Provided is a production process for powdered sugar and liquid syrup, comprising the steps of primary pressing sugar cane juice extraction, three-stage physical filtration, and sugar boiling, wherein the step of the three-stage physical filtration respectively uses a sieve plate, a bagasse separator and a micro-filtration membrane for filtration. The bagasse separator comprises a screen cylinder transversely arranged inside a separation bin. The inlet and outlet of the screen cylinder are respectively connected to a feeding bin and a discharging bin. A juice outlet and a bagasse outlet are respectively provided under the separation bin and the discharging bin. A propeller blade component is provided inside the screen cylinder. The propeller blade component is formed by combining vertical mixing blades with helical blades.

The invention provides for a portable, self-contained reverse osmosis system of which all necessary components to carry out substrate processing fit within the containment vessel. The invention weighs fewer than 50 pounds, consumes fewer than 250 watts of electricity, and can easily be carried from one location to another. While the invention is capable of processing hundreds of gallons of substrate per day, it can efficiently process as little as one gallon of substrate at a given time.

This invention relates, inter alia, to various plant-based electrolyte compositions, methods of preparing them and methods of using them. One embodiment concerns a plant-based electrolyte composition comprising a plant-derived electrolyte content high in potassium relative to sodium, and a plant-derived carbohydrate content less than about 6% weight/volume. Another embodiment concerns a method for re-hydrating an individual or preventing dehydration or over-hydration of an individual or for preventing or treating potassium deficiency in an individual, by administering to the individual a plant-based electrolyte composition. The electrolyte compositions can be prepared from sugarcane juice, sugar beet juice, sweet sorghum juice, palm syrup, maple sap, vegetable juice or fruit juice.

The process of producing concentrated maple sap can include concentrating the maple sap using membrane filtration to a sugar content of approximately 30? Brix, circulating the maple through a maple sap passage of a membrane, wherein the membrane contains the maple sap in a vacuum cavity, and evaporating the water from the maple sap across the membrane into the cavity. The concentrated maple sap having a sugar content above 50? Brix.

Biomass feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can be useful for separating solids and high molecular weight species from liquids of bioprocessed biomass material slurries.

The maple syrup filtering process includes generating pressure with a variable power output pump to generate a flow of maple syrup in a filterpress apparatus from an inlet to an outlet. The maple syrup is filtered with a filtering medium as it flows between the filterpress inlet and outlet, to generate filtered maple syrup. Fluid pressure of the maple syrup is monitored with a pressure sensor located upstream of the filtering medium. The fluid pressure might fluctuate as a result of a composition of the unfiltered maple syrup or the level of clogging of the filtering medium. A variable power output of the pump is automatically controlled with a controller responsive to fluctuations in fluid pressure monitored with the pressure sensor to achieve a target pressure measured at the pressure sensor. The filterpress apparatus can include a series of filters through which the maple syrup is filtered.

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for conversion of cellulosic material, such as chopped straw and corn stover, and household waste, to ethanol and other products. The cellulosic material is subjected to continuous hydrothermal pre-treatment without addition of chemicals, and a liquid and a fiber fraction are produced. The fiber fraction is subjected to enzymatic liquefaction and saccharification. The method of the present invention comprises: performing the hydrothermal pre-treatment by subjecting the cellulosic material to at least one soaking operation, and conveying the cellulosic material through at least one pressurized reactor, and subjecting the cellulosic material to at least one pressing operation, creating a fiber fraction and a liquid fraction; selecting the temperature and residence time for the hydrothermal pretreatment, so that the fibrous structure of the feedstock is maintained and at least 80% of the lignin is maintained in the fiber fraction.

Biomass feedstocks (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can be useful for separating solids from liquids of bioprocessed biomass material slurries. For example, filtration systems are described that include multiple centrifuges, e.g., multiple tandem centrifuges.

In one aspect, catalytic membranes are described herein. In some embodiments, a catalytic membrane comprises a surface functionalized with a polymer, the polymer comprising cellulose solubilization functionalities and acid functionalities for the catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose and/or hemicellulose.

A method of producing a sugar liquid using a cellulose-containing biomass as a raw material includes (a) hydrolyzing a cellulose-containing biomass to produce an aqueous sugar solution and (b) filtering the obtained aqueous sugar solution through a reverse osmosis membrane to collect a purified sugar liquid from a feed side, while removing fermentation-inhibiting substances from a permeate side.