Process for manufacturing ethanol and for recovering glycerol, succinic acid, lactic acid, betaine, potassium sulfate, and free flowing distiller's dry grain and solubles or a solid fertilizer therefrom
First Claim
1. A continuous process for recovering glycerol from stillage produced from the fermentation and distillation of such biological materials as corn, wheat, other grains, sugar cane, sugar beets, grapes, other fruit, potatoes, cassava, sweet sorghum, and the like which results in ethanol and said stillage, said continuous process comprising the steps ofa) clarifying the stillage by subjecting the stillage to a cross-flow microfiltration process utilizing inorganic membranes having pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 10 microns.b) passing the clarified stillage through an ion exclusion material for separating chromatographically glycerol from other constituents of the clarified stillage, andc) purifying the separated glycerol.
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Abstract
This invention relates to the manufacture of ethanol and the recovery of economically significant amounts of such by-products therefrom as glycerol, betaine, L-pyroglutamic acid, succinic and lactic acid, potassium sulfate and a free flowing distiller'"'"'s dry grain and solubles useful as an animal feed or a component of food for humans or as a premix for agricultural fertilizer and/or a feed additive. An important aspect of the recovery step is the utilization of a crossflow microfiltration system which includes inorganic membranes for the classification of the stillage.
156 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A continuous process for recovering glycerol from stillage produced from the fermentation and distillation of such biological materials as corn, wheat, other grains, sugar cane, sugar beets, grapes, other fruit, potatoes, cassava, sweet sorghum, and the like which results in ethanol and said stillage, said continuous process comprising the steps of
a) clarifying the stillage by subjecting the stillage to a cross-flow microfiltration process utilizing inorganic membranes having pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 10 microns. b) passing the clarified stillage through an ion exclusion material for separating chromatographically glycerol from other constituents of the clarified stillage, and c) purifying the separated glycerol.
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14. A continuous process for recovering glycerol and betaine from stillage produced from the fermentation and distillation of sugar beets which results in ethanol and said stillage, said continuous process comprising the steps of:
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a) clarifying said stillage by subjecting the stillage to a cross-flow microfiltration process utilizing inorganic membranes having pore sizes in the range of 0.1-10 microns; b) subjecting the clarified stillage to a first chromatographic separation by passing the clarified stillage through an ion-exclusion apparatus for separating glycerol and betaine as a mixture from other constituents of the clarified stillage; c) subjecting the glycerol/betaine mixture to a second chromatographic separation by passing the mixture through a second ion exclusion apparatus in which the glycerol is separated from the betaine; and d) purifying the separated glycerol and betaine. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29)
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23. A continuous process for recovering at least two of the group containing glycerol, betaine, succinic acid, lactic acid, L-pyroglutamic acid from stillage produced from the fermentation and distillation of such biological materials as corn, wheat, other grain, sugar cane, sugar beets, grapes, other fruit, potatoes, cassava, sweet sorghum, and the like which result in ethanol and said stillage, said continuous process comprising the steps of:
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a) clarifying the stillage produced from the distillation of the fermented mash by subjecting the stillage to a cross-flow microfiltration process utilizing inorganic membranes having pore sizes in the range of 0.1-10 microns; b) passing the clarified stillage through a succession of ion exclusion apparatuses for chromatographically and/or physico-chemically separating each product from the other constituents of the clarified stillage; and c) purifying the separated product. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 30)
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31. A continuous process for the recovery of betaine from beet stillage produced from the fermentation and distillation of sugar beets which results in ethanol and said beet stillage, the continuous process comprising the steps of:
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a) clarifying said stillage produced from the distillation of fermented sugar beet mash by subjecting the stillage to a cross-flow microfiltration process utilizing inorganic membranes having pore sizes in the range of 0.1-10 microns; b) subjecting the clarified stillage to chromatographic separation by passing the clarified stillage through an ion exclusion apparatus for separating betaine from other constituents of the clarified stillage; and c) purifying the separated betaine. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification