| abstract |
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system that uses a reversible acid to treat a biomass in a hydrolysis reaction, where the acid is revertible to components that can be recovered, reused, and/or recycled. In certain embodiments, such components of the reversible acid are neutral. In one embodiment, the acid is recovered in the presence of biomass. In another embodiment, the components of the reversible acid is recycled in the same reactor vessel where the pretreatment occurs. In yet another embodiment, the recycling is done in different reactor vessels. By reusing the reversible acid in the same reactor system, embodiments of the invention eliminates or minimizes subsequent processing steps of the components, such as removal from the pretreatment reactor, recovery, and recycling. |