The patent for the process is entitled ‘Methods and Apparatus for Processing Cellulosic Biomass.’
Aosic platform inventor Trevor P Castor said, "Cellulosic biomass is tightly wound for obvious mechanical strength reasons.
"In order to breakdown cellulose into its individual sugar molecules, cellulosic biomass must be expanded to enhance the access of enzymes that cleave the polymeric bonds between individual sugar molecules."
The company stated that steam explosion is widely used method for expanding cellulosic fibers; however, it has drawbacks such as degradation of cellulose and hemicelluloses at the high temperatures utilized and the generation of byproducts that are toxic to cellulosic degrading enzymes.
The Aosic process involves treating biomass with SuperFluids such as carbon dioxide with or without small quantities of polar cosolvents such as ethanol.
Pressure is released to make fibers more accessible to enzymes as a result of forces of SuperFluids and carbonic acid hydrolysis. Using mechanical impact devices, biomass is ejected and fiber separation is achieved, while carbon dioxide is recovered and recycled and pressure energy is recovered in a turbine.
