IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,492,155
Granted Patent B2
US 12,492,155 · App. 18/393,900 · Granted Dec 9, 2025

Use of polyamines in the pretreatment of biomass

Inventors: Ezinne Achinivu (Alexandria, VA); Mood Mohan (Emeryville, CA); Hemant Choudhary (Emeryville, CA); Lalitendu Das (Emeryville, CA); Venkataramana R. Pidatala (Emeryville, CA); Harsha D. Magurudeniya (Newport News, VA); Kaixuan Huang (Albany, 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
C07C7/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,492,155
App. No.
18/393,900
Granted
Dec 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides for a method to deconstruct a biomass: the method comprising: (a) introducing a solvent comprising a polyamine, or a mixture of polyamines, to a biomass to dissolve at least part of solid biomass in the solvent, wherein the polyamine is a Brønsted or Lewis base, and/or the polyamine is a hydrogen bond donor and/or acceptor; (b) optionally introducing an enzyme and/or a microbe to the solubilized biomass mixture such that the enzyme and/or microbe produces a sugar from the solubilized biomass mixture; (c) optionally separating the sugar from the solubilized biomass mixture; and (d) optionally separating the lignan from the solubilized biomass mixture.

Claims (12)

1 . A method to deconstruct a biomass, the method comprising: (a) introducing a solvent comprising a polyamine to a biomass to dissolve at least part of solid biomass in the solvent, wherein the polyamine is a Brønsted or Lewis base, and/or the polyamine is a hydrogen bond donor and/or acceptor; wherein the polyamine lacks an oxygen atom.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising separating the polyamine from the solubilized biomass mixture by distillation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyamine has the chemical structure:

wherein X is C or N; and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 , are each indepedently —H, —NH 2 , alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkyl amine, alkenyl amine, alkynyl amine, or aryl amine.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent has a viscosity having a value equal to or less than about 50 cP at a temperature of about 90° C.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent has a boiling point having a value equal to or less than about 200° C.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the polyamine is diamine, triamine, 1,5-diaminopentane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,2-diaminoethane, 1,2-diaminopropane, and 1,4-diaminobutane, ethylenediamine (ethane-1,2-diamine), diethylenetriamine, 1,3-diaminopropane (trimethylenediamine), 1,4-diaminobutane (putrescine), 1,5-diaminopentane (cadaverine), 1,2-diaminopropane, spermine (N1, N1′-(butane-1,4-diyl)bis(propane-1,3-diamine)), spermidine (N1-(3-aminopropyl)butane-1,4-diamine), 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine, diethylenetriamine, spermine, or a mixture thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the polyamine has a longest chain having 2 to 20 nitrogen atoms.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the polyamine has a longest chain having 2 to 15 nitrogen atoms.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the polyamine has a longest chain having 2 to 10 nitrogen atoms.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the polyamine has a longest chain having 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 nitrogen atoms.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the polyamine has a longest chain having 2, 3, or 4 nitrogen atoms.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 5, 2024
From: CHOUDHARY, HEMANT; GLADDEN, JOHN M.; ACHINIVU, EZINNE; MOHAN, MOOD; MAGURUDENIYA, HARSHA D.; DAS, LALITENDU
To: NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 066655/0933 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 5, 2024
From: SIMMONS, BLAKE A.; PIDATALA, VENKATARAMANA R.; HUANG, KAIXUAN
To: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Reel/Frame 066656/0305 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17547134 · Dec 9, 2021
Provisional Application 63124660 · Dec 11, 2020
Related Publication 20240199512A1 · Jun 20, 2024
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