tree; linden; beech; birch; sweet-chestnut; ebony; bocote; maple; boxwood; Brazilwood; bubinga; horse-chestnut; white walnut; catalpa; cherry tree; carap; red chestnut; Ceratopelatum apetalum (coachwood); cocobolo; willow tree; Canadian poplar; magnolia ; Cornelian cherry; ebony; elm; eucalyptus ; cogwood; passiflora ; Tupelo; pecan; hardwood tree; juca; ipe tree; iroko; casuarina; jacaranda; courbaril; sycamore; laurel; terminalia; Lignum vitae ; carob tree; mahogany; maple; meranti; mpingo; oak; obeche; okoumé; Oregon myrtle; California bay laurel tree; pear tree; poplar; ramin; red-cedar; Brazilian rosewood tree; shala tree; sandal wood; sassafras ; Indian satinwood; silky oak; silver wattle; snakeroot; azedeira; Spanish cedar; American sycamore; teak, walnut; willow tree; tulip tree; bamboo; palm tree; and combinations/hybrids thereof.

3. Process, in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the wood is eucalyptus.

4. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the biomass is energy cane.

5. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the biomass consists of wood chips, wood bark, or a combination thereof.

6. Process, in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the biomass consists of wood bark in a quantity between 5% and 100%.

7. Process, in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the biomass consists of wood bark in a quantity between 30% and 100%.

8. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the consistency of the mixture in phase (c) is carried out by adding solvent until said consistency is between 1 and 30% of solid content on a mass basis.

9. Process, in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the solvent is added until the consistency is between 2% and 15% of solid content on a mass basis, or between 5% and 15% of solid content on a mass basis.

10. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein phase (d) occurs in a medium having a temperature between 25° C. and 100° C.

11. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein phase (d) occurs in a medium having a pH between 2.0 and 11.0.

12. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the stirring in phase (d) varies between 5 and 1000 rpm.

13. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the moisture range of the pretreated biomass is between 56% and 70%.

14. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the pretreated biomass has a chlorine content up to 100 ppm.

15. Process, in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the ash content of the biomass is reduced.

Assignments (4)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 11, 2019
From: FIBRIA CELULOSE S.A.; SUZANO S.A.
To: SUZANO S.A.
Reel/Frame 051071/0461 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SECOND ASSIGNEE ADDRESS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 048455 FRAME: 0559. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Aug 8, 2019
From: RIBEIRO DE LIMA, DANILO; ANTUNES GUIMARAES, MATHEUS; FREEL, BARRY; HOPKINS, GEOFFREY D.
To: FIBRIA CELULOSE S.A.; ENSYN RENEWABLES, INC.
Reel/Frame 050188/0492 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE AS SECOND ASSIGNEE WAS ADDED PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 048426 FRAME: 0151. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 27, 2019
From: RIBEIRO DE LIMA, DANILO; ANTUNES GUIMARAES, MATHEUS; FREEL, BARRY; HOPKINS, GEOFFREY D.
To: FIBRIA CELULOSE S.A.; ENSYN RENEWABLES, INC.
Reel/Frame 048455/0559 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2019
From: RIBEIRO DE LIMA, DANILO; ANTUNES GUIMARAES, MATHEUS; FREEL, BARRY; HOPKINS, GEOFFREY D.
To: FIBRIA CELULOSE S.A.
Reel/Frame 048426/0151 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62490966 · Apr 27, 2017
Provisional Application 62341671 · May 26, 2016
Related Publication 20190144773A1 · May 16, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,435,276