APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
Biomass pretreatment to extract 6C sugars from mixed feedstocks for
- Lignocellulosic biofuel production
- High value biomaterials production
ADVANTAGES:
- Works on a wide range of biomass feedstock types
- Enables increased conversion of biomass per acre where intercropping and similar cultivation methods are used
- Compatible with most ionic liquids
ABSTRACT:
Researchers at the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed a pretreatment technology using ionic liquids that efficiently extracts sugars from a combination of mixed feedstocks. Any ionic liquid used for biomass pretreatment or cellulose hydrolysis by thermostable cellulase may be used. Until now, no known technology could efficiently pretreat and liberate sugars from mixed feedstock streams.
The JBEI technology has been successfully demonstrated in a mixture of softwood (pine), hardwood (eucalyptus), grass (switchgrass), and agricultural (corn stover) feedstocks. In tests, sugar yield reached 0.8 mg/ml within 6 hours and 1 mg/ml after a 24-hour period.
The ability to recover a higher tonnage of biomass per acre where a variety of crops are present due to intercropping, row cropping, relay cropping and similar cultivation methods has the potential to significantly lower the cost of lignocellulosic biofuel and biomaterials production. A pretreatment that is effective on a wide range of lignocellulosic feedstocks will further lower overall biorefinery costs. Other JBEI technologies, such as those listed below, facilitate ionic liquid recycling for additional cost savings.
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI, www.jbei.org) is a scientific partnership led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and including the Sandia National Laboratories, the University of California campuses of Berkeley and Davis, the Carnegie Institution for Science and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. JBEI’s primary scientific mission is to advance the development of the next generation of biofuels.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: The technology has been successfully demonstrated in a mixture containing corn stover, pine, eucalyptus, and switchgrass.
STATUS: Published US Patent Application 20130183739 available at uspto.gov. Available for licensing or collaborative research.
SEE THESE OTHER BERKELEY LAB TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS FIELD:
Acid Hydrolysis of Biomass and Increased Sugar Recovery by Solvent Extraction, EJIB-3030
Recovery of Sugars by Solvent Extraction, EJIB-2750
REFERENCE NUMBER: EJIB-3078