Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

PureVision Biomass Fractionation 186
USA, Commercial
Crop
Residue
Process
Equipment
Main Product
Corn, wheat, wood, etc.
Corn stalks and wheat straw, wood residues such
as forest thinnings and municipal paper wastes.
PureVision Biomass Fractionation
Reactive fractionation
Paper, substitutions for wood pulp, non wood pulp
and synthetically processed cellulose pulp. These
pulps can be used in all forms of papers as well as
a wide range of other materials including
dissolving pulps for producing rayon, Lyocell and
cellulose acetate fibers used in both textile and
technical applications, fiber for automotive
composites, and building products.
Technical Description of Technology 187
Reactive fractionation, a patented process that separates the major
components of biomass and converts them into fiber, lignin and sugars for
others to process into value added products. PureVision’s core technology
separates the primary constituents of cellulosic biomass within one
pressurized reaction chamber into three streams. This continuous process
employs a counter-current extraction technique that removes and recovers
the hemicellulose and lignin fractions in two liquid streams, resulting in a solid
fraction containing a relatively pure cellulose or fiber. This patented biomass
fractionation process occurs within approximately 10 minutes.
In the PureVision process, cellulosic biomass is size-reduced and fed into a
pressurized reaction chamber uniquely designed for counter-current
processing. The PureVision technology can be accomplished in a single stage
or in multi-stages, depending upon the desired products. A distinguishing
feature of the PureVision process is the ability to efficiently separate
(fractionate) biomass into its three main constituents: hemicelllulose, lignin
and cellulose.
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