Temperature-controlled delignification of biomass

1. A process to perform a controlled exothermic delignification of biomass, said process comprising the steps of:

providing a vessel;

providing biomass comprising lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose fibers into said vessel;

providing a modified Caro's acid composition selected from the group consisting of: composition A and Composition C;

wherein said composition A comprises:

sulfuric acid in an amount ranging from 20 to 70 wt % of the total weight of the modified Caro's acid composition;

a compound comprising an amine moiety and a sulfonic acid moiety selected from the group consisting of: taurine; taurine derivatives; and taurine-related compounds; and

a peroxide,

wherein said sulfuric acid, said compound comprising an amine moiety and a sulfonic acid moiety, and said peroxide are present in a molar ratio of no less than 1:1:1 and no more than 15:1:1;

wherein said composition C comprises:

sulfuric acid;

a compound comprising an amine moiety;

a compound comprising a sulfonic acid moiety; and

a peroxide,

wherein said sulfuric acid and said a compound comprising an amine moiety, and said compound comprising a sulfonic acid moiety are present in a molar ratio of no less than 1:1:1 and no more than 28:1:1;

exposing said biomass to said modified Caro's acid composition, creating a reaction mass;

allowing said modified Caro's acid composition to come into contact with said biomass for a period of time sufficient to a delignification reaction to occur and remove over 90 wt % of said lignin and hemicellulose from said biomass; and

controlling the temperature of the delignification reaction to maintain it below 55° C. by a method selected from the group consisting of:

adding water into said vessel;

adding biomass into said vessel; and

using a heat exchanger.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said compound comprising an amine moiety and a sulfonic acid moiety is selected from the group consisting of: taurine; taurine derivatives; and taurine-related compounds.

3. The process according to claim 1 , where said taurine derivative or taurine-related compound is selected from the group consisting of: taurolidine; taurocholic acid; tauroselcholic acid; tauromustine; 5-taurinomethyluridine and 5-taurinomethyl-2-thiouridine; homotaurine (tramiprosate); acamprosate; and taurates; as well as aminoalkylsulfonic acids where the alkyl is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 5 linear alkyl and C 1 -C 5 branched alkyl.

4. The process according to claim 1 , where said compound comprising an amine moiety and a sulfonic acid moiety is taurine.

5. The process according to claim 1 , where said sulfuric acid and compound comprising an amine moiety and a sulfonic acid moiety are present in a molar ratio of no less than 3:1.

6. The process according to claim 1 , where said compound comprising an amine moiety is an alkanolamine selected from the group consisting of: monoethanolamine; diethanolamine; triethanolamine; and combinations thereof.

7. The process according to claim 1 , where said compound comprising a sulfonic acid moiety is selected from the group consisting of: alkylsulfonic acids and combinations thereof.

8. The process according to claim 1 , where said compound comprising a sulfonic acid moiety is methanesulfonic acid.

9. A process to delignify biomass, said process comprising the steps of:

providing a vessel;

providing biomass comprising lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose fibers into said vessel;

providing an aqueous acidic composition comprising:

a sulfuric acid component, and;

a peroxide component, wherein said sulfuric acid component and said peroxide component are present in a molar ration of no less than 1:1 and no more than 15:1;

exposing said biomass to said aqueous acidic composition, creating a reaction mass;

allowing said aqueous acidic composition to come into contact with said biomass for a period of time sufficient to a delignification reaction to occur and remove over 90 wt % of said lignin and hemicellulose from said biomass; and

controlling the temperature of the delignification reaction by addition of water into said vessel to maintain the temperature below 55° C.

10. The process according to claim 9 where the initial temperature of the reaction mass is no more than 25° C. and does not exceed 55° C. for the duration of the delignification reaction.

11. The process according to claim 9 , where the temperature of the reaction mass is kept below 50° C. for the duration of the delignification reaction.

12. The process according to claim 9 , where the temperature of the reaction mass is kept below 45° C. for the duration of the delignification reaction.

13. The process according to claim 9 , where the temperature of the reaction mass is controlled throughout the delignification reaction to subsequent additions of a solvent (water) to progressively lower a slope of temperature increase per minute from less than 1° C. per minute to less than 0.5° C. per minute.