Patent ID: 8764991

Claim:
A process for dewatering a starting biomass material comprising a pectin and water, the process comprising: comminuting the starting biomass material; wetting the starting biomass material with a wetting composition comprising an alcohol to form a biomass slurry, wherein the alcohol is ethanol, isopropanol, or a combination thereof and is present in the wetting composition in an amount from about 40 to about 96% by weight of the wetting composition; mechanically separating at least a first portion of the wetting composition, water, or a combination thereof from the biomass slurry to form a wetted biomass material; and mechanically separating at least a second portion of the wetting composition, water, or a combination thereof from the wetted biomass material by pressing the wetted biomass material to form a dewatered biomass material, the dewatered biomass material comprising a greater percentage by weight of dry matter than the starting biomass material, wherein the starting biomass material is selected from the group consisting of citrus peel, apple pomace, sugar beet residue from sugar production, sun flower residue from sun flower oil production, and potato residue from starch production.