Patent ID: 11925925
Assignee: EMBION TECHNOLOGIES SA
Field: Organic fine chemistry (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C | IPC B  C

Claim 15:
16. A method for producing C5 and C6 sugars, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and derivatives of HMF from biomass selected from the group consisting of alkoxymethylfurfurals and haloalkylfurfurals, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing biomass;
b) optionally determining sugars contents in the biomass;
c) optionally pretreating the biomass;
d) contacting the biomass with a catalyst to form a reaction mixture, wherein the catalyst is an ionic polymer of claim 1 or a combination of ionic polymers of claim 1, the ionic polymer network of claim 10, a solid-supported ionic polymers of claim 11 and/or a membrane of claim 12;
e) degrading the biomass in the reaction mixture to produce a first liquid phase and a first solid phase, wherein the first liquid phase includes C5 oligomer sugars and/or C5 monomer sugars and can further include furfural if the time of degrading step is extended, and the first solid phase includes residual material;
f) isolating at least a portion of the first liquid phase from the first solid phase;
g) recovering C5 oligomer sugars and/or C5 monomer sugars and/or furfural from the isolated first liquid phase;
h) contacting the first solid phase that includes residual material with the same catalyst as in step d) or with a different catalyst, to form a reaction mixture, wherein the catalyst is an ionic polymer of claim 1 or a combination of ionic polymers of claim 1, the ionic polymer network of claim 10, a solid-supported ionic polymers of claim 11 and/or a membrane of claim 12;
i) further degrading the first solid phase that includes residual material in the reaction mixture to produce a second liquid phase and a second solid phase, wherein the second liquid phase includes C6 oligomer sugars and/or C6 monomer sugars and can further include 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and derivatives of HMF and/or humins if the time of degrading step is extended, and the second solid phase includes residual material;
j) isolating at least a portion of the second liquid phase from the second solid phase; and
k) recovering C6 oligomer sugars and/or C6 monomer sugars and/or 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and derivatives of HMF and/or humins from the isolated second liquid phase.