Embodiments of the present invention are directed to processes for the production of (R)-3-hydroxybutyl (R)-3-hydroxybyrate. Poly (R)-3-hydroxybyrate is transesterified with an alcohol, to form a first ester portion and a second ester portion. The first ester portion is reduced to the diol to form a diol portion and the diol portion is reacted with the second ester portion to produce (R)-3-hydroxybutyl (R)-3-hydroxybyrate.

The present invention relates to an aviation fuel composition comprising an aviation range fuel component and a diesel range fuel component originating from renewable sources, the diesel range fuel component having a cloud point of at most about −20° C. and existent gum more than about 7 mg/100 ml, wherein existent gum of the aviation fuel composition is at most about 7 mg/100 ml.

The invention relates to a method for producing a solid transformation product of a substrate comprising the following steps: •preparing a substrate of biomass comprising carbohydrates and proteinaceous matter that originates from soya bean, rape seed, or mixtures thereof, optionally in further mixture with carbohydrates and proteinaceous matter originating from fava beans, peas, sunflower seeds, lupine, cereals, and/or grasses, •mixing said substrate with a live microorganism or a combination of live microorganisms, which live microorganism or mixture of live microorganisms is not live yeast, and adding water in an amount which provides an initial incubation mixture having a water content from 30 to 70% by weight, and a ratio of wet bulk density to dry bulk density from 0.60 to 1.45 in the resulting mixture; •incubating said initial incubation mixture for 1-240 hours at a temperature of 15-70° C.; and thereafter recovering wet solid transformation product from the incubation mixture; further comprising that the incubating step is performed as a continuous plug-flow process in a vertical, non-agitated incubation tank with inlet means for said mixture and additives and outlet means for said solid transformation product.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning system for biomass material handling systems and methods for such system. The cleaning system for a biomass material treatment stage in a continuous process system includes a hydrolysis or pre-hydrolysis reactor, a feeding arrangement is arranged to continuously feed biomass material to an inlet of the reactor, wherein reactor includes a reactor screw for moving the biomass material through the reactor and a discharge pipe including a discharge screw for continuously discharging treated biomass material. At least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged inside a housing of said reactor, wherein the at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent at predetermined intervals during operation of the reactor.

Provided is a method for producing an organic substance from a syngas by microbial fermentation, wherein only the solid component can be efficiently separated from an organic substance-containing liquid obtained by microbial fermentation to reduce the content of microorganisms, etc. Disclosed is a method for producing an organic substance from a syngas containing carbon monoxide by microbial fermentation, which comprises a microbial fermentation step wherein the syngas is fed to a microbial fermenting vessel and a liquid containing an organic substance is obtained by microbial fermentation, a solid-liquid separation step wherein the organic substance-containing liquid is separated into a solid component containing microorganisms and a liquid component containing an organic substance, and an extraction step wherein the organic substance-containing liquid is extracted from the liquid component, wherein the organic substance-containing liquid is heated to 40° C. or higher and then subjected to a centrifugal separation operation.

A fuel production system 1 includes a gasification unit 3; an electrolysis unit 60 that is connected to a renewable power generating unit 5 and a commercial power grid 8 and produces hydrogen using electric power; and a control unit 7 that determines a power index that depending on the carbon dioxide emission intensity of the electric power supplied from the commercial power grid 8. When the remaining amount of hydrogen is smaller than a lower threshold, the control unit 7 causes electric power to be supplied to the electrolysis unit 60 from the renewable power generating unit 5 and the commercial power grid 8 for production of hydrogen, and controls, based on the power index, the amount of hydrogen supplied by a hydrogen supply pump 64 and the amount of commercial power supply from the commercial power grid 8 to the electrolysis unit 60.

The presently disclosed subject matter provides a process for starch liquefaction using at least two classes of α-amylase enzymes, wherein the starch hydrolysis pattern from at least two of these classes is different. At least one class of enzyme is provided to the liquefaction process in the form of transgenic plant material expressing at least one class of α-amylase enzyme or is provided in the form of a purified or partially-purified α-amylase enzyme preparation. The second or subsequent class(es) of α-amylase enzymes may be provided in the form of additional transgenic plant material expressing the second or subsequent class(es), or may be provided in the form of a second or subsequent purified or partially-purified α-amylase enzyme preparation.

This disclosure relates to new processes to produce high paraffinic diesel from crude oil, such as tight oil from the Permian basin. This disclosure also relates to high paraffinic diesel compositions and high paraffinic diesel blends.

The present invention is directed to a yeast strain, or strains, secreting a full suite, or any subset of that full suite, of enzymes to hydrolyze corn starch, corn fiber, lignocellulose, (including enzymes that hydrolyze linkages in cellulose, hemicellulose, and between lignin and carbohydrates) and to utilize pentose sugars (xylose and arabinose). The invention is also directed to the set of proteins that are well expressed in yeast for each category of enzymatic activity. The resulting strain, or strains can be used to hydrolyze starch and cellulose simultaneously. The resulting strain, or strains can be also metabolically engineered to produce less glycerol and uptake acetate. The resulting strain, or strains can also be used to produce ethanol from granular starch without liquefaction. The resulting strain, or strains, can be further used to reduce the amount of external enzyme needed to hydrolyze a biomass feedstock during an Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) process, or to increase the yield of ethanol during SSF at current saccharolytic enzyme loadings. In addition, multiple enzymes of the present invention can be co-expressed in cells of the invention to provide synergistic digestive action on biomass feedstock. In some aspects, host cells expressing different heterologous saccharolytic enzymes can also be co-cultured together and used to produce ethanol from biomass feedstock.

A process can be used for preparing sodium and potassium alkoxides. The process is characterized by two simultaneously implemented but spatially separated reactions of an alcohol ROH with NaOH, and ROH with KOH, to give sodium alkoxide and potassium alkoxide, respectively. The vapours formed in this case contain the alcohol used and water. The vapours are combined, and the resulting mixed vapour is fed to a common distillation with recovery of the alcohol.