Patent attributes
A method for recovering inorganic salt during processing of a lignocellulosic feedstock is provided. The method comprises pretreating the lignocellulosic feedstock by adding an acid or a base to the feedstock to produce a pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock. A soluble base or acid is then added to the pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock to adjust the pH and produce a neutralized feedstock. The neutralized feedstock is then hydrolyzed to produce an hydrolyzed feedstock and a sugar stream. Inorganic salt is recovered from a wash stream obtained from the pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock, a stream obtained from the neutralized feedstock, a stream obtained from the sugar stream, or a combination of these streams. The inorganic salt may be concentrated, clarified, recovered and purified by crystallization, electrodialysis, drying, or agglomeration and granulation, and then used as desired, for example, as a fertilizer.
