公开(公告)号：US11155846B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-26

申请号：US15943754

申请日：2018-04-03

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Theodora Retsina ,  Gonçalo Pereira ,  Vesa Pylkkanen

IPC: C12P19/02 ,  C12P19/14 ,  C12P7/10

Abstract: Some variations provide a method of enzymatically converting biomass-derived cellulose to glucose, comprising exposing the biomass-derived cellulose to (i) cellulase enzymes, to hydrolyze the cellulose to glucose; and (ii) an external sulfur-containing compound, to deter bacterial and/or yeast contamination during cellulose hydrolysis. In some embodiments, the sulfur-containing compound includes sulfur dioxide or lignosulfonates. When the sulfur-containing compound includes lignosulfonates, the lignosulfonates may also function as an enzyme surfactant to assist hydrolysis, in addition to deterring bacterial and/or yeast growth/contamination. This method may be applied to cellulose-rich solids obtained from the AVAP® fractionation process, the GREEN POWER+® pretreatment process, or any other source of cellulose-rich solids.

公开(公告)号：US10793700B2

公开(公告)日：2020-10-06

申请号：US15760256

申请日：2016-09-16

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Asis Kumar Banerjie ,  Kimberly Nelson

IPC: C08L1/04 ,  C08L101/00 ,  C08L67/04 ,  C08L25/06 ,  C08H8/00 ,  C09D197/00

Abstract: This disclosure provides a polymer composite including a polymer, nanocellulose, and a compatibilizer, wherein the nanocellulose comprises cellulose nanocrystals and/or cellulose nanofibrils, and wherein the compatibilizer comprises a maleated polymer. In some embodiments, the nanocellulose includes lignin-coated nanocellulose. The polymer may be selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polylactide, or poly(ethylene terephthalate). The maleated polymer may be selected from maleated polyethylene, maleated polypropylene, maleated polystyrene, maleated polylactide, or maleated poly(ethylene terephthalate. Other variations provide a process for compatibilizing a polymer with nanocellulose, comprising: providing a polymer; providing nanocellulose comprising cellulose nanocrystals and/or cellulose nanofibrils; providing a maleated polymer; and combining the polymer, the nanocellulose, and the maleated polymer, wherein the maleated polymer functions as a compatibilizer between the polymer and the nanocellulose.

公开(公告)号：US10590441B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-17

申请号：US15090638

申请日：2016-04-05

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Maria Carolina de Barros Grassi ,  Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira ,  Theodora Retsina

IPC: C12P7/28 ,  C12P7/16 ,  C12P7/10 ,  C12P7/06

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and a culture medium for biofuel and biochemical production by fermentation of lignocellulose biomass. The process describes the use of a solid-liquid mixed blend formed by solid fiber pulp, hydrolysate, and a polypeptide complex. The solid fiber pulp is partially degraded by the polypeptide complex allowing microbe immobilization and, at the same time, releasing substances that affect Clostridium quorum sensing pathways. The present process and culture medium allow the improvement of biofuels and biochemical production, as butanol and acetone in an industrial scale.

公开(公告)号：US10544270B2

公开(公告)日：2020-01-28

申请号：US15807763

申请日：2017-11-09

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Theodora Retsina

IPC: C08J5/00 ,  C08J5/04 ,  D01C1/00 ,  C08L1/04

Abstract: Nanocellulose-reinforced cellulose fibers can increase the strength of hardwood fibers or agricultural-residue cellulose fibers, to simulate the strength of softwood fibers in pulp or pulp products (including composites). In some variations, the invention provides a method of reinforcing cellulose fibers, comprising providing cellulose fibers derived from hardwoods, agricultural residues, or a combination thereof; providing a source of nanocellulose comprising cellulose nanofibrils and/or cellulose nanocrystals; and reinforcing the cellulose fibers with the nanocellulose to increase strength of the cellulose fibers. In some embodiments, the nanocellulose is obtained from fractionating biomass in the presence of an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a liquid phase; and then mechanically refining the cellulose-rich solids to generate the nanocellulose.

