Unknown Organization (20240376384). High Shear Method to Separate Fractions in Woody Biomass simplified abstract
Contents
High Shear Method to Separate Fractions in Woody Biomass
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Michael P. Doyle of Carmel CA (US)
High Shear Method to Separate Fractions in Woody Biomass - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240376384 titled 'High Shear Method to Separate Fractions in Woody Biomass
The process described in the abstract involves the production of renewable oil from woody biomass, which can be used in traditional petroleum refineries to produce transportation fuels and other downstream petroleum products. The method includes steps such as comminuting the biomass, mixing it with ethanol, subjecting it to high shear, and recovering the ethanol for reuse.
- Comminuting woody biomass to pass a #20 screen mesh size
- Mixing the pulverized material with ethanol and subjecting it to high shear
- Elevating the wood/ethanol mixture to supercritical conditions
- Recovering the ethanol for reuse via distillation
- Filtration to remove the cellulosic fraction and purification of the hydrophobic oil
Potential Applications: - Co-firing and co-processing of the oil with hydrocarbon streams - Use of cellulose in biochemical conversion - Anaerobic digestion of the aqueous carbohydrate stream to generate heat and electricity
Problems Solved: - Efficient production of renewable oil from woody biomass - Utilization of cellulosic fraction in downstream processing - Recovery and reuse of ethanol in the process
Benefits: - Sustainable production of renewable oil - Diversification of feedstock for petroleum refineries - Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Commercial Applications: - Renewable energy production - Biofuel industry - Sustainable agriculture
Questions about the technology: 1. How does the process of recovering and reusing ethanol contribute to the sustainability of the production process? 2. What are the potential challenges in scaling up this technology for commercial applications?
Original Abstract Submitted
described is a process comprising a series of steps for the production of renewable oil from woody biomass. this oil can be processed directly by a traditional petroleum refinery producing transportation fuels or other similar downstream petroleum products. the cellulosic fraction, substantially reduced in lignin can be used in various downstream processing. the method involves a series of steps: step one, comminuting woody biomass to pass a #20 screen mesh size; step 2, mixing the pulverized material with ethanol, elevating the temperature of the mixture at atmospheric pressure, then subjecting the mixture to high shear (which comprises a pretreatment step); step 3, elevation of the wood/ethanol mixture to supercritical conditions, while mixing. step 4, recovers the ethanol for reuse via distillation. the resulting oil contains lignin, solid cellulose, and carbohydrate derivatives. after filtration to remove the cellulosic fraction in step 5, the water soluble materials are removed in a counter current wash to purify the hydrophobic oil. the resulting products are a hydrophobic free flowing oil, cellulose, and carbohydrate derived water soluble stream. applications of the products include co-firing and co-processing of the oil with hydrocarbon streams, use of the cellulose in biochemical conversion, and solid products. the aqueous carbohydrate stream can provide sufficient energy to supply the entire process via anaerobic digestion to biogas to generate heat and electricity.
