The Week in Biofuels, A (U.S.) Patent (Application) Perspective
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski:
The following U.S. patent applications published this week relating to biofuels.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184161 (The Regents of the University of California) discloses a thermophilic endo-beta-1,4 xylanase derived from Acidothermus cellulolyticus useful in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184151 (Iogen) discloses a process in which a recycle stream containing calcium carbonate and/or calcium hydroxide is used to pH adjust acid pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock. The calcium carbonate and/or calcium hydroxide arises from calcium native to the lignocellulosic feedstock. According to the specification, the process can lead to significantly reduced amounts of alkali and therefore improved economics.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184130 relates to a method for increasing the oil yield from the green biomass of plants, and a plant that has been genetically modified such that its green biomass has at least 10-fold the amount by weight of triacylglycerols and at least 2-fold the amount by weight of total extractable fatty acids as compared to the green biomass of its non-genetically modified counterpart.
US Pat. Pub. No. 20100181034 (Greenfield Ethanol Inc.) relates to a lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment process wherein the amount of inhibitory compounds of downstream hydrolysis and fermentation are reduced. The process includes exposing biomass to steam at elevated temperature and pressure for a preselected amount of time and during which time volatile and/or liquid purge streams are systematically operated to remove inhibitory compounds.
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