IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,241,104
Granted Patent B2
US 12,241,104 · App. 17/220,846 · Granted Mar 4, 2025

Use of metal salts and deep eutectic solvents in a process to solubilize a biomass

Inventors: Lalitendu Das (Emeryville, CA); Hemant Choudhary (Emeryville, CA); John M. Gladden (Alameda, CA); Blake A. Simmons (San Francisco, CA)
Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA; NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC
C12P19/14C12P7/10C12P19/02C12P2201/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,241,104
App. No.
17/220,846
Granted
Mar 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention also provides for a method to deconstruct a biomass: the method comprising: (a) introducing a solvent to a biomass to dissolve at least part of solid biomass in the solvent, wherein the solvent comprises (i) a metal salt, and (ii) an ionic liquid (IL) or deep eutectic solvent (DES), or mixture thereof, to form a solubilized biomass mixture; (b) optionally introducing an enzyme and/or a microbe to the composition such that the enzyme and/or microbe produce a biofuel and/or chemical compound from the solubilized biomass; and, (c) optionally the biofuel and/or chemical compound is separated from the composition.

Claims (16)

1. A method to produce a biofuel or chemical compound from a biomass, the method comprising: (a) introducing a biomass and a metal-based deep eutectic solvent (mDES), or mixture thereof, into a vessel to form a composition, wherein the biomass forms 20% to 50% solid loading of the composition and the mDES, or mixture thereof, solubilizes the biomass; and, (b) introducing a cellulase to the composition to release a sugar from the solubilized biomass; wherein the introducing step (b) produces a sugar yield of about 90% or more.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mDES further comprises: (a) a metal halide; and, (b) a polyol or amine.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the metal halide is a metal chloride.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the metal halide is a transition metal chloride.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the transition metal chloride is ZnCl 2 , CuCl 2 , FeCl 3 , CoCl 2 , NbCl 5 , AlCl 3 , NiCl 2 , or CrCl 3 .

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polyol is a glycol.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the glycol is ethylene glycol.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amine is 1,2-diaminopropane, 1,3-diaminopropane, diethylenetriamine, putrescine, cadaverine, ethylenediamine, 2-methylethanolamine, 1-amino-2-propanol, bis(3-aminopropyl)amine, morpholine, or ethanolamine.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mDES comprises a 1:4 molar ratio of ZnCl 2 :ethylene glycol.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mDES comprises a 1:4 molar ratio of ZnCl 2 :glycerol.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mDES comprises a ZnCl 2 molar concentration having a range from 2.44% to 20%.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein the biomass and mDES composition of step (a) comprises a ZnCl 2 molar concentration having a range from 2% to 16%.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition of step (a) has a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 212° C.

14. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising: (c) introducing a microbe to the composition such that the microbe consumes the sugar released from the introducing step (b) to produce a biofuel or chemical compound, and (d) the biofuel or chemical compound is separated from the composition.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the introducing step (a) results in formation of an aqueous layer comprising the sugar and an mDES layer comprising lignin; and the method further comprises: (c) separating the aqueous layer from the mDES layer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomass forms 20% to 35% solid loading of the composition.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2025
From: SIMMONS, BLAKE A.
To: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Reel/Frame 070089/0021 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2025
From: DAS, LALITENDU; CHOUDHARY, HEMANT; GLADDEN, JOHN M.
To: NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 070089/0147 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: UNIVERSITY OF CALIF-LAWRENC BERKELEY LAB
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 059219/0900 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63003791 · Apr 1, 2020
Related Publication 20210317481A1 · Oct 14, 2021
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