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Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energyRelated Patent Categories: Chemistry: Molecular Biology And Microbiology, Apparatus, BioreactorBiomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080044891, Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 10/954,657, filed Sep. 30, 2004, which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/508,605 filed on Oct. 3, 2003, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD [0002] The present subject matter relates generally to biomass conversion to alcohol, and, more particularly, to biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy. BACKGROUND [0003] The methods for producing various types of alcohol from grain generally follow similar procedures, depending on whether the process is operated wet or dry. One alcohol of great interest today is ethanol. Ethanol can be produced from virtually any type of grain, but is most often made from corn. [0004] Since its inception, the national market for fuel ethanol has grown from about 6.6 million liters (about 175 million gallons (gal)) in 1980 to about 7.9 billion liters (about 2.1 billion gal) in 2002. In 2003, the U.S. ethanol industry produced a record 10.6 billion liters (about 2.8 billion gal), all of which was produced from 74 ethanol plants located mainly within the corn-belt. Recent federal government legislation has been proposed, which would mandate that ethanol production capacity grow to approximately 1.9 trillion liters (approximately five (5) billion gal) by 2012. Consequently, ethanol producers are seeking methods to improve yields before incurring the high capital costs of direct plant expansion. Because of the ongoing need for ethanol, as well as recent and expected future rapid growth of the ethanol industry, producers are finding it difficult to incur the time and expense required to refine existing technologies to meet the potentially mandated increases and also remain cost competitive with intense ethanol producer competition. Higher yields are also desired for other types of alcohol. [0005] Alcohols such as ethanol can be produced from virtually any type of grain, but ethanol in particular is most often made from corn, which contains high levels of starches that can be broken down into the glucose sugars needed for traditional fermentation. However, there is a growing interest in producing alcohol from other sources, such as cellulose, a linear polymer of glucose molecules. Cellulose is a desirable alternative over other ethanol feedstocks such as corn grain since it is renewable, abundant, does not take away from the food supply and is available at a relatively low cost. However, there are several known difficulties associated with efficiently converting the cellulose (contained in biomass) to glucose sugars, including the extensive chemical treatment required and the high capital and energy costs involved. [0006] The biggest challenge for a commercial biomass-to-alcohol process is the ability to cost-effectively convert hemicellulose and cellulose to fermentable sugars. The combination of hemicellulose and lignin provide a protective sheath around the cellulose, which must be modified or removed before efficient hydrolysis of cellulose can occur. Furthermore, the cellulose must be decrystallized or "softened" before it can be processed into alcohol. Softening entails insertion of water into the crystalline structure of the cellulose, thereby opening up or loosening its structure such that it can be economically converted to glucose for fermentation. [0007] The pretreatment softening process also usually includes hydrolysis of hemicellulose to pentose sugars, which precedes enzyme or acid hydrolysis of the cellulose to glucose. However, pretreatment-hydrolysis of plant biomass can often result in the creation and release of other chemicals that inhibit microbial fermentation. These inhibitors (i.e. furfural) are largely the product of sugar degradation, and methods to remove these inhibitors or to reduce their formation are needed. [0008] Biomass conversion to alcohol also poses unique fermentation considerations. The Saccharaomyces cerevisiae yeast strains used in conventional corn ethanol plants for example, can ferment glucose, but can not ferment pentose sugars such as xylose. Additionally, there is currently no naturally occurring microorganism that can effectively convert all the major sugars present in plant biomass to ethanol. Therefore, genetically engineered yeast or bacteria, which can ferment both glucose and xylose to alcohol are being used for biomass to alcohol processes. However, genetically-enhanced recombinant strains of fermentative microorganisms, including recombinant strains of yeast, bacteria and fungi, as well as transgenic nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) derived from such component may pose environmental disposal and permitting problems. Methods to remove these components in product and waste streams are needed. [0009] For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a significant need in the art for systems and methods that provide for improved biomass conversion to alcohol, such as ethanol, in a cost-effective manner. SUMMARY [0010] A method comprising applying ultrasonic energy to a biomass to alcohol production process is provided. In one embodiment the alcohol production process is an ethanol production process. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol process employs ultrasonic energy as the only means of pretreatment. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol process additionally employs a concentrated acid hydrolysis pretreatment. