The invention relates to an enzyme composition, a process for the preparation thereof and the use of the enzyme composition in enzymatic hydrolysis.

The present invention relates to an improved method of second generation ethanol production from a lignocellulosic biomass. The process comprises subjecting a slurry of pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass comprising C5 and C6 sugars in a fermentor; preferentially fermenting mainly C5 sugars by incubating the pretreated lignocellulosic biomass of step (i) with first cellulase enzyme, co-fermenting microorganism, nutrient in the fermentor at 30-37° C. for a period of 16 to 24 hours; adding second cellulase enzyme to the fermentation broth of step (ii) and increasing the temperature to 45-55° C. for hydrolysis; allowing the fermentation broth of step (iii) to cool to a temperature of 35-38° C.; and preferentially fermenting C6 sugars by incubating the broth of step (iv) with a second dose of co-fermenting microorganism for a period of 6-8 hours to obtain ethanol. The process results in high ethanol productivity in shortest duration of time.

A method of enzymatically hydrolyzing pretreated lignocellulosic biomass at high solids concentration includes introducing pretreated biomass to a hydrolysis reactor, to hydrolyze the cellulose to glucose monomer and glucose oligomers, and circulating a liquid stream, from which glucose is removed to reduce glucose inhibition of cellulose hydrolysis. A surfactant may be added to the hydrolysis reactor. Heat and/or acid treatment of the glucose oligomers may be used to generate additional glucose monomer. Some variations introduce pretreated biomass to a hydrolysis reactor to hydrolyze cellulose to glucose monomer and glucose oligomers, followed by conveying a portion of the solid phase to a mechanical refiner and/or a unit under reduced pressure, to generate a refined and/or exploded solid phase; and recycling the refined and/or exploded solid phase, optionally reheated, back to an input of the hydrolysis reactor.

Disclosed are compositions, methods, and systems for propagating microorganisms for fermentation.

An anaerobic digestion system for producing biogas from biomass, particularly biomass that is lignocellulosic, and includes two separate and interacting anaerobic reactor environments to solubilize lignocellulosic materials and make them available for conversion to biogas.

Spent stillage remaining after the fermentation of a feedstock for ethanol production may be processed to recover, use, and/or recycle the constituent components of the stillage. Stillage may be mixed, heated, and held at a desired temperature for a period of time. The stillage may then be cooled and treated with an enzyme. The enzymatically treated stillage may be emulsified with oil and water, and then permitted to settle into discrete layers. Individual layers may then be processed. A system and method for separating stillage after the fermentation process of ethanol production has concluded are provided.

A process for the fermentative conversion of at least one cellulose and/or hemicellulose-containing secondary raw material into a carbon, in particular lactic acid-based product, the secondary raw material containing at least one pH regulator.

The invention relates to a strain of Trichoderma reesei BLCY-007 and its application in the production of xylooligosaccharides.

A method for making a disposable absorbent article is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing a first nonwoven comprising synthetic fibers comprising a .sup.14C/C ratio of about 1.0×10.sup.−14 or greater, providing a second nonwoven comprising synthetic fibers comprising a comprising a .sup.14C/C ratio of about 1.0×10.sup.−14 or greater, converting the second nonwoven into a topsheet so that the topsheet comprises a Liquid Strike Through value of less than 4 seconds, and combining the first nonwoven and the topsheet with other absorbent article components to form a disposable absorbent article.

The invention relates to a method for producing biogas from lignocellulose-containing biomass, preferably from straw, and to a plant for carrying out said method.