Patent Application
20240018463
The present invention relates generally to processing cellulose and hemicellulose materials, and in particular to a system and method for producing an ethanol-laden fiber stream for a low ethanol beer stripping system.
Systems and methods have previously been available for processing cellulose and hemicellulose materials. However, none has been available with the advantages and features of the present invention.
This invention generally provides a system and method processing cellulose and hemicellulose materials, and in particular to a system and method for producing an ethanol-laden fiber stream for a low ethanol beer stripping system.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.
Fiber feed, 105, containing cellulose and hemicellulose at varying content and milled to less than ¼″ will be fed to the Fiber Slurry Tank, 100, from a preexisting ethanol plant where the material is mixed with evaporator condensate, 610, and recycled fiber, 530, to produce a fiber slurry, 110, that is approximately 5-15% wt solids. This fiber slurry, 110, is fed to the Fiber Sterilization system, 200, where steam 250 is injected in the mixture to produce hot fiber slurry, 210, and fed to a hot holding tank, 260, where the mixture is held at approximately 200 F to 280 F for 5 minutes to sterilize the material. This fiber slurry is mixed with steam vapors where the slurry is heated to 280 F and held for 5 minutes in the Hot Hold Tank, 260, to sterilize the material. The heat-treated fiber slurry, 265, is fed to a Fiber Flash Tank, 280, where flash vapors, 285, at approximately 185 F are vented and utilized at the Evaporation System, 600. The flash cooled fiber slurry, 286, is then passed through a cooling system, 300, where a cooled fiber slurry, 310, is produced at approximately 90 F and sent to the Fiber Reactor System, 400. The fiber slurry is cooled to 90 F using cooling tower water, 350.
At the Fiber Reactor System, 400, the cooled fiber, 310, is mixed with microorganisms, 405, which may consist of Ruminococcus albus, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Bacteroides and Clostridium, rumen culture isolated from sheep and cattle, and micronutrients, 408, which may consist of sources that provide calcium, magnesium, potassium and nitrogen. The stream of reactor slurry, 420, is pumped continuously from the Fiber Reactor System, 400, to a Fiber Filter System, 500, where a suspended solids stream, 510, is separated and sent back to the Fiber Reactor System, 400. A fine particle filtrate, 530, will be removed from the clear liquid, 520, and sent back to the Fiber Slurry Tank, 100. The clear liquid, 520, from the Fiber Filter System, 500, containing approximately 0.5-2% wt sugars is sent to the Evaporation System, 600, where the sugar stream is condensed to produce a sugar product, 620, that is approximately 4-20% wt solids. Flash vapors 285, from the Fiber Flash Tank, 280, at approximately 185 F is used to provide the heat needed at the Evaporation System, 600. Evaporator condensate, 610, is sent back to the Fiber Slurry Tank, 100, where it is mixed with the incoming fiber feed material.
The evaporator vapors will be condensed using cooling tower water, 650. A small fiber waste stream, 430, will be rejected from the Fiber Reactor System.
The sugar product, 620, can be collected, stored and used for other purposes, such as the production of high value protein. In this case, the sugar product will be sent to a fermentation system, 700, where the steam is converted to an ethanol laden fiber stream, 710, that contains between 2% wt and 8% wt ethanol. CO2, 720, will vent from the fermentation system, 700, and will be processed using the CO2 Scrubber System, 740, where scrubber water, 705, is fed to the top of the scrubber to capture ethanol and send this scrubber bottoms, 730, back to the fermenter. A clean CO2, 750, will be vented from the top of the CO2 Scrubber System, 740, and vented to the atmosphere. The ethanol laden fiber stream, 710, is then sent to the Low Ethanol Beer Stripping System.
It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects.
This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/390,178, filed Jul. 18, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63390178 | Jul 2022 | US |
