An integrated process and corresponding apparatus that produces a relatively clean, delignified cellulose product from lignocellulosic biomass. The method includes treating a portion of the delignified cellulose itself as a substrate to produce on-site cellulolytic enzymes, including further treating the remaining delignified cellulose with the resulting cellulolytic enzymes for in situ enzymatic hydrolysis. The process and apparatus are useful to produce fermentable sugars for cost-effective manufacturing of fermentable sugars, fuels, bioproducts and chemicals.

Cotton-containing textiles, such as “trash” feedstock in terms of end-of-life-cotton textiles, may be used to produce sugar without the same kinds of harsh pretreatments used for other biomasses, such as corn, grass sources, or wood. Disclosed is a process for production of sugar from a cotton-containing textile waste fabric comprising optionally mechanically pretreating the cotton-containing textile, pretreating the cotton-containing textile with an acid pretreatment to form a slurry, cooling the slurry, adding at least one base to the slurry, adding at least one additional acid to the slurry to form a buffer in situ, adding a hydrolysis enzyme, and optionally filtering the slurry.

Processes are described herein for realizing an enhanced yield of ethanol and co-products from processes for producing ethanol from biomass containing lignocellulosic material. Also described herein are product outputs of these processes having new and useful properties and systems implementing the processes.

The present invention provides an improved process for high titer lactic acid production using simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation process using acid treated lignocellulosic biomass. The process comprises of pretreating lignocellulosic biomass comprising C5 and C6 sugars with dilute acid and superheated steam at a temperature ranging from 150-210° C.; neutralizing the pretreated lignocellulosic biomass of step (i) with NaOH pellets; and adding cellulase enzyme in the range of 1.5 to 10 FPU/g, bacteria, nutrients and buffering agent to the neutralized slurry obtained in step (ii) for hydrolysis and co-fermentation of C5 and C6 sugars at a temperature ranging from 40-45° C. for a period of 120-144 hours to obtain lactic acid. The process of the present invention requires simple nutrients and results in high titer lactic acid production within shortest duration of time.

Methods of fractionating lignocellulosic biomass using maleic acids are provided. Also provided are methods of forming lignin particles, furans, sugars, and/or lignocellulosic micro- and nanofibrils from the liquid and solid fractions produced by fractionation process. The fractionation can be carried out at low temperatures with short reaction times to carboxylate and dissolve lignin with a low degree of condensation.

Provided are methods and compositions for high yields while using reduced enzyme loads in saccharification and fermentation processes. These methods increase the efficiency of enzymes and result in improved yields and composition of saccharification and fermentation end products.

The invention relates to a process for producing biogas from fibrous substrate by anaerobic fermentation. The process is characterised in that a) the fibrous substrate is fed together with process liquid to a fermenter containing anaerobic microorganisms depending on the TSS content ascertained in this fermenter, b) the fibrous substrate is subjected to wet fermentation in this fermenter to produce biogas c) the output containing fermented fibrous substrate is drawn off from the fermenter and the TSS content in the fermenter is ascertained, d) the TSS content ascertained is compared with a fixed target range and e) depending on the result from d), step a) is repeated with adjusted amounts in order to comply with the target range for the TSS in the fermenter.

Processes and systems for recovering products from a fermentation mash. In some examples, a process for recovering products from a fermentation mash can include processing a ground corn product to produce a fermentation mash that can include ethanol. At least a portion of the ethanol can be separated from the fermentation mash to produce a whole stillage. The whole stillage can be separated to produce a fiber rich product and a filtrate. The fiber rich product can be hydrolyzed to produce a saccharification mash. The saccharification mash can be processed to produce additional ethanol and a stillage protein product.

Processes of treating grain (e.g., corn), involving milling the grain to produce milled grain wherein the grain germ remains intact in the milled grain, and producing a mixture by mixing the milled grain with water and at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of protease, alpha amylase, glucoamylase, cell wall degrading enzyme, and mixtures thereof, wherein the pH of the mixture is optionally adjusted to a pH of about 3.5 to about 6.5, and incubating the mixture for about 1 to about 3 hours to produce an incubated mixture.

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of a polysaccharide substrate, said method comprising at least one step of: enzymatic hydrolysis of said substrate with a mixture of enzymes, said mixture comprising at least one enzyme selected from lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases; in the presence of chemically modified lignin, wherein during at least part of the time of said step of enzymatic hydrolysis, H.sub.2O.sub.2 is supplied to the reaction mixture comprising said substrate, said mixture of enzymes and said chemically modified lignin, either from an external source or by generation in situ.