Patent ID: 9605282
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: C12P,Y02E

Claim:
1. Process for the production of alcohol and/or solvent from a biomass feedstock, in which the following stages are carried out: a) a pretreatment stage is carried out by heating and bringing the biomass feedstock into contact with water and an acid or base compound in such a way as to obtain a pretreated substrate, b) bringing the pretreated substrate into contact with cellulase enzymes and with a liquid stream enriched with fermentation products and obtained in stage e) in such a way as to obtain a hydrolyzate comprising a solid residue and a liquid phase containing sugars, wherein the liquid stream that is enriched with fermentation products has a flow rate of between 50% and 1,500% by weight of the flow rate of pretreated substrate, c) conducting alcoholic fermentation of the hydrolyzate by means of an alcohologenic microorganism in such a way as to produce a fermentation wine comprising a solid material and a liquid phase containing fermentation products, d) extracting at least a portion of the solid material contained in the fermentation wine in such a way as to obtain a stream that is enriched with solid material and a fermentation wine that is low in solid material, e) washing the stream that is enriched with solid material with a liquid stream in such a way as to obtain said liquid stream that is enriched with fermentation products, with the liquid stream that is enriched with fermentation products being recycled to stage b), and f) separating the fermentation wine that is low in solid material in such a way as to obtain at least one purified stream comprising an alcohol or a solvent and at least one vinasse stream, wherein the liquid stream used in stage e) comprises at least a portion of the vinasse stream obtained in stage f).