The present invention describes a process for a controlled conversion of a biomass feedstock, wherein the process comprises the steps of: loading the biomass feedstock to at least one reactor; liquefaction of the biomass feedstock into a monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture in said reactor by treatment in hot compressed liquid water (HCW) at sub- and/or super-critical condition; and removal of the monomer and/or oligomer sugar mixture, being the product molecules, to avoid continued detrimental decomposition.

Methods for integrating the production of carboxylated CNCs and carboxylated CNFs from cellulose are provided. Carboxylated CNCs, carboxylated cellulosic solid residues (CSRs) in the form of cellulose fibers (CF) and/or cellulose microfibrils (CMFs), and carboxylated CNFs fabricated using the methods are also provided. The methods are based on the acid hydrolysis of a cellulosic material using weak solid organic acids to produce carboxylated CNCs and CNFs with thermal stabilities that are higher than the thermal stabilities of the cellulosic materials from which they are derived.

A method is disclosed that includes washing corn husks with an acid wash to degrade at least a portion of a non-cellulosic material present in the corn husks and from pulped corn husks, wherein the non-cellulosic material comprises lignan. The method further comprises forming a slurry, wherein the slurry comprises pulped corn husks; forming the slurry into a sheet; removing a volume of liquid from the sheet; and calendaring the sheet. The method further comprises coating the sheet and cutting the sheet into a plurality of sheets.

A biomass fractionation apparatus includes a vessel having a processing chamber, an inlet configured to receive a biomass into the processing chamber, and an outlet configured to discharge processed biomass from the chamber. A bed plate is movably positioned within the processing chamber and includes a plurality of elongated fins extending outwardly therefrom in substantially parallel spaced-apart relationship. A cylindrical rotor is rotatably secured within the processing chamber in adjacent, spaced-apart relationship with the bed plate. The rotor has a plurality of elongated blades extending radially outwardly therefrom in circumferentially spaced-apart relationship. Upon rotation of the rotor, the blades are configured to accelerate a biomass within the processing chamber against the fins of the bed plate and to cause the bed plate to pulsate against the rotor.

A biomass fractionation apparatus includes a vessel having a processing chamber, an inlet configured to receive a biomass into the processing chamber, and an outlet configured to discharge processed biomass from the chamber. A bed plate is movably positioned within the processing chamber and includes a plurality of elongated fins extending outwardly therefrom in substantially parallel spaced-apart relationship. A cylindrical rotor is rotatably secured within the processing chamber in adjacent, spaced-apart relationship with the bed plate. The rotor has a plurality of elongated blades extending radially outwardly therefrom in circumferentially spaced-apart relationship. Upon rotation of the rotor, the blades are configured to accelerate a biomass within the processing chamber against the fins of the bed plate and to cause the bed plate to pulsate against the rotor.

A method comprises subjecting raw wood comprising cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose to a heat treatment at a crystallization temperature in the range of from about 150° C. to about 250° C. for a period of time sufficient to induce crystallization of cellulose in the raw wood, wherein the crystallinity of the processed raw wood as measured after delignification using 380 Raman is at least 5% greater than the crystallinity of the raw wood as measured after delignification and prior to processing using 380 Raman. The method can further comprise extracting CNCs from the processed raw wood via an acid hydrolysis procedure.

A method for separating fibers using a container, a vacuum pump which is connected to the container volume via a vacuum valve, and a ventilation line with a cross-sectional opening and a valve. The valve can be switched between a closed and open state in a time domain of 19-41 ms and from the open state into the closed state in a time domain of 20 to 45 ms. The method has the steps of filling the container with water and fiber composite, closing the container, mixing the water and the fiber composite using mechanical energy, by stirring, generating kinetic energy in the fiber composite by lowering the container internal pressure to a value between −700 to −950 hPa, and equalizing the pressure in the container to generate cavitation in the fiber composite. The pressure equalization taking place within at least onetime domain of 0.001-1 s.

A disc for use in a disc screen is disclosed. The disc includes a longitudinal disc axis and a hub extending a length along the longitudinal disc axis. The hub further includes a hub surface and a helical ridge structure extending away from the hub surface and twisting about the longitudinal axis at least 360 degrees. A cross-section of the hub taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal disc axis is non-circular.

A disc for use in a disc screen is disclosed. The disc includes a longitudinal disc axis and a hub extending a length along the longitudinal disc axis. The hub further includes a hub surface and a helical ridge structure extending away from the hub surface and twisting about the longitudinal axis at least 360 degrees. A cross-section of the hub taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal disc axis is non-circular.

The present invention relates to a process for treating lignocellulosic biomass, successively comprising b) a step of pretreatment of the biomass placed beforehand under acidic or neutral pH conditions in a pretreatment reactor (3), to produce an acidic or neutral pretreated must (AM), alternating with b′) a step of pretreatment of the biomass placed beforehand under acidic, neutral or basic conditions, with optional sufficient introduction of a basic aqueous solution (EB) into the pretreatment reactor (3) to produce a basic pretreated must (BM), and then c) a step of enzymatic hydrolysis in a hydrolysis reactor (16) of a mixture of the acidic or neutral pretreated must (AM) obtained from step b) with the basic pretreated must (BM) obtained from step b′).