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Numéro de document de brevet: 2737704

(54) Titre anglais: INTEGRATED BIO-PRODUCT PRODUCTION FACILITY AND METHODS RELATED THERETO

(54) Titre français: INSTALLATION INTEGREE DE PRODUCTION DE BIOPRODUITS ET PROCEDES CONNEXES

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Revendications:

Nota : Les revendications sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.




WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:


1. A method comprising:
treating plant biomass with an ammonia pretreatment to provide an ammonia-
pretreated plant biomass, wherein the plant biomass is from one or more
plants; and
using the ammonia-pretreated plant biomass to stimulate growth and/or

promote enzyme synthesis in an enzyme-producing microorganism.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ammonia-pretreated plant biomass
contains
solubles and/or solids that stimulate growth and/or promote cellulase enzyme
synthesis
in the enzyme-producing microorganism.

3. The method of claim 2, which further comprises extracting at least a
portion of
the solubles from the ammonia-treated plant biomass with a solvent to produce
a soluble
extract and an extracted ammonia-pretreated biomass.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the soluble extract is used to stimulate
growth
and/or promote cellulase enzyme synthesis in an enzyme-producing
microorganism.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein a portion of the extracted ammonia-
pretreated
biomass is used to stimulate growth or promote cellulase enzyme synthesis in
an
enzyme-producing microorganism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in a bio-product
production facility that utilizes the ammonia-pretreated plant biomass to
produce a bio-
product in a bio-product production unit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the enzyme-producing microorganism is
contained within an enzyme production unit that optionally comprises the
soluble
extract, the extracted ammonia-pretreated biomass and/or a nutrient-containing

byproduct of the bio-product production unit.

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8. The method of claim 6, wherein the enzyme produced by the enzyme-producing
microorganism is a saccharolytic enzyme.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the saccharolytic enzyme is selected from
exoglucanases, endoglucanases, .beta.-xylosidases, endoxylanases, .alpha.-
arabinofuranosidases,
cellulose induced protein 2, .alpha.-arabinofuranosidases, acetyl xylan
esterases, .alpha.-
glucuronidases, endoxylanases, polygalaturonases, .alpha.-galactosidases,
acetyl esterases, and
combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the enzyme-producing microorganism is
selected
from yeast, bacteria, fungi, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the enzyme-producing microorganism is
selected from Trichoderma reesei, A. Awamori, Clostridium thermocellum and
Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the soluble extract comprises proteins,
vitamins,
simple sugars, oligosaccharides, lipids, trace elements or combinations
thereof.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the solvent is water.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein the solvent is an aqueous alkaline ammonium

hydroxide solution.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the aqueous alkaline ammonium hydroxide
solution comprises about 0.01% to 30% NH4OH by weight.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the aqueous alkaline ammonium hydroxide
solution has a pH between about 7 and 12.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more plants is a

monocot.

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18. The method of claim 16, wherein the monocot is grass, corn stover,
sorghum,
sugarcane bagasse, wheat, rice, maize, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the grass is switchgrass, miscanthus, reed

canary grass, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein the plant biomass is corn stover.

21. The method of claim 3, wherein the soluble extract is used to stimulate
growth
in an enzyme-producing microorganism.

22. The method of claim 6, wherein the ammonia pretreatment comprises ammonia
fiber expansion.

23. The method of claim 6, further comprising hydrolyzing the ammonia-
pretreated
plant biomass with an enzyme to generate an enzymatic hydrolysate slurry,
wherein the
enzyme is an enzyme secreted by the enzyme-producing microorganism, is present

within the soluble extract, and/or is present within the extracted ammonia-
pretreated
biomass.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising mechanically processing the
enzymatic hydrolysate slurry to produce a liquid enzymatic hydrolysate
comprising a
fermentable sugar mixture.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising fermenting the liquid enzymatic

hydrolysate to generate a bio-product.

26. A bio-product produced according to the method of any one of claims 1-25.
27. The bio-product of claim 26 comprising a bio-based chemical or a biofuel.




28. A system comprising:
a biofuel production facility containing:
a bio-product production unit configured to produce a bio-product and a
nutrient-containing byproduct from ammonia pretreated biomass; and
an enzyme production unit in communication with the bio-product
production unit and configured to produce an enzyme from the nutrient
containing
byproduct and/or soluble extracted from the ammonia-pretreated biomass for use
in the
bio-product production unit.

29. The biofuel production facility of claim 28, wherein the bio-product is a
biofuel
or biochemical.

30. The biofuel production facility of claim 29 wherein the biofuel is ethanol
and the
ammonia-pretreated biomass is ammonia pretreated corn stover.

31. A method of producing a bio-product comprising:
producing an enzyme in an enzyme production unit comprising an enzyme-
producing microorganism, an ethanol production residue, and/or a stimulant
extracted
from an ammonia-pretreated biomass; and
providing the enzyme to a bio-product production unit wherein the bio-product
is
produced.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the ammonia-pretreated biomass is ammonia
treated corn stover.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the ethanol production residue is a
nutrient-
containing bioproduct generated in the bio-product production unit.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the ethanol production residue is corn
syrup
liquor.

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35. The method of claim 31, wherein the stimulant contains solubles capable of

stimulating microbial growth.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the stimulant contains solubles capable of

stimulating or inducing enzyme production in the enzyme-producing
microorganism.
37. The method of claim 31, where the enzyme production unit further comprises
a
dilute pretreated biomass.

38. The method of claim 31, where the enzyme-producing microorganism is
selected
from Trichoderma reesei, A. Awamori, Clostridium thermocellum and
Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum.

39. The method of claim 31, where the enzyme produced is a saccharolytic
enzyme.
40. The method of claim 39, wherein the saccharolytic enzyme is selected from
exoglucanases, endoglucanases, .beta.-xylosidases, endoxylanases, .alpha.-
arabinofuranosidases,
cellulose induced protein 2, .alpha.-arabinofuranosidases, acetyl xylan
esterases, a-
glucuronidases, endoxylanases, polygalaturonases, .alpha.-galactosidases,
acetyl esterases, and
combinations thereof.

41. The method of claim 31 wherein the bio-product is a biochemical or
biofuel.
42. A stimulant comprising:
a soluble extract from an ammoni.alpha.-pretreated plant biomass; and
an extracted ammoni.alpha.-pretreated plant biomass, wherein the soluble
extract and
the extracted ammoni.alpha.-pretreated plant biomass can stimulate growth
and/or promote
enzyme synthesis in an enzyme-producing microorganism.

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