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol process additionally employs a two-stage acid hydrolysis pretreatment (commonly referred to as a "two-stage acid hydrolysis process"). In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol process additionally employs any conventional pretreatment, such as a hydrothermal or chemical pretreatment, followed by an enzymatic hydrolysis step or a simultaneous enzymatic hydrolysis and saccharification step. In one embodiment, the conventional pretreatment is selected from the group consisting of dilute acid hydrolysis, high pressure hot water-based methods, i.e., hydrothermal treatments such as steam explosion and aqueous hot water extraction, reactor systems (e.g., batch, continuous flow, counter-flow, flow-through, and the like), ammonia explosion, ammonia recycled percolation (ARP), lime treatment and a pH-based process. [0011] A pretreatment method comprising applying ultrasonic energy to a biomass slurry wherein the ultrasonic energy causes an increase in conversion rates of components in the biomass slurry to fermentable sugars is also provided. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the biomass slurry is hydrolyzed during the pretreatment step. In one embodiment, the components are cellulose and hemicellulose. In one embodiment, the fermentable sugars are converted into alcohol. [0012] In one embodiment ultrasonic energy is applied before, during and/or after a conventional pretreatment step. In one embodiment, ultrasonic energy is additionally or alternatively applied after fermentation, such as to the thin stillage component. [0013] A system comprising one or more ultrasonic energy transducers and a biomass to alcohol production facility adapted for use with the one or more ultrasonic energy transducers is also provided. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol system employs ultrasonic energy as the only means of pretreatment. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol system additionally employs a concentrated acid hydrolysis pretreatment. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol system additionally employs a two-stage acid hydrolysis pretreatment. In one embodiment, the biomass to alcohol system additionally employs any conventional pretreatment, such as a hydrothermal or chemical pretreatment, followed by an enzymatic hydrolysis step or a simultaneous enzymatic hydrolysis and saccharification step. [0014] Although the systems and methods described herein focus primarily on ethanol production from plant biomass, it is intended that any of the systems and methods described herein can be used in virtually any alcohol production facility and with any suitable type of biomass. [0015] In one embodiment, systems and methods for improving biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy are provided. The particular improvement achieved depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, the particular point in the process at which the ultrasonic energy is applied, the type of biomass being used, type of additional pretreatment methods, if any, being employed, and so forth. The manner in which the ultrasonic energy is applied can also affect the end result. This includes, but is not limited to, the frequency of ultrasonic energy applied, the power intensity at which the ultrasonic energy is applied, the length of time the ultrasonic energy is applied, the location of the transducer within the medium to be treated, and so forth. In one embodiment, high-powered ultrasonic (HPU) energy is used. [0016] The particular benefit obtained will vary depending on whether a conventional ultrasonic horn known in the art is used or whether another type of horn is used, such as a cascade type horn (which is known to increase the area of cavitation bubble generation), and the like. Other factors particular to the operation can also affect the benefit obtained. This includes, but is not limited to, the flow rate of the fluid medium, the nature of the medium to be acted upon, including type and amount of particulate content, temperature, and so forth. [0017] Ultrasonication of biomass is highly effective at the complex destructuring, disaggregation, and depolymerization (i.e., hydrolysis or breakdown to sugars and/or intermediate chains of sugars) of hemicellulose and cellulose. Ultrasonication of biomass in specific locations in the biomass to alcohol process has the potential to interface or be integrated with existing biomass pretreatment technologies allowing technological hurdles, process inefficiencies and/or poor economics to be overcome. Alternatively, ultrasonication of biomass before, during and/or just after pretreatment during the biomass to alcohol process may also function as a stand-alone, highly efficient, and economic pretreatment process for ethanol production. [0018] Some of the advantages of ultrasonication as a biomass pretreatment enabling technology, or as a stand-alone biomass pretreatment process, for alcohol production include, but are not limited to, the ability of ultrasonication to: [0019] produce highly digestible cellulose solids that can achieve high glucose yields with low enzyme loadings, resulting in lower cellulase costs; [0020] possibly eliminate the need for acid during pretreatment, while generating high sugar yields; Continue reading about Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy... Full patent description for Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Interchangable sleeve for enhancing proliferation of cells in a rotating bioreactor Next Patent Application: Air pollutants reduction system Industry Class: Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Biomass conversion to alcohol using ultrasonic energy patent info. 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