Apparatus for the continuous production of ethanol from cereals

• US 5,559,031 A
• Filed: 07/01/1994
• Issued: 09/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Technip Italy SPA (Technip Energies NV)
• Original Assignee: Technipetrol S.p.A.
• Inventors: Berruti, Massimo, Zinnamosca, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/269,634
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 435/161, 435/162, 435/163, 435/165, 435/287, 435/311, 435/316, 435/813, 435/819, 435/289.1, 435/291.1, 435/294.1, 435/308.1, 426/11, 426/13, 426/14, 99/276
• US Class Current: 435/289.1
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/12 for producing fuels or solvents C12M21/04 takes precedence; liquid carbonaceous fuels C10L1/00, solid fuels C10L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/58 Reaction vessels connected in series or in parallel combinations of bioreactors with other apparatus, C12M43/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/06 by chemical means or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/20 Heating; Cooling heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory uses B01L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/819 Fermentation vessels in series

Abstract

The abstract is used to process cereals to obtain ethanol. In the apparatus, a limpid phase of a slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch is supplied to a saccharification stage and an output of the saccharification stage is supplied to a fermentation stage to obtain a fermentation product and a wine from the fermentation product is supplied to a distillation stage to obtain ethanol. A stationary screen with a mesh of between 150 and 300 microns is positioned in the apparatus for receiving at an input of the screen, the slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch. The stationary screen has a turbid overscreen outlet and a limpid outlet containing a limpid solution having particles up to 150-300 microns. The limpid outlet is coupled to the saccharification stage so as to supply the limpid solution to the saccharification stage. A vacuum band filter has an inlet coupled to the turbid overscreen outlet from the stationary screen. The vacuum band filter has a turbid filter outlet which is coupled back to the input to the stationary screen and has an outlet for a filtration panel. A mechanical squeezing filter is coupled to the filtration panel outlet from the vacuum band filter, has a turbid filter outlet that is coupled to the inlet of stationary screen and has a dehydrated panel outlet.

Claims

1. A continuous cycle apparatus for the production of ethanol from an acidified hydrolyzed product of cereals obtained by an enzyme treatment of milled and cooked cereals, said apparatus comprising:

a stationary screen having a mesh size of 150-300 microns and having an inlet for receiving hydrolyzed product and recycled turbid filtrate, a first bottom outlet for limpid product, and a second bottom outlet for a turbid product;

a storing vessel for the turbid product having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being connected to said second bottom outlet of said screen;

a stirrer in said storing vessel;

a horizontal band filter under vacuum having a first inlet connected to said storing vessel outlet, having a second inlet for receiving warm panel washing water, having a first outlet for a filtration panel, having a second outlet for a turbid filtrate and having a third outlet for the panel washing-water, said first band filter inlet being connected to said outlet of said storing vessel;

a mechanical squeezing filter coupled to said band filter first outlet for receiving the filtration panel for carrying out a hard dehydration of the filtration panel which is a by-product of the apparatus, said squeezing filter having an outlet for the panel and an outlet for a turbid filtrate;

filtrate receiving vessel means for receiving said turbid filtrate from said band filter second outlet through an inlet of said filtrate receiving vessel means, said filtrate receiving vessel means having an outlet coupled to said inlet of said stationary screen;

said filtrate receiving vessel means also receiving said turbid filtrate from said mechanical squeezing filter through an inlet of said filtrate receiving vessel means;

a limpid phase receiving vessel for receiving clarified hydrolyzed product from said first bottom outlet of said stationary screen through an inlet of said limpid phase receiving vessel, said limpid phase receiving vessel having an outlet;

a pre-saccharification tank coupled to said outlet of said limpid phase receiving vessel, said pre-saccharification tank having a bottom outlet;

a fermentation stage including yeast microorganisms coupled to said bottom outlet of said pre-saccharification tank and having an outlet for fermentation product;

a separator for separating the yeast microorganisms from the fermentation product, said separator having an inlet for receiving fermentation product from said fermentation stage and two outlets;

a yeast microorganisms treatment vessel having a stirrer therein and having two inlets and one outlet, one inlet being connected to one of said two outlets of said separator of yeast microorganisms, the other inlet being coupled to a source of sulfuric acid, and said outlet being coupled to said fermentation stage; and

,

a wine storing vessel having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being connected to said other outlet of said separator of yeast microorganisms and said outlet being coupled to a distillation stage.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fermentation stage includes three fermentation units.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fermentation stage has a gas outlet conduit for gases outflowing from said fermentation stage coupled to a wine recovering and washing column.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said stationary screen comprises a grid with approximately 200 micron mesh.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said screen comprises a grid having a partially, generally cylindrical surface which extends through an arc of approximately 120°

and wherein pressure nozzles are positioned adjacent said screen to supply pressurized liquid tangentially to said partially, generally cylindrical surface.

6. In an apparatus for processing cereals to obtain ethanol wherein a limpid phase of a slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch is supplied to a saccharification stage and an output of the saccharification stage is supplied to a fermentation stage to obtain a fermentation product from a fermentation product outlet of said fermentation stage and a wine from the fermentation product is supplied to a distillation stage to obtain ethanol, the improvement comprising:

a stationary screen with a mesh of between 150 and 300 microns which is positioned in the apparatus for receiving at an input of said screen, the slurry with water and hydrolyzed starch, said stationary screen having a turbid overscreen outlet and a limpid outlet containing a limpid solution having particles up to 150-300 microns and said limpid outlet being coupled to the saccharification stage so as to supply said limpid solution to the saccharification stage;

a vacuum band filter having an inlet coupled to the turbid overscreen outlet from said stationary screen, said vacuum band filter having a turbid filter outlet which is coupled back to said input to said stationary screen and having an outlet for a filtration panel; and

a mechanical squeezing filter which is coupled to said filtration panel outlet from said vacuum band filter, which has a turbid filter outlet that is coupled to the inlet of said stationary screen and which has a dehydrated panel outlet.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 including:

a centrifuge device having an inlet coupled to the fermentation product outlet of the fermentation stage, having a limpid alcohol solution outlet which is coupled to the distillation stage and a yeast microorganism outlet,

an acidifying vessel coupled to the microorganism outlet of said centrifuge device and having an outlet coupled back to an inlet to said fermentation stage.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 including means for cooking a slurry of water and milled cereals at a boiling temperature, means for stirring the cooked slurry for a period of time to allow the cooked slurry to cool to a temperature of between approximately 80°

C. and 95°

C., acidifying means for acidifying the cooked slurry to create a slurry of liquified and acidified product having a temperature of between approximately 70°

C. and 85°

C., means for supplying the cooked slurry to said acidifying means, and means for supplying said slurry of liquified and acidified product to said input of said stationary screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said screen comprises a grid having a partially, generally cylindrical surface which extends through an arc of approximately 120°

and wherein pressure nozzles are positioned adjacent said screen to supply pressurized liquid tangentially to said partially, generally cylindrical surface.