Production of biodiesel, cellulosic sugars, and peptides from the simultaneous esterification and alcoholysis/hydrolysis of materials with oil-containing substituents including phospholipids and cellulosic peptidic content

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing fatty acid alkyl esters as well as cellulosic simplified sugars, shortened protein polymers, amino acids, or combination thereof resulting from the simultaneous esterification and hydrolysis, alcoholysis, or both of algae and other oil containing materials containing phospholipids, free fatty acids (FFA), glycerides, or combination thereof as well as polysaccharides, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignocellulose, protein polymers, or combination thereof in the presence of an alcohol and an optional acid catalyst.

1 . A method for making hexose, pentose, alkyl glucosides, alkyl pentoside, the method comprising:
 (a) combining a feedstock with an alcohol and water wherein the feedstock comprises (i) cellulosic material, proteins, or both; and   (b) combining a feedstock with an alcohol and water wherein the feedstock comprises (i) cellulosic material, and hemicelluloses material, or both; and   (c) reacting the feedstock and the alcohol and water at a temperature in the range of 140° C. to 350° C., and at a pressure in a range of 500 psig to 3200 psig to (i) cleave the cellulosic material to generate hexose, pentose, alkyl glucoside, alkyl pentoside and derivatives thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the feedstock contains at least 10 wt % cellulosic material based on the dry weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the feedstock contains at least 10 wt % proteins based on the dry weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the water content of the combination before reaction is from 30 wt % to 300 wt % of the dry weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said feedstock is rice husk, rice bran, corn stover, corn cobs, sugar cane bagasse, palm fiber, palm kernel cake, wood pulp, pine tree material, fir tree material, hardwood tree material, switch grass, microalgae, macro algae or cyanobacteria. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the alcohol is methanol, ethanol or propanol. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the alcohol is in an amount from 0.5% to 350% wt excess of the contained hexose or pentose in the feedstock. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reaction of the feedstock, water and the alcohol is performed with a hydrogenation catalyst. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reaction of the feedstock, water and the alcohol is performed with a hydrogen. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature is in the range of 180° C. to 350° C. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature is in the range of 240° C. to 350° C. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure is in the range of 400 psig to 3500 psig. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure is in the range of 1500 psig to 3500 psig. 
     
     
         14 . A method for making hexose, alkyl gluocosides, pentose and alkyl pentosides the method comprising:
 (a) combining a feedstock with an alcohol and water, wherein the feedstock comprises cellulose, lignocelluloses, polysaccharides and hemicellulose, at least 10 wt % cellulosic material based on the dry weight of the feedstock, and at least 10 wt % proteins based on the dry weight of the feedstock; and   (b) combining a feedstock with an alcohol and water, wherein the feedstock comprises cellulose, lignocelluloses, polysaccharides and hemicellulose, at least 10 wt % cellulosic material based on the dry weight of the feedstock; and   (c) reacting the feedstock and the alcohol and water at a temperature in the range of 240° C. to 350° C., and at a pressure in a range of 1500 psig to 3500 psig to generate short chain polysaccharides, hexose and alkyl glucosides, pentose and alkyl pentosides, shorten the proteins, and form amino acids, if protein content is present in the feed.   (d) reacting the feedstock and the alcohol and water at a temperature in the range of 240° C. to 350° C., and at a pressure in a range of 1500 psig to 3500 psig to generate hexose and alkyl glucosides, pentose and alkyl pentosides.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the water content of the combination before reaction is from 30 wt % to 300 wt % of the dry weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the feedstock is cyanobacteria. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the feedstock is lignocellulose. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the feedstock is cellulose 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the feedstock is a polysaccharide 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the reaction causes dehydration of glucose to form 5-hydroxymethyl furan 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , where the reaction causes dehydration of pentose to form furfural. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 14 , where in the resulting reacted product comprises a water soluble phase and a water insoluble phase 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the water insoluble phase contains lignin and unreacted biomass 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22  wherein the soluble phase contains hexose, alkyl glucosides, pentose, alkyl pentosides, fufural and 5-hydroxymethyl furan 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the unreacted biomass is separated from the lignin and the unreacted biomass is subjected to a second reaction 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein said temperature and pressure of the fluid when present are in the near-critical range for water. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 14  further comprising separating an aqueous alcoholic solution of the lignin and the xylose from the post reaction mixture by reducing at least one of the temperature and the pressure of the post reaction mixture to evolve the aqueous phase. 
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 27  further comprising precipitating the lignin by removing the alcohol from the alcoholic solution and filtering the lignin from the remaining solution containing the xylose. 
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 14  wherein the cellulose is precipitated and separated from the post reaction mixture. 
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 29  wherein the precipitation occurs by reducing the pressure of the post reaction mixture rapidly to prevent crystallization of the cellulose, providing an amorphous cellulose. 
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 29  or  claim 30  and further comprising contacting the separated cellulose with supercritical alcohol and water to hydrolyze the cellulose. 
     
     
         32 . A method according to  claim 31 , wherein the temperature in the range of 240° C. to 350° C., and at a pressure in a range of 1500 psig to 3500 psig. 
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 31 , wherein the water content of the combination before reaction is from 30 wt % to 300 wt % of the dry weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 31 , wherein the alcohol content 0.5% to 350% wt excess of the contained hexose or pentose in the feedstock 
     
     
         35 . A method according to  claim 31  wherein the period of time is 0.1 seconds to 3600 seconds. 
     
     
         36 . A composition comprising water, C.sub.1-C.sub.5 alcohol, lignin, amorphous cellulose, monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, hexose and xylose, all in solution. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 1  and  claim 14 , wherein the system is configured such that the modules present are mechanically coupled, capable of perform a continuous process.