公开(公告)号：US20190316157A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-17

申请号：US16279014

申请日：2019-02-19

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Theodora RETSINA ,  Vesa PYLKKANEN

IPC: C12P7/18 ,  C12P7/10 ,  C12P7/14

Abstract: What is disclosed is a biorefining process to co-produce xylitol with ethanol or other products. In some variations, a process for producing ethanol and xylitol from lignocellulosic biomass, comprises: extracting hemicelluloses from lignocellulosic biomass, wherein the hemicelluloses include xylose oligomers and other sugar oligomers; hydrolyzing the xylose oligomers and the other sugar oligomers, using an acid catalyst or enzymes, to generate xylose and other sugar monomers, respectively; fermenting the other sugar monomers to ethanol using a suitable ethanol-producing microorganism; removing at least some of the ethanol (to increase concentration of xylose); fermenting the xylose to xylitol using a suitable xylitol-producing microorganism; and recovering the xylitol at high concentration.

公开(公告)号：US10435841B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-08

申请号：US15583208

申请日：2017-05-01

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Theodora Retsina ,  Kimberly Nelson ,  Lee Hill ,  Vesa Pylkkanen ,  Timothy J. Galliford

IPC: D21H11/16 ,  D21H11/08 ,  D21H11/02 ,  D21H27/40 ,  D21C1/02 ,  D21C3/04 ,  D21C3/20 ,  D21C9/00 ,  D21H11/18

Abstract: The present invention provides a pulp product (e.g., paper) comprising cellulose and nanocellulose, wherein the nanocellulose is derived from the cellulose in a mechanical and/or chemical step that is separate from the main pulping process. The pulping process may be thermomechanical pulping or hydrothermal-mechanical pulping, for example. The pulp product is stronger and smoother with the presence of the nanocellulose. The nanocellulose further can function as a retention aid, for a step of forming the pulp product (e.g., in a paper machine). Other embodiments provide a corrugated medium pulp composition comprising cellulose pulp and nanocellulose, wherein the nanocellulose includes cellulose nanofibrils and/or cellulose nanocrystals and the nanocellulose may be hydrophobic. The nanocellulose improves the strength properties of the corrugated medium. In some embodiments, the cellulose pulp is a GreenBox+® pulp and the nanocellulose is derived from the AVAP® process.

公开(公告)号：US20190271114A1

公开(公告)日：2019-09-05

申请号：US16180174

申请日：2018-11-05

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Kimberly NELSON ,  Theodora RETSINA ,  Vesa PYLKKANEN ,  Ryan O'CONNOR

IPC: D21H11/18 ,  D21C9/10 ,  D21C9/00 ,  D21C3/06 ,  D21H21/32 ,  D21H17/66 ,  D21H11/06 ,  C13K1/02 ,  D21C3/04

Abstract: Processes disclosed are capable of converting biomass into high-crystallinity nanocellulose with low mechanical energy input. In some variations, the process includes fractionating biomass with sulfur dioxide or a sulfite compound and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a liquid containing hemicellulose and lignin; and mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form nanofibrils and/or nanocrystals. The total mechanical energy may be less than 500 kilowatt-hours per ton. The crystallinity of the nanocellulose material may be 80% or higher, translating into good reinforcing properties for composites. The nanocellulose material may include nanofibrillated cellulose, nanocrystalline cellulose, or both. In some embodiments, the nanocellulose material is hydrophobic via deposition of some lignin onto the cellulose surface. Optionally, sugars derived from amorphous cellulose and hemicellulose may be separately fermented, such as to monomers for various polymers. These polymers may be combined with the nanocellulose to form completely renewable composites.

