Patents by Inventor Masateru Ito
Masateru Ito has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20180237389Abstract: A method of producing ?-caprolactam from 3-oxoadipic acid includes: step 1 of mixing at least one selected from the group consisting of 3-oxoadipic acid and salts thereof with a catalyst and a solvent in the presence of hydrogen to produce 3-hydroxyadipic acid; and step 2 of reacting the 3-hydroxyadipic acid which is a product of step 1, a salt or carboxylic acid derivative thereof, or a mixture of these with hydrogen and ammonia.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2016Publication date: August 23, 2018Inventors: Daijiro Tsukamoto, Masateru Ito, Katsushige Yamada, Kohei Yamashita, Masato Akahira, Koji Yamauchi
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Publication number: 20180223318Abstract: A method of producing ?-hydromuconic acid using a metabolic pathway of a microorganism is disclosed. The method of producing ?-hydromuconic acid includes the step of culturing at least one type of microorganism having a capacity to produce ?-hydromuconic acid, selected from the group consisting of microorganisms belonging to the genus Escherichia, microorganisms belonging to the genus Pseudomonas, microorganisms belonging to the genus Hafnia, microorganisms belonging to the genus Bacillus, microorganisms belonging to the genus Cupriavidus, microorganisms belonging to the genus Acinetobacter, microorganisms belonging to the genus Alcaligenes, microorganisms belonging to the genus Delftia, and microorganisms belonging to the genus Shimwellia.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2016Publication date: August 9, 2018Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Kyohei ISOBE, Kenji KAWAMURA, Masateru ITO, Katsushige YAMADA
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Publication number: 20180142271Abstract: A novel method of producing 3-hydroxyadipic acid using a metabolic pathway of a microorganism is disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2016Publication date: May 24, 2018Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Kyohei ISOBE, Kenji KAWAMURA, Masateru ITO, Katsushige YAMADA
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Publication number: 20170320819Abstract: A method for selective production of ?-caprolactam, wherein a substance inducible from a biomass resource is used as a material; the reaction process is short; ammonium sulfate is not produced as a by-product; and production of by-products is suppressed; is disclosed. The method for producing ?-caprolactam comprises the step of reacting a particular compound inducible from a biomass resource, such as ?-hydromuconic acid, 3-hydroxyadipic acid, or 3-hydroxyadipic acid-3,6-lactone, or a salt thereof with hydrogen or ammonia.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2015Publication date: November 9, 2017Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Masateru ITO, Daijiro TSUKAMOTO, Kenji KAWAMURA, Kohei YAMASHITA, Masato AKAHIRA, Katsushige YAMADA, Koji YAMAUCHI
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Patent number: 9533931Abstract: A process produces 1,4-butanediol by purifying 1,4-butanediol originated from a fermentation broth, by which process 1,4-butanediol having properties suited as a material of producing a polyester is obtained, which 1,4-butanediol enables to reduce by-production of tetrahydrofuran during the esterification reaction and to reduce the delay in polymerization. The process of producing 1,4-butanediol includes adding an alkaline substance other than an ammonia or an amine to an aqueous 1,4-butanediol-containing solution originated from a fermentation broth; distilling the resulting mixture; and recovering a 1,4-butanediol-containing solution from the vapor flow.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2014Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Izumi Morita, Masateru Ito, Satoshi Sakami, Masataka Makino, Katsushige Yamada, Mark J. Burk, Michael Japs, Warren Clark
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Patent number: 9499460Abstract: An alcohol production method whereby high quality alcohol can be easily and effectively produced includes a step in which an alcohol solution, which contains sugar and/or sugar alcohol as an impurity and an alcohol other than sugar alcohol as a main component, has the sugar and/or sugar alcohol adsorptively removed therefrom by contacting the alcohol solution with one type or a mixture of two or more types of adsorbents selected from zeolite, an ion-exchange resin, silica alumina, and alumina.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2013Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Masateru Ito, Satoshi Sakami, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20160185694Abstract: An alcohol production method whereby high quality alcohol can be easily and effectively produced includes a step in which an alcohol solution, which contains sugar and/or sugar alcohol as an impurity and an alcohol other than sugar alcohol as a main component, has the sugar and/or sugar alcohol adsorptively removed therefrom by contacting the alcohol solution with one type or a mixture of two or more types of adsorbents selected from zeolite, an ion-exchange resin, silica alumina, and alumina.