Patents by Inventor Seiichi Terakura

Seiichi Terakura 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: 20120315677
    Abstract: A saccharide-solution producing apparatus 11A according to the present invention is a saccharide-solution producing apparatus for producing a saccharide solution 22 derived from a carbohydrate-based material 21, and includes a saccharide-solution controlling unit 15A that controls the saccharide solution derived from the carbohydrate-based material 21, a cellulosic biomass saccharifying unit 16 that saccharifies hydrothermally treated biomass obtained by hydrothermally decomposing a cellulosic biomass material 35 that contains a lignin component and a hemicellulose component, and produces a diluted saccharide solution 37, and a diluted-saccharide-solution supply pipe L11 that mixes the diluted saccharide solution 37 produced by the cellulosic biomass saccharifying unit 16 into the saccharide-solution controlling unit 15A. With this configuration, it is possible to improve production efficiency of the saccharide solution 22 and to realize cost reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MECHATRONICS SYSTEMS,LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Seiichi Terakura, Hideo Suzuki, Gaku Kondo, Michio Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20120178154
    Abstract: An organic material production system using biomass material includes: a hydrothermal decomposition apparatus that causes the biomass material and hot compressed water to countercurrently contact with each other and undergo hydrothermal decomposition, so as to separate the lignin component and the hemicellulose component from a biomass solid residue; a cellulose enzymatic saccharification device that treats, cellulose in the biomass solid residue, so as to enzymatically saccharify the cellulose to a first sugar solution containing hexose; an alcohol fermenter that produces alcohols by fermentation using the obtained first sugar solution; a sulfuric acid decomposition device that decomposes the hemicellulose component in hot water discharged from the hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, which contains the eluted lignin component and the eluted hemicellulose component, so as to decompose the hemicellulose component to a second sugar solution containing pentose; and a second alcohol fermenter that produces, usi
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Ryosuke Uehara, Seiichi Terakura, Kinya Fujita
  • Patent number: 8163517
    Abstract: An organic material production system using biomass material includes: a hydrothermal decomposition apparatus (13) that causes the biomass material (11) and hot compressed water (12) to countercurrently contact with each other and undergo hydrothermal decomposition, and that transfers a lignin component and a hemicellulose component into the hot compressed water, so as to separate the lignin component and the hemicellulose component from a biomass solid residue; a cellulose enzymatic saccharification device (17) that treats, with an enzyme, cellulose in the biomass solid residue, so as to enzymatically saccharify the cellulose to a first sugar solution containing hexose; an alcohol fermenter (18) that produces alcohols by fermentation using the obtained first sugar solution; a sulfuric acid decomposition device (33) that decomposes, with sulfuric acid, the hemicellulose component in hot water (30) discharged from the hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, which contains the eluted lignin component and the elut
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Ryosuke Uehara, Seiichi Terakura, Kinya Fujita
  • Publication number: 20120058544
    Abstract: To include a hydrothermal decomposition unit 17 that transports a fed biomass material 11 from one side (a lower side) to the other side (an upper side) by a screw 14 in an apparatus body 13, feeds pressurized hot water 15, which is treat water, from the other side (the upper side) that is different from a feed position of the biomass material 11 into the apparatus body 13, hydrothermally decomposes the biomass material 11 while bringing the biomass material 11 into counter contact with the pressurized hot water 15, transfers hot-water soluble fractions into a hot-water effluent 16, which is pressurized hot water to be discharged, and separates a lignin component and a hemicellulose component from the biomass material 11, and also to include a biomass discharging unit 19 that discharges a biomass solid 18 from the other side (an upper side) of the apparatus body 13 under an increased pressure to put it under a normal pressure and a solid-liquid separator 20 that discharges the effluent 16 from the one side of
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Seiichi Terakura, Yasushi Kageyama, Ryosuke Uehara, Seiji Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20120021503
    Abstract: A biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus that feeds a solid biomass material 11 from one side of an apparatus body 42, feeds hot water 15 from the other side, to hydrothermally decompose the biomass material 11 while bringing the biomass material 11 into counter contact with the hot water 15, dissolves hot-water soluble fractions in hot water, discharges the hot water to outside from the one side of the apparatus body 42 as a hot-water effluent 16, and discharges a biomass solid (a hot water insoluble) 17 to outside from the other side. The biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus includes an effective reaction region A formed from the other side to the one side of the apparatus body 42, in which a feeding temperature of the hot water 15 (for example, 200° C.) is maintained for a predetermined period of time to cause hydrothermal decomposition, and a temperature drop region B in which a temperature is rapidly dropped to a temperature (for example, 140° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Ryosuke Uehara, Hideo Suzuki, Seiichi Terakura
  • Publication number: 20110300617
    Abstract: A biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus that feeds a solid biomass material 11 from one side of an apparatus body 42, feeds pressurized hot water 15 from the other side, to hydrothermally decompose the biomass material 11 while bringing the biomass material 11 into counter contact with the pressurized hot water 15, dissolves hot-water soluble fractions in hot water, discharges the pressurized hot water to outside from the one side of the apparatus body 42 as a hot-water effluent 16, and discharges a biomass solid 17 to the outside from the other side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Ryosuke Uehara, Hideo Suzuki, Seiichi Terakura
  • Publication number: 20110124057
    Abstract: An organic material production system using biomass material includes: a hydrothermal decomposition apparatus (13) that causes the biomass material (11) and hot compressed water (12) to countercurrently contact with each other and undergo hydrothermal decomposition, and that transfers a lignin component and a hemicellulose component into the hot compressed water, so as to separate the lignin component and the hemicellulose component from a biomass solid residue; a cellulose enzymatic saccharification device (17) that treats, with an enzyme, cellulose in the biomass solid residue, so as to enzymatically saccharify the cellulose to a first sugar solution containing hexose; an alcohol fermenter (18) that produces alcohols by fermentation using the obtained first sugar solution; a sulfuric acid decomposition device (33) that decomposes, with sulfuric acid, the hemicellulose component in hot water (30) discharged from the hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, which contains the eluted lignin component and the elut
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru Genta, Ryosuke Uehara, Seiichi Terakura, Kinya Fujita
  • Publication number: 20100184176
    Abstract: A biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus includes, a biomass feeder (31) that feeds biomass material (11) under normal pressure to under increased pressure, a hydrothermal decomposition device (42A) that allows the fed biomass material (11) to be gradually moved inside a device main body (42A) from either end thereof in a consolidated condition, and also allows hot compressed water (15) to be fed from an other end of a feed section for the biomass material into the main body (42A), so as to cause the biomass material (11) and the hot compressed water (15) to countercurrently contact with each other and undergo hydrothermal decomposition, and that elutes a lignin component and a hemicellulose component into the hot compressed water, so as to separate the lignin component and the hemicellulose component from the biomass material (11); and a biomass discharger (51) that discharges, from the side where the hot compressed water is fed into the device main body, a biomass solid residue (17) under increased pr
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Isao Ishida, Seiichi Terakura, Hideo Suzuki, Seiji Kobayashi