NAMS 2002 Workshop - ICOM 2008

Hybrid and Novel Processes I – 1 – Keynote
Monday July 14, 2:15 PM-3:00 PM, Kaua’i
Scaleable Membrane Separations for the Lignocellulosic-to-Ethanol
Biorefinery?
J. Pellegrino (Speaker), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA,
john.pellegrino@colorado.edu
K. Colyar, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
M. Gutierrez-Padilla, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
J. Hettenhaus, cea Inc., Charlotte, NC, USA
D. Schell, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, USA
There are many challenges to realizing a significant biomass-to-fuels industry
based on lignocellulosic feedstocks in the US. One of the significant issues is
how to economically address highly distributed, low density feedstock supplies
that arise from agricultural (such as, corn stover) and forestry waste material. In
addition, ways to recover and recycle fertilizer micronutrients (inculcated wthin
the biomass) back to the fields, and bring the farming community further along
the value chain, are all important criteria for successful growth of this important
industry. To these ends, we will present a brief overview of the opportunities for
membrane processes within the lignocellulosic biorefinery and ways that these
processes may potentially mitigate the economic penalties associated with small
scale plants. We will report bench-scale studies on leaching of micronutrients
from stored wet stover, co-harvested with the corn in a cooperative, and the
recovery and recycle of fertilizer anions and cations, as well as the water. We will
also present the broad results from several other membrane processes that
recover and recycle water, and/or fractionate by-products from this stover as it
undergoes pre-hydrolysis using a novel reactor designed for small scale
processing. And from the ethanol fuel product side, we have performed
separation studies on the removal of small organic molecules, which provide
inhibition of the fermentative organisms, in order to recycle water back to the
ethanol fermentor from the beer column. A variety of commercial membranes
have been considered for all these operations, and initial figures-of-merit have
been obtained and will be discussed within the context of desirable
improvements in materials and/or process configurations.