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2013Publication date: June 30, 2016Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Masateru Ito, Satoshi Sakami, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20160052845Abstract: A process produces 1,4-butanediol by purifying 1,4-butanediol originated from a fermentation broth, by which process 1,4-butanediol having properties suited as a material of producing a polyester is obtained, which 1,4-butanediol enables to reduce by-production of tetrahydrofuran during the esterification reaction and to reduce the delay in polymerization. The process of producing 1,4-butanediol includes adding an alkaline substance other than an ammonia or an amine to an aqueous 1,4-butanediol-containing solution originated from a fermentation broth; distilling the resulting mixture; and recovering a 1,4-butanediol-containing solution from the vapor flow.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2014Publication date: February 25, 2016Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Izumi Morita, Masateru Ito, Satoshi Sakami, Masataka Makino, Katsushige Yamada, Mark J. Burk, Michael Japs, Warren Clark
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Patent number: 9056805Abstract: Highly pure butanol can be produced by a method for producing butanol, the method comprising: Step A, wherein a butanol-containing solution is filtered through a nanofiltration membrane and a butanol-containing solution is recovered from the permeate side; Step B, wherein the butanol-containing solution obtained in Step A is passed through a reverse osmosis membrane and thereby concentrated to cause two-phase separation into a butanol phase and an aqueous phase; and Step C, wherein butanol is recovered from the butanol phase obtained in Step B.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2011Date of Patent: June 16, 2015Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Masateru Ito, Izumi Morita, Shinichi Yamane, Katsushige Yamada
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Patent number: 9018424Abstract: A method for producing a diol or triol, which has a step of removing impurities contained in a diol- or triol-containing solution, is provided. In the method, a diol- or triol-containing solution is filtered through a nanofiltration membrane having a polyamide-containing functional layer. The diol- or triol-containing solution is then collected from the permeate flow of the nanofiltration membrane.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2011Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Izumi Morita, Masateru Ito, Hideki Sawai, Shinichi Minegishi, Katsushige Yamada, Kenji Kawamura, Shinichi Yamane
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Publication number: 20150112041Abstract: A method of producing lactic acid includes removing glycerol from an aqueous lactic acid solution containing glycerol as an impurity using an ion-exchange resin. The lactic acid can be separated simply and at low cost from an aqueous lactic acid solution containing glycerol as an impurity.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2013Publication date: April 23, 2015Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Masateru Ito, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20140296471Abstract: A diol composition includes a diol as a major component and has an electrical conductivity of 0.6 to 30 mS/m.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2012Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Masateru Ito, Izumi Morita, Kenji Kawamura, Tetsuya Yamada, Sadanori Kumazawa, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20140287461Abstract: A method of producing a sugar liquid using a cellulose-containing biomass as a raw material includes (a) hydrolyzing a cellulose-containing biomass to produce an aqueous sugar solution and (b) filtering the obtained aqueous sugar solution through a reverse osmosis membrane to collect a purified sugar liquid from a feed side, while removing fermentation-inhibiting substances from a permeate side.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2014Publication date: September 25, 2014Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Hiroyuki Kurihara, Atsushi Minamino, Masateru Ito, Hideki Sawai, Masayuki Hanakawa, Shin-ichi Minegishi, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20140238841Abstract: A method of producing 2,3-butanediol includes subjecting a 2,3-butanediol culture liquid produced by microbial fermentation to nanofiltration membrane treatment and ion-exchange treatment (Step A), and then adding an alkaline substance and performing distillation (Step B).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2012Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Kenji Kawamura, Izumi Morita, Masateru Ito, Kyohei Isobe, Satoshi Sakami, Katsushige Yamada