公开(公告)号：US10344303B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-09

申请号：US15957480

申请日：2018-04-19

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Theodora Retsina ,  Vesa Pylkkanen ,  Steven R. Rutherford ,  Jean-Pierre Monclin

IPC: D21C3/00 ,  C12P7/14 ,  D21C1/02 ,  D21C9/00

Abstract: A low-cost process is provided to render lignocellulosic biomass accessible to cellulase enzymes, to produce fermentable sugars. Some variations provide a process to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (such as sugarcane bagasse or corn stover), comprising introducing a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock to a single-stage digestor; exposing the feedstock to a reaction solution comprising steam or liquid hot water within the digestor, to solubilize the hemicellulose in a liquid phase and to provide a cellulose-rich solid phase; refining the cellulose-rich solid phase, together with the liquid phase, in a mechanical refiner, thereby providing a mixture of refined cellulose-rich solids and the liquid phase; enzymatically hydrolyzing the mixture in a hydrolysis reactor with cellulase enzymes, to generate fermentable sugars; and fermenting the fermentable sugars to produce ethanol. Many alternative process configurations are described. The disclosed processes may be employed for other fermentation products.

公开(公告)号：US20190185730A1

公开(公告)日：2019-06-20

申请号：US16034845

申请日：2018-07-13

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Jean-Pierre MONCLIN ,  Hisako KUREBAYASHI

IPC: C09K8/035 ,  C08B37/00 ,  C09K8/62 ,  C04B28/02 ,  C08B15/00 ,  C09K8/90 ,  C09K8/68 ,  C08H8/00

CPC classification number: C09K8/035 ,  C04B28/02 ,  C04B2103/44 ,  C08B15/00 ,  C08B37/0057 ,  C08H8/00 ,  C09K8/62 ,  C09K8/68 ,  C09K8/90 ,  C04B24/38 ,  C04B40/0064

Abstract: A process is provided for producing a biomass-derived rheology modifier, comprising: providing a pretreated feedstock comprising cellulose-rich solids; refining the cellulose-rich solids in a first high-intensity refining unit, generating refined cellulose solids; gelling the refined cellulose solids in a second high-intensity refining unit, thereby generating gelled cellulose solids; and homogenizing the gelled cellulose solids in a high-shear homogenizer, thereby generating a biomass-derived rheology modifier. The pretreated feedstock may include kraft pulp, sulfite pulp, AVAP® pulp, soda pulp, mechanical pulp, thermomechanical pulp, and/or chemimechanical pulp, derived from wood or lignocellulosic biomass. The pretreated feedstock may be GP3+® pulp, obtained from steam or hot-water extraction of lignocellulosic biomass. These rheology modifiers may be utilized in a wide variety of applications, including water-based or oil-based hydraulic fracturing fluid formulations, as gelling agents. These rheology modifiers are biodegradable, and their production does not directly involve chemicals other than biomass and water.

公开(公告)号：US20180298113A1

公开(公告)日：2018-10-18

申请号：US16014589

申请日：2018-06-21

Applicant: API Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC

Inventor： Kimberly NELSON ,  Theodora RETSINA

IPC: C08B15/08 ,  C09K8/10 ,  D21C1/02 ,  C09K8/64 ,  C09K8/68 ,  C13K1/02 ,  D21B1/06 ,  D21C3/00 ,  C08H8/00 ,  C09K8/34 ,  D21C3/06 ,  C07G1/00 ,  C08B37/00 ,  D21H11/18 ,  D21C11/00 ,  D21C9/00 ,  D21C5/00 ,  D21C9/10

Abstract: Some variations provide a new nanolignocellulose composition comprising, on a bone-dry, ash-free, and acetyl-free basis, from 35 wt % to 80 wt % cellulose nanofibrils, cellulose microfibrils, or a combination thereof, from 15 wt % to 45 wt % lignin, and from 5 wt % to 20 wt % hemicelluloses. The hemicelluloses may contain xylan or mannan as the major component. Novel properties arise from the hemicellulose content that is intermediate between high hemicellulose content of raw biomass and low hemicellulose content of conventional nanocellulose. The nanolignocellulose composition is hydrophobic due to the presence of lignin. Processes for making and using the nanolignocellulose compositions are also described.