Patent ID: 8603787

Claim:
A method comprising: comminuting a lignocellulosic material selected from the group consisting of grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae, and mixtures thereof; delivering to the lignocellulosic material a total dose of radiation of greater than about 20 MRads and less than about 50 MRads, at a dose rate of at least 1 Mrad/sec, prior to exposing the lignocellulosic material to an enzyme or microorganism for hydrolysis, wherein delivering comprises irradiating the lignocellulosic material with a series of doses of electron beam radiation by passing the material through and between successive showers of electrons with the lignocellulosic material being exposed to each shower for a predetermined exposure time and being allowed to at least partially cool between exposures; and after delivering the total dose of radiation to the lignocellulosic material, hydrolyzing the irradiated material with an enzyme or microorganism to produce sugars.