It is disclosed a continuous process for soaking a ligno-cellulosic biomass stream in an extraction solution comprising water and dissolved water soluble species derived from a previously treated ligno-cellulosic biomass. In the process, water insoluble contaminants are separated according to their apparent mass densities. The ligno-cellulosic biomass stream may be further subjected to a second optional soaking step in a counter flow configuration. The disclosed process is useful to remove non-ligno-cellulosic water soluble compounds from the ligno-cellulosic biomass with a low consumption of water.

A process for recovering carbonized lignin having a defined grain size distribution from a lignin-containing liquid is provided. The lignin-containing liquid is subjected to a hydrothermal carbonization to convert the lignin into a carbonized lignin and the carbonized lignin is separated from the liquid containing the carbonized lignin. The lignin-containing liquid is subjected to a hydrothermal carbonization at temperatures in the range from about 150° C. to about 280° C. and by adapting the H+ ion concentration in the lignin-containing liquid before and/or during the hydrothermal carbonization the grain size distribution of the carbonized lignin is adjusted.

The present invention relates to a method for precipitating lignin from organosolv pulping liquors. For this purpose, the organosolv pulping liquor is introduced as a precipitation medium in an already existing aqueous dispersion of lignin particles or a filtrate of an aqueous dispersion of lignin particles, wherein a separate, lignin-containing phase in a dispersed state is produced.

A comprehensive process for treating lignocellulosic biomass in order to separate the biomass into its component parts, the process comprising: a) contacting the lignocellulosic biomass with a first solvent for a period of time and at a first temperature at a severity in the range of about 2 to about 4 to remove extractive components and a portion of ash from the biomass; b) contacting the biomass from step (a) with a second solvent, and optional catalyst, at a second temperature at a severity in the range of about 1 to 5 to remove hemicelluloses and additional ash from the biomass; and c) separating the biomass from step (b) into a lignin product and a cellulose product by contacting the biomass from step (b) with a third solvent at a severity in the range of about 1.5 to 5 to provide a spent liquor product and a solid fraction containing cellulose.

The invention is characterised in the steps of a) performing a first separation of the mixture in a first centrifugal separator, resulting in a first heavy fraction comprised of the heavy phase with only small amounts of impurities in the form of the light phase and a first light fraction comprising of the light phase with impurities in form of the heavy phase; and b) performing a second separation of the first light fraction in a second hermetic centrifugal separator of purificator type, resulting in a second heavy fraction comprised of the heavy phase with impurities in the form of the light phase and a second light fraction comprised of the light phase with only small amounts of impurities in the form of the heavy phase. The invention also relates to a device.

A method including: (a) contacting lime with an extract including a S1 solvent carrying a contaminant load to form a lime treated extract; and (b) reducing the contaminant load by removing solids. Optionally, the method includes washing the lime treated extract with water. Optionally, a pH of the lime treated extract is at least 6.5.

The present invention relates to a pretreatment process of lignocellulosic biomass, comprising contacting lignocellulosic biomass with pretreatment solution in a temperature ranging from an ambient temperature to 100° C. and a pressure of at least 20 bars, wherein the pretreatment solution comprising water, water-miscible organic solvent and alkali having a concentration of 5 to 15% w/v if the alkali is solid or 5 to 15% v/v if the alkali is liquid. Said pretreatment process operates in mild condition or at low temperature to be specified with the removing of lignin but not destroying cellulose and increasing desired sugar yield.

The saccharification reaction mixture can saccharify at least one of cellulose and hemicellulose and contains, in a dispersion state, at least one of cellulose and hemicellulose, a saccharification enzyme, and colloidal silica. The ratio of the amount of the saccharification enzyme not immobilized on colloidal silica to the entire amount of the saccharification enzyme is 25% to 100%.

The present invention relates generally to the generation of bio-products from organic matter feedstocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of pulping liquors in the hydrothermal/thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic and/or fossilised organic feedstocks into biofuels (e.g. bio-oils) and/or chemical products (e.g. platform chemicals).

A method of isolating compounds from a tobacco-derived black liquor, including receiving a black liquor from a pulping process of an input material comprising a plant of the Nicotiana species, treating the black liquor with an acid to lower the pH of the black liquor to about 7 or lower in order to produce a precipitate and an acidified black liquor, separating the precipitate and the acidified black liquor, extracting the acidified black liquor with an organic solvent in order to produce an organic layer extract and an aqueous layer extract, and separating the organic layer extract and the aqueous layer extract.