Abstract: A bladder-type pressure tank includes an outer shell, a bladder, a nozzle, and an elbow pipe. The outer shell includes a liner and a glass-fiber layer covering the outer surface of the liner. The liner includes polyethylene (PE). The liner further includes a chamber, a first opening, and a second opening. The bladder is disposed in the chamber. In an inflated state of the bladder, a gap is formed between the inflated bladder and the inner surface of the liner. The bladder includes polyurethane (PU). The nozzle is integrated with the bladder, and is disposed in the first opening and seals the first opening. The elbow pipe includes a first end and a second end. The first end of the elbow pipe is disposed in the second opening and communicates with the chamber; and the second end of the elbow pipe is configured to connect to a pipeline.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process for biologically converting carbohydrates from lignocellulosic biomass comprising the steps of: suspending lignocellulosic biomass in a flow-through reactor, passing a reaction solution into the reactor, wherein the solution is absorbed into the biomass substrate and at least a portion of the solution migrates through said biomass substrate to a liquid reservoir, recirculating the reaction solution in the liquid reservoir at least once to be absorbed into and migrate through the biomass substrate again. The biological converting of the may involve hydrolyzing cellulose, hemicellulose, or a combination thereof to form oligosaccharides, monomelic sugars, or a combination thereof; fermenting oligosaccharides, monomelic sugars, or a combination thereof to produce ethanol, or a combination thereof. The process can further comprise removing the reaction solution and processing the solution to separate the ethanol produced from non-fermented solids.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process for biologically converting carbohydrates from lignocellulosic biomass comprising the steps of: suspending lignocellulosic biomass in a flow-through reactor, passing a reaction solution into the reactor, wherein the solution is absorbed into the biomass substrate and at least a portion of the solution migrates through said biomass substrate to a liquid reservoir, recirculating the reaction solution in the liquid reservoir at least once to be absorbed into and migrate through the biomass substrate again. The biological converting of the may involve hydrolyzing cellulose, hemicellulose, or a combination thereof to form oligosaccharides, monomelic sugars, or a combination thereof; fermenting oligosaccharides, monomelic sugars, or a combination thereof to produce ethanol, or a combination thereof. The process can further comprise removing the reaction solution and processing the solution to separate the ethanol produced from non-fermented solids.

Abstract: Described herein are improved methods of pretreating lignocellulosic biomass. One aspect of the invention relates to a two-stage pretreatment process comprising a relatively low severity steam treatment, a controlled pH pretreatment, or autohydrolysis, followed by hydrolysis with dilute acid or hot water at a relatively low temperature. In certain embodiments, the methods increase hemicellulose sugar yields, substrate digestibility, and suitability for fermentation as compared to steam explosion or acid hydrolysis alone. The two-stage pretreatment processes also employ few chemicals, minimizing the costs associated with pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Moreover, the two-stage pretreatment process may expand the range of suitable feedstocks for bioethanol production.

Abstract: Provided are methods for the efficient and cost-reduced production of ethanol or other fermentation products or both from cellulosic biomass, which methods exploit the optimal features of yeasts, fungi, and bacteria while simultaneously minimizing their limitations. For example, one aspect of the present invention relates to methods of producing ethanol or other fermentation products or both from lignocellulosic biomass via progressive fermentation using in series or parallel two or more of yeast, fungus, and bacteria.