Patents by Inventor Bruce A. Diner

Bruce A. Diner 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).

  • Publication number: 20120187228
    Abstract: Mechanical milling of biomass as a pretreatment to render the biomass readily saccharifiable requires high energy input. Preceding mechanical milling by treatment with anhydrous ammonia was found to greatly reduce the energy requirement for fine milling, providing a more economical pretreatment process for commercial use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: E.I.DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: CARL E. CAMP, JELENA CIRAKOVIC, BRUCE A. DINER, Janine Fan
  • Patent number: 8216809
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of elemental sulfur and optionally one or more alkylamine and/or one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Paul Joseph Fagan, Janine Fan
  • Publication number: 20120156738
    Abstract: An alcohol fermentation process and composition that includes production of alcohol esters by esterification of product alcohol in a fermentation medium with a carboxylic acid (e.g., fatty acid) and a catalyst (e.g., lipase) capable of esterifying the product alcohol, such as butanol, with the carboxylic acid to form the alcohol esters. The alcohol esters can be extracted from the fermentation medium, and the product alcohol recovered from the alcohol esters. The carboxylic acid can also serve as an extractant for removal of the alcohol esters from the fermentation medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: BUTAMAX(TM) ADVANCED BIOFUELS LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Anton, Stephane Francois Bazzana, Keith H. Burlew, Jelena Cirakovic, Robert Dicosimo, Bruce A. Diner, Michael Charles Grady, Brian Michael Roesch, Francis J. Woerner
  • Publication number: 20110312044
    Abstract: In an alcohol fermentation process, oil derived from biomass is chemically converted into an extractant available for in situ removal of a product alcohol such as butanol from a fermentation broth. The glycerides in the oil can be chemically converted into a reaction product, such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amides, fatty acid methyl esters, fatty acid glycol esters, and hydroxylated triglycerides, and mixtures thereof, which forms a fermentation product extractant having a partition coefficient for a product alcohol greater than a partition coefficient of the oil of the biomass for the product alcohol. Oil derived from a feedstock of an alcohol fermentation process can be chemically converting into the fermentation product extractant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: BUTAMAX(TM) ADVANCED BIOFUELS LLC
    Inventors: DOUGLAS ROBERT ANTON, JELENA CIRAKOVIC, BRUCE A. DINER, MICHAEL CHARLES GRADY, FRANCIS J. WOERNER
  • Publication number: 20110212495
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus' are disclosed for the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of biomass providing for the compartmentalization of the saccharification process and the fermentation process resulting in decreased enzymatic end-product inhibition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventor: BRUCE A. DINER
  • Patent number: 7935767
    Abstract: Novel multiblock polymers are prepared and used to disperse carbon nanotubes in solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Lech Wilczek
  • Publication number: 20100256307
    Abstract: Novel multiblock polymers are prepared and used to disperse carbon nanotubes in solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Lech Wilczek
  • Publication number: 20100159519
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of elemental sulfur and optionally one or more alkylamine and/or one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: BRUCE A. DINER, Paul Joseph Fagan, Janine Fan
  • Publication number: 20100159516
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one or more alkylamine and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Publication number: 20100159520
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of ammonia and optionally an additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin without loss of hemicellulose. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Publication number: 20100159517
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution, under alkaline conditions, in the presence of one or more organo-mercaptan and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Publication number: 20100159521
    Abstract: Methods for treating lignocellulosic biomass to produce readily saccharifiable carbohydrate-enriched biomass are provided. In one method, lignocellulosic biomass comprising lignin is treated with aqueous ammonia, then contacted with a gas comprising ozone at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C. In another method, lignocellulosic biomass comprising lignin is contacted with a gas comprising ozone at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 50° C., then treated with aqueous ammonia. The readily saccharifiable carbohydrate-enriched biomass may be saccharified with an enzyme consortium to produce fermentable sugars.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Jelena Cirakovic, Bruce A. Diner
  • Publication number: 20100159518
    Abstract: Biomass is pretreated using an organic solvent solution under alkaline conditions in the presence of one of more sulfide (hydrosulfide) salt and optionally one or more additional nucleophile to fragment and extract lignin. Pretreated biomass is further hydrolyzed with a saccharification enzyme consortium. Fermentable sugars released by saccharification may be utilized for the production of target chemicals by fermentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan
  • Patent number: 7638036
    Abstract: Nanosensors for detecting analytes and methods of detecting analytes have been developed in which the redox potential of a redox effector in solution is altered thereby causing changes in carbon nanotube conductance. The analyte may be detected in solution, eliminating the need for immobilizing the analyte on a support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Salah Boussaad, Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan, Vsevolod Rostovtsev, Ajit Krishnan
  • Patent number: 7635423
    Abstract: This invention relates to the field of nanotechnology. Specifically the invention describes a nanosensor for the detection of an analyte in which the redox potential in solution is altered thereby causing changes in carbon nanotube conductance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Salah Boussaad, Bruce A. Diner, Janine Fan, Vsevolod Rostovtsev, Ajit Krishnan
  • Patent number: 7608556
    Abstract: Carbon nanotubes have been reversibly and readily oxidized and reduced with common chemicals in solution, thereby allowing the nanotubes to be used as catalysts for chemical reactions and as stable charge storage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Ming Zheng
  • Patent number: 7588941
    Abstract: Nucleic acid molecules in a stabilized solution such as single stranded DNA and RNA were able to disperse high concentration of bundled carbon nanotubes into aqueous solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Ming Zheng, Bruce A. Diner
  • Patent number: 7498423
    Abstract: Nucleic acid molecules in a stabilized solution such as single stranded DNA and RNA were able to disperse high concentration of bundled carbon nanotubes into aqueous solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company
    Inventors: Ming Zheng, Bruce A. Diner
  • Publication number: 20080274035
    Abstract: Carbon nanotubes have been reversibly and readily oxidized and reduced with common chemicals in solution, thereby allowing the nanotubes to be used as catalysts for chemical reactions and as stable charge storage devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Inventors: BRUCE A. DINER, Ming Zheng
  • Patent number: 7429371
    Abstract: Carbon nanotubes have been reversibly and readily oxidized and reduced with common chemicals in solution, thereby allowing the nanotubes to be used as catalysts for chemical reactions and as stable charge storage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Bruce A. Diner, Ming Zheng