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Patent number: 8765405Abstract: A sugar liquid containing only very small amounts of fermentation-inhibiting substances is produced by a method for producing a sugar liquid using a cellulose-containing biomass as a raw material, the method including: (1) a step of hydrolyzing a cellulose-containing biomass to produce an aqueous sugar solution; and (2) a step of filtering the obtained aqueous sugar solution through a nanofiltration membrane and/or reverse osmosis membrane to collect a purified sugar liquid from the feed side, while removing fermentation-inhibiting substances from the permeate side.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Hiroyuki Kurihara, Atsushi Minamino, Masateru Ito, Hideki Sawai, Masayuki Hanakawa, Shin-ichi Minegishi, Katsushige Yamada
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Patent number: 8759045Abstract: A method of producing lactic acid by separating lactic acid produced in a culture solution by microbial fermentation, comprising: a step (A) of filtering the culture solution through a nano-filtration membrane; and a step (B) of distilling a lactic-acid-containing solution produced in step (A) under a pressure of 1 Pa to atmospheric pressure (inclusive) at a temperature of 25 to 200° C. (inclusive) to recover lactic acid.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2012Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Masateru Ito, Shin-ichi Minegishi, Eri Shimizu, Kenji Sawai, Yohito Ito, Hideki Sawai, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20140171614Abstract: By subjecting an organic acid derived from a biomass resource to oxidation treatment using an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide, tert-butylhydroperoxide, ozone, sodium hypochlorite or sodium chlorite, colored impurities contained in the organic acid derived from a biomass resource can be removed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2012Publication date: June 19, 2014Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Tetsuya Yamada, Masateru Ito, Katsushige Yamada, Kenji Kawamura
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Publication number: 20140012041Abstract: A method produces a lactic acid salt and includes subjecting an aqueous lactic acid salt solution comprising a formic acid salt in an amount of not less than 7.0% by weight with respect to the lactic acid salt to crystallization, and recovering the lactic acid salt. By subjecting the aqueous lactic acid salt solution including a formic acid salt in an amount of not less than 7.0% by weight with respect to the lactic acid salt to crystallization, supersaturation of the lactic acid salt can be stabilized, and the recovery of the lactic acid salt can be increased.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2011Publication date: January 9, 2014Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.Inventors: Miyuki Horiguchi, Masateru Ito, Takeshi Munegumi, Katsushige Yamada
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Publication number: 20130330792Abstract: A method of producing a chemical by continuous fermentation includes a fermentation step of converting a fermentation feedstock to a fermentation liquid containing a chemical by fermentation on cultivation of a microorganism; a membrane separation step of recovering the chemical as a filtrate by a separation membrane from the fermentation liquid; a concentrating step of obtaining a permeate and a concentrate containing the chemical by a reverse osmosis membrane from the filtrate; and/or a purification step of distilling the filtrate to increase a purity of the chemical, in which, cleaning etc. of the separation membrane in the membrane separation step is preformed by using the permeated liquid from the reverse osmosis membrane in the concentrating step and/or the condensed liquid in the purification step.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 15, 2011Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Norihiro Takeuchi, Masahiro Henmi, Jihoon Cheon, Masateru Ito, Hiroshi Hayakawa, Makoto Nishida
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Patent number: 8558037Abstract: A method of producing butanol, which has a step of removing impurities contained in a butanol-containing solution, is provided. In the method, a butanol-containing solution is filtered through a nanofiltration membrane. Then the butanol-containing solution is collected from the permeate flow of the nanofiltration membrane.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2011Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.Inventors: Izumi Morita, Masateru Ito, Hideki Sawai, Shinichi Minegishi, Katsushige Yamada, Kenji Kawamura