Process for the Recovery of a Fermentation Product

• US 20100291646A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asher Vitner Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Asher Vitner Ltd., Eyal Research Consultants Ltd.
• Inventors: Vitner, Asher
• Granted Patent: US 8,580,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/160
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/00 Separating processes involving the treatment of liquids with solid sorbents using liquid sorbents B01D11/00; ion exchange processes or materials, sorbent materials in general B01J, e.g. sorbents for chromatography B01J20/281; for investigating or analysing materials G01N30/00; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/76 by physical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/12 containing four carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for the purification and concentration of a partially water-soluble organic product from a source containing the same at concentration C0, which process comprises the steps of: (i) concentrating said product by means of a resin to form a first aqueous solution at concentration of C1; and (ii) fractionating an aqueous solution by temperature adjustment to form a second aqueous solution and a third aqueous solution with concentrations C2 and C3, respectively, wherein C2>C3 and C2>C1>C0.

Claims

1. A process for the purification and concentration of a partially water-soluble organic product from a source containing the same at concentration C0, which process comprises the steps of:

(i) concentrating said product by means of a resin to form a first aqueous solution at concentration of C1; and

(ii) fractionating an aqueous solution by temperature adjustment to form a second aqueous solution and a third aqueous solution with concentrations C2 and C3, respectively, wherein C2>

C3 and C2>

C1>

C0.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said product is hydrophilic and wherein at a temperature in the range between 0 C and 100 C it is not fully miscible with water.

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein the solubility of said product in water is temperature dependent.

4. A process according to claim 1, wherein the solubility of said product in water has critical temperature in the range between 50 C and 200 C.

5. A process according to claim 1, wherein said product is selected from a group consisting of alkanols, aldehydes ketones and esters with 3-6 carbon atoms.

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein said product is selected from a group consisting of normal butanol, secondary butanol and tertiary butanol.

7. A process according to claim 1, wherein said product is a product of fermenting a carbohydrate and wherein said source is a fermentation liquor.

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein said concentrating of step (i) comprises contacting said source with a resin, whereby product is adsorbed on the resin to form product-carrying resin.

9. A process according to claim 8, wherein said concentrating further comprises desorbing of said product from said product-carrying resin by means of water or an aqueous solution to form said first solution.

10. A process according to claim 8, wherein said desorbing utilizes said third stream of step (ii).

11. A process according to claim 9, wherein the solubility of said product in water has a critical temperature and wherein desorbing is conducted at a temperature of about said critical temperature.

12. A process according to claim 8, wherein said resin is selected from a group comprising of Amberlite XAD type resins, XAD 2, XAD16 and XAD 4.

13. A process according to claim 1, wherein the purity of said first stream is greater than the purity of said source.

14. A process according to claim 1, wherein the solubility of said product in water increases with temperature elevation and wherein said fractionating of step (ii) comprises cooling said first solution.

15. A process according to claim 1, wherein said fractionating comprises cooling by less than 20°

C.

16. A process according to claim 1, wherein the purity of said second solution is greater than that of said third solution.

17. A process according to claim 1, further comprising a steps of mixing said second solution with a carbohydrate solution and phase separation to form a product stream and a fifth solution.

18. A process according to claim 17, wherein the product is a fermentation product and said fifth solution is used in the fermentation process.

23. A process according to claim 1 wherein said resin is an hydrophobic resin selected from the group consisting of a polystyrene resin poly olefin resin polyethylene resin and polyester resins.

19. A process for the production of butanol comprising the steps of

(i) fermenting a carbohydrate to form a fermentation liquor comprising butanol;

(ii) contacting said fermentation liquor, optionally after pretreatment, with a resin, whereby butanol is adsorbed to form a butanol-carrying resin;

(iii) desorbing butanol from said butanol-carrying resin to form a first solution, wherein said desorbing comprises contacting with a third solution at a temperature higher than butanol critical solubility temperature and wherein butanol concentration in said first solution is greater than butanol concentration in the fermentation liquor; and

(iv) cooling said first solution to a temperature below butanol critical solubility temperature, whereby two phases are formed; and

separating said phases to form a second solution and a third solution, wherein butanol concentration in said second solution is greater than that in said second solution and greater than that in said first solution.

20. A process according to claim 19, wherein the third solution formed in step (iv) is used in said desorbing of step (ii).

21. A process according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of mixing the second solution formed in step (iv) with a carbohydrate solution and separating into two phases, a product phase and a carbohydrate-comprising fifth solution, wherein butanol concentration in said product phase is greater than butanol concentration in said second solution.

22. A process according to claim 21, wherein said fifth solution is used in said fermentation.

24. A process according to claim 19 wherein said resin is an hydrophobic resin selected from the group consisting of a polystyrene resin poly olefin resin polyethylene resin and polyester resins.