US 11,999,985 B2
Cellulosic enzyme recycling from separation of saccharified biomass
Deepak Singh, Fresno, CA (US); Sandra Jacobson, El Cajon, CA (US); Kris Ramos, Sanger, CA (US); and Prachand Shrestha, Visalia, CA (US)
Assigned to Edeniq Inc., Visalia, CA (US)
Filed by Edeniq, Inc., Visalia, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/957,633.
Application 16/360,408 is a division of application No. 14/775,588, granted, now 10,260,081, issued on Apr. 16, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2014/029032, filed on Mar. 14, 2014.
Application 17/957,633 is a continuation of application No. 16/360,408, filed on Mar. 21, 2019, granted, now 11,492,649.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/798,070, filed on Mar. 15, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2023/0104032 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C12P 19/14 (2006.01); C07H 3/04 (2006.01); C12P 7/10 (2006.01); C12P 19/02 (2006.01); C12P 19/12 (2006.01); C13K 1/02 (2006.01); C13K 13/00 (2006.01)
CPC C12P 19/14 (2013.01) [C07H 3/04 (2013.01); C12P 7/10 (2013.01); C12P 19/02 (2013.01); C12P 19/12 (2013.01); C13K 1/02 (2013.01); C13K 13/002 (2013.01); C12P 2201/00 (2013.01); C12P 2203/00 (2013.01); Y02E 50/10 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
 
1. A method for generating sugars from biomass, comprising:
(a) hydrothermally pretreating the biomass at a temperature from about 150° C. to about 210° C. with a high shear/milling mixing device comprising a rotor and a stator, wherein the high shear/milling mixing device has a gap setting between the rotor and stator of between 0.1 and 2.2 millimeters, thereby reducing the size of biomass particles in the biomass, wherein the pretreating results in production of less than about 10% by weight fermentable sugars;
(b) contacting the biomass with a hydrolytic or saccharification enzyme to hydrolyze components of the biomass to sugars, thereby producing a mixture of solids and a liquid comprising sugars;
(c) separating the mixture into a liquid stream comprising sugars and furfural, and a solids stream comprising solids and the hydrolytic or saccharification enzyme, wherein the activity of the hydrolytic or saccharification enzyme from step (b) is increased;
(d) incubating the solids stream under conditions suitable to hydrolyze components of the solids to sugars, thereby producing additional sugars;
(e) separating the liquid stream produced in (c) into a second liquid stream comprising sugars and a second solid stream comprising solids; and
(f) incubating the second solid stream under conditions suitable to hydrolyze components of the solids to sugars, thereby producing additional sugars.