Processing biomass

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. Two or more sugars can be produced and these can be further processed and purified. For example, a mixture of the two or more sugars can be selectively fermented to leave one or more sugars in the mixture along with a product. The unfermented sugar may be fermented with a different fermenting system and produce a second product.

1 . A method of making a product, the method comprising:
 saccharifying a reduced recalcitrance cellulosic and/or reduced recalcitrance lignocellulosic material in a liquid, to form a mixture comprising two or more sugars, and   contacting the saccharified material with an organism, wherein the organism selectively ferments a sugar released during saccharification of the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic or lignocellulosic material to provide one or more unfermented sugars, fermentation solids and a first fermentation product.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising isolating the first fermentation product from unfermented sugars and fermentation solids. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising isolating the first fermentation product by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising distilling the fermentation product from the one or more unfermented sugars and fermentation solids. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising isolating the one or more unfermented sugars from the fermentation solids. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising isolating the one or more unfermented sugars by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising utilizing the fermentation solids as a nutrient source. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising utilizing the fermentation solids for a second fermentation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the fermentation solids contain living organisms or remnants of living organisms. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising converting the one or more unfermented sugars to another product. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5  wherein one of the two or more sugars is glucose, and wherein the organism selectively ferments glucose. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein a product of the fermentation comprises an alcohol. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein a product of the fermentation comprises ethanol. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the organism comprises a yeast, or a mixture of organisms. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the another product is xylitol. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the recalcitrance of the biomass material is reduced by irradiation with ionizing radiation. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the ionizing radiation comprises accelerated electrons from an electron beam. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 10 Mrad and about 200 Mrad. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising isolating lignin-derived compounds from the saccharified material prior to contacting the saccharified material with the fermenting organism. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the saccharified material comprises at least two monosaccharides dissolved in the liquid. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the monosaccharides comprise at least 50 wt. % of total carbohydrates available in the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic or lignocellulosic material. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the two of the monosaccharides are glucose and xylose. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20  wherein glucose comprises at least 10 wt. % of the monosaccharides present in the saccharified material. 
     
     
         24 . A method of making a first product, the method comprising:
 producing a mixture comprising a liquid, a first sugar, a second sugar, and a saccharified cellulosic or lignocellulosic residue material produced by saccharification of an irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and   fermenting the first sugar to produce the first product.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the second sugar is produced at a concentration of at least about 20 g/L. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising:
 filtering the slurry to provide a filtrate comprising a liquid solution of the second sugar and the residue. 
 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising isolating the first product from the second sugar by distilling the first product. 
     
     
         28 . A method of making a second fermentation product, the method comprising:
 producing a mixture comprising a liquid, a first sugar, a second sugar, and a saccharified cellulosic or lignocellulosic residue material produced by saccharification of an irradiated cellulosic or lignocellulosic material; and   fermenting the first sugar to produce a first product, isolating the first product leaving at least a second sugar and fermentation byproducts, and fermenting the second sugar to produce a second product.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising isolating the second product from unfermented sugars and fermentation solids. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29  comprising isolating the second product by a method selected from the group consisting of filtering, centrifuging, evaporation, distillation, crystallization, precipitation, extraction, chromatography, electrodialysis, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  wherein the first or second product is selected from the group consisting of sugars, sugar alcohols, alcohols, organic acids, unsaturated acids, carboxylic esters, unsaturated esters, anhydrides, aldehydes, ketones, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, fuels, biodiesel and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the liquid is aqueous. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the fermentation solids are used as nutrient source for mammals. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the fermentation solids are isolated as distillation bottoms. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  wherein the second fermentation uses distillation bottoms as a nutrient source for the second fermentation. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the product of the fermentation is an organic acid. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the product is acetic or butyric acid. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 1  wherein saccharifying the reduced recalcitrance cellulosic and/or reduced recalcitrance lignocellulosic material comprises using one or more enzymes. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the organism comprises a yeast, or a mixture of organisms. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 18  wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 15 Mrad and about 75 Mrad. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40  wherein a total dose of radiation applied to the cellulose or lignocellulosic material is between about 20 Mrad and about 50 Mrad. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the lignin-derived compounds comprise soluble lignin-derived compounds. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first fermentation product is selected from the group consisting of sugars, sugar alcohols, alcohols, organic acids, unsaturated acids, carboxylic esters, unsaturated esters, anhydrides, aldehydes, ketones, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, fuels, biodiesel and combinations thereof.