Low Cost Innovative Greener/Safer Process for Converting Cellulose to Glucose

The current dependence of the United States on fossil fuels has sparked enormous interest in the development of biomaterials derived from biomass, specifically cellulosic biomaterials. Cellulosic biomaterials are a carbon neutral, renewable resource, and their use could drastically curtail total carbon dioxide emissions while also reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels. Biofuels is one example of biomaterials that can be derived from biomass. Worldwide biomass energy resources are estimated at 2 x 1021 J per year; this compares to the total worldwide energy reserve of about 2 x 1022 J stored in crude oil. Therefore, biomass grown over the course of a decade sequesters the energetic equivalent to the entire worldwide reserve of crude oil and represents an enormous reserve of energy that has yet to be significantly tapped. In addition, the United States itself has large reserves of cellulosic biomass, and it presents a potential route to energy independence.The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has identified a potentially attractive cellulose pretreatment process. Key to success of the CMS innovative pretreatment process is very high recovery of key starting materials. CMS has identified and provided preliminary data for successful membrane recovery of key starting materials. In Phase I CMS and JBEI demonstrated the pretreatment process and a novel membrane process for recovering the valuablekey starting materials. Using the basic datawe have quantified cost savings of CMS process being more than 60% relative to alternative process.CMS has put together a strong team of experts to demonstrate the CMS process. In Phase II we will scale up and optimize the CMS system and build a pilot test system to demonstrate the concept at larger scale. Using the pilot scale data we will conduct an engineering and economic analysis to highlight the economic advantage of the proposed concept vs. conventional technologies. This research and development project, if successful, will not only lead to a non-fossil fuel source of less-costly bio-fuels, but will also provide apractical routeto high value bio-chemicals. We expect alarge commercialization potential with this project.