SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING MATERIALS FROM BIOMASS

• US 20060177551A1
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Biorefining Inc.
• Original Assignee: Biorefining Inc.
• Inventors: Van Thorre, Doug
• Application Number:
  US11/276,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20060177551A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/489
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/37 from waste material from hydrolysates of wood or straw A23K10/32; from molasses A23K10/33
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/38 from distillers' or brewers' waste
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/105 Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/22 Comminuted fibrous parts of plants, e.g. bagasse or pulp
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/115 Cereal fibre products, e.g. bran, husk
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/198 Dry unshaped finely divided cereal products, not provided for in groups A23L7/117 - A23L7/196 and A23L29/00, e.g. meal, flour, powder, dried cereal creams or extracts
• CPC Class Codes: B02B 5/02 Combined processes
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 1/06 by pressing
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 1/10 by extracting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

One embodiment described herein includes a method for extracting pericarp, endosperm, bran and germ, from corn kernels comprising hydrating the corn kernels; extracting the bran from the biomass before extracting the germ; and extracting the endosperm, wherein the extraction is based upon a capacity of endosperm particles to selectively pass through, or be retained on a sieve having a standard hole size, wherein endosperm particles are extracted in one or more endosperm streams.

Claims

1. A process for extracting pericarp, endosperm, bran and germ, from corn kernels comprising hydrating the corn kernels;

extracting the bran from the biomass before extracting the germ; and

extracting the endosperm, wherein the extraction is based upon a capacity of endosperm particles to selectively pass through, or be retained on a sieve having a standard hole size, wherein endosperm particles are extracted in one or more endosperm streams.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the extraction of bran, endosperm, germ and fiber from biomass is free of a use of chemical addition.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the pericarp is disrupted form the corn kernels by one or more of hydration, grinding, and cryogenic freezing.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the disrupted pericarp is subjected to one or more of aspiration, sonication, and selective solubilization.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein a germ/endosperm complex is removed by softening a binder binding the germ to the endosperm.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the germ is separated from the endosperm by grinding or milling.

8. The process of claim 6, wherein the grinding or milling occurs with one or more of hydration and sonication.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein the endosperm is ground to separate crystalline starch form amorphous starch.

10. The endosperm product of claim 3 wherein the particles are free from added chemicals.

5. The process of clam 1 wherein the pericarp is removed from corn kernels in a manner effective for accommodating the symmetry of the corn kernels.