HCL CLEANTECH TECHNOLOGY

Cellulosic materials – agriculture and forestry wastes, city sewage treatment wastes, free growing and specially grown grasses – are universally recognized as the most important, immediately available, raw material for bio-fuels.  The cellulose contained in these huge tonnages of available wastes and readily grown crops can be converted to sugars (carbohydrates) that are directly fermentable to ethanol, as practiced today with corn in the USA and cane sugar in Brazil. (Several Companies are developing novel fermentations to derive from the same sugars, fuels that are superior to ethanol).  

An industrially proven technology for virtually quantitative conversion of cellulose to carbohydrates exits. In fact Germany produced sugars from wood shavings on a very large scale for several years by a process to support its war effort. The only reason that this freely available technology is not currently used - are high costs. These are due to defined processing aspects. HCL-CLEANTECH radically reduces these costs thus providing for a quick access to cellulose-to-fuel plants.

The HCL-CLEANTECH technology for HCl recovery from aqueous solutions that contain it provides for economic use of fuming hydrochloric acid to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose and, generally, all poly-carbohydrates to their constituent monomers.  Hydrolysis yields are over 95% and Lignin solids are recovered practically intact.  Laboratory check and engineering evaluation of production costs for any prospective feed are straightforward.

The overall scheme is outlined in the flow diagram.  The recovery of hydrogen chloride as HCl gas is complete, ensuring its recycle to hydrolosis; concentration in hydrolysis can be maintained at an adjustable optimum.  The water that the hydrolysate carries compensates for lignin wash-waters and for water contained in cellulosic feeds and thus eliminates the need for pre-drying.

View our Recent Press Release on our Ethanol Process Details