Novel lignocellulose fractionation featuring modest reaction conditions and reagent recycling

FUEL 143

Y-H. Percival Zhang, ypzhang@vt.edu, Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 210-A Seitz Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 and Lee R Lynd, Lee.Lynd@dartmouth.edu, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 8000 Cummings Hall, Hanover, NH 03755.
Overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic materials is one of the largest technical obstacles for the production of chemicals and fuels from renewable lignocellulose. Here we demonstrate a novel concentrated phosphoric acid/acetone lignocellulose pretreatment, which has four distinctive features: modest reaction conditions, fractionation of lignocellulose into amorphous cellulose, hemicellulose sugars, lignin, and acetic acid, generation of highly reactive amorphous cellulose, and cost-effective reagent recycling. Hydrolysis results of pretreated corn stover showed that ca. 97% cellulose was digested after 24 hours of hydrolysis at the enzyme loading of 15 filter paper unit/gram cellulose. This technology would offer several potentially economic benefits: 1) an increase in total revenue, 2) a decrease in processing costs, 3) a low capital investment for a small biorefinery, 4) lower transportation costs for feedstock, and 5) low investment risks due to the integration of several mature technologies.
 

Advances in Fuel Science and Technology
1:30 PM-4:25 PM, Thursday, 30 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- C203, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 26-30, 2006