US 11,959,112 B2
Process for production of sugar from a cotton-containing textile
Matthew J. Farrell, Apex, NC (US); Sha Fu, Garner, NC (US); and Mary A. Ankeny, Raleigh, NC (US)
Assigned to COTTON INCORPORATED, Cary, NC (US)
Filed by Cotton Incorporated, Cary, NC (US)
Filed on May 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/749,796.
Application 17/749,796 is a division of application No. 16/914,013, filed on Jun. 26, 2020, granted, now 11,421,257.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/869,485, filed on Jul. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0282292 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C12P 19/16 (2006.01); C12P 7/10 (2006.01); C12P 19/02 (2006.01)
CPC C12P 19/02 (2013.01) [C12P 7/10 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
 
1. A process for processing a cotton-containing textile comprising:
(a) pretreating the cotton-containing textile with a first weak acid pretreatment at elevated temperature in a range of about 240° F. to about 410° F. to form a cotton slurry,
wherein the cotton-containing textile comprises cotton, cotton-blend, cotton/polyester blend, cotton/viscose/nylon blend, and mixtures thereof;
(b) cooling the cotton slurry from (a) to a range of about 120° F. to about 160° F.;
(c) adding at least one base to the slurry from (b);
(d) adding a second weak acid to the slurry from (c) to form a buffer in situ;
(e) adding at least one hydrolysis enzyme to the buffered slurry from (d) to run enzymatic hydrolysis of the slurry; and
(f) filtering the slurry from (e) to separate hydrolysate from cotton-containing textile residue.