Patent ID: 9169505
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: B01F,C12M,C12P

Abstract:
1. A reactor vessel assembly for the continuous enzymatic conversion of biomass to monomeric sugars, the reactor vessel assembly comprising: a source of biomass; a source of at least one enzyme; a mixing chamber having a vertical length greater than a horizontal width of the mixing chamber, an upper inlet connected to receive biomass from the source of biomass and to receive at least one enzyme from the source of the at least one enzyme, and a lower outlet, wherein the lower outlet is open to discharge a mixture from the mixing chamber while the upper inlet is open to receive the biomass and the at least one enzyme; and at least one paddle having a length oriented vertically within the mixing chamber and a width oriented horizontally and smaller than the length, wherein the at least one paddle extends at least fifty percent of the vertical length of the mixing chamber and the at least one paddle having a cross-sectional shape in a horizontal direction of one of a teardrop, diamond, crescent, ellipse and airfoil, wherein the at least one paddle moves in a circular path about a vertical axis of the chamber while maintaining the vertical orientation, and the at least one paddle forms an angle of attack with respect to a tangent to the circular path of the paddle and the angle of attack is no greater than twenty five degrees.