US 12,077,910 B2
Nanocellulose production co-located at a pulp and paper mill
Kimberly Nelson, Atlanta, GA (US); Theodora Retsina, Atlanta, GA (US); Vesa Pylkkanen, Atlanta, GA (US); and Mikhail Iakovlev, Atlanta, GA (US)
Assigned to GranBio Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC, Thomaston, GA (US)
Filed by GranBio Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC, Minnetrista, MN (US)
Filed on May 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/321,990.
Application 17/321,990 is a continuation of application No. 15/754,608, abandoned, previously published as PCT/US2016/049302, filed on Aug. 29, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/210,736, filed on Aug. 27, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0340706 A1, Nov. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. D21C 3/20 (2006.01); C08B 15/08 (2006.01); C08H 8/00 (2010.01); D21C 3/00 (2006.01); D21C 3/06 (2006.01); D21C 5/02 (2006.01); D21C 9/00 (2006.01); D21C 9/10 (2006.01); D21H 11/04 (2006.01); D21H 11/06 (2006.01); D21H 11/20 (2006.01); B82Y 40/00 (2011.01)
CPC D21C 3/06 (2013.01) [C08B 15/08 (2013.01); C08H 8/00 (2013.01); D21C 3/00 (2013.01); D21C 3/20 (2013.01); D21C 5/02 (2013.01); D21C 9/005 (2013.01); D21C 9/007 (2013.01); D21C 9/10 (2013.01); D21H 11/04 (2013.01); D21H 11/06 (2013.01); D21H 11/20 (2013.01); B82Y 40/00 (2013.01); Y02W 30/64 (2015.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for producing a nanocellulose material, said process comprising:
(a) providing an unbleached pulp material, wherein said unbleached pulp material is a chemical pulp, a chemimechanical pulp, a chemithermomechanical pulp, or a combination thereof, wherein said unbleached pulp material is obtained from a distinct process, and wherein said unbleached pulp material received in this step (a) has already gone through complete chemical pulping, chemimechanical pulping, and/or chemithermomechanical pulping;
(b) in a digestor, fractionating said unbleached pulp material in the presence of an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a liquid containing hemicellulose and lignin, wherein said unbleached pulp material is fed to said digestor at a solids concentration of from 30 wt % solids to 50 wt % solids;
(c) mechanically treating said cellulose-rich solids to form cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals, thereby generating a nanocellulose material having a crystallinity of at least 60%; and
(d) recovering said nanocellulose material,
wherein said process is co-located with a pulping process that generates said unbleached pulp material.