According to USPTO Public PAIR,  a U.S. patent #: 9243303 has been issued to Zhen Fang (Kunming, CN) for technology that provides a simple and low-cost method to fast dissolve and hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass with great potential for a novel biorefinery.
The patent entitled “Method for the dissolving and rapid hydrolyzing of lignocellulose biomass, device thereof and use of the same” was issued on Jan. 26, 2016 for work done by Professor Zhen Fang, Leader and Founder of Biomass Group at Chinese Academy of Sciences. Professor Fang stated, “I am very excited to have been granted this new U.S. patent containing such claims that provide protection for ‘fast hydrolysis’ process.
In previous work, It was found that by adding 0.8 wt% Na2CO3, actual wood without pretreatment can be completely dissolved upon fast-heating (7~16°C/s) to form a ‘wood solution’ at 329-367 oC at short reaction times (0.7-2 s). The ‘wood solution’ can be rapidly (ca. 15 s) hydrolyzed to sugars/sugar oligomers under homogeneous conditions.
Recently, Prof. Fang found that without adding any cayalyst, by putting lignocellulose biomass in pure water and rapidly heated to 330~403 oC, and then 89~99% of the lignocellulose biomass is dissolved and rapidly hydrolyzed to saccharide in 3.38~21.79 s. The following hydrolysis reaction can be carried out under the homogeneous phase condition for the dissolving of the lignocellulose biomass. At the same time, the solvated biomass could be easily used in the high pressure flow reactor to continuously pretreat the biomass and hydrolyze for producing saccharide, other biofuel and product. The present invention doesn't need any catalyst and doesn't pollute the environment, furthermore the process is simple and the cost is low, and it belongs to green, continuable industry encouraged by the state, and a good prospect of market application could be taken on.
The patent is the latest development in a 23-year effort by Professor Zhen Fang in the study of biomass hydrolysis process, aimed at a simple, fast and low-cost method for a novel biorefinery.  ‘Fast hydrolysis’ process will be the technological key to economic utilization of abundant lignocellulosic biomass as viable feedstocks for the production of industrial sugar, ethanol and chemicals. His pioneering work opens the door, for the first time, to the possibility of developing industrial-scale technology at competitive cost for producing biofuels and value-added products from lignocellulosic biomass based on the ‘fast hydrolysis’ process in a flow reactor.
This patent is the third US patent issued to Professor Fang adding to its portfolio of 19 authorized Chinese patents that cover various features of biorefinery technologies after his returning to China in 2007.