Process for recovery of corn coarse fiber (pericarp)
First Claim
1. A process for recovering corn coarse fiber comprising the steps of:
- soaking corn in water to loosen the attachments of various grain components therein to each other;
degerminating the soaked corn to strip the corn coarse fiber and germ away from the endosperm;
recovering the germ by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the germ and corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 7.5 to 11 Baumé
for removal of the germ; and
recovering the corn coarse fiber by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 11-16 Baumé
so that the corn coarse fiber floats to the top of said slurry for removal of said corn coarse fiber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of recovering corn coarse fiber by flotation, which features the use of a hydrocyclone, or other separating machinery, in which the specific gravity of the slurry contained therein has been increased to approximately 12-14 Baumé so that the corn coarse fiber is of a lighter density than the remainder of the slurry. Therefore, the corn coarse fiber can be separated from the remainder of the slurry because it floats to the top of the slurry. If the present pericarp recovery process is added to a modified dry-grind ethanol production line, a high value co-product (the pericarp) is added to the other co-products and the end-product of ethanol, which can all be sold, and the economic efficiency of the plant is increased. More specifically, the present invention provides a process for recovering corn coarse fiber including the steps of: soaking corn in water to loosen the attachments of various grain components therein to each other, degerminating the soaked corn to strip the corn coarse fiber and the germ away from the endosperm, recovering the germ, and recovering the corn coarse fiber by flotation.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A process for recovering corn coarse fiber comprising the steps of:
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soaking corn in water to loosen the attachments of various grain components therein to each other;
degerminating the soaked corn to strip the corn coarse fiber and germ away from the endosperm;
recovering the germ by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the germ and corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 7.5 to 11 Baumé
for removal of the germ; and
recovering the corn coarse fiber by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 11-16 Baumé
so that the corn coarse fiber floats to the top of said slurry for removal of said corn coarse fiber.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
drying the combination of germ and corn coarse fiber; and
separating the germ and the corn coarse fiber from each other using an aspirator.
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11. The process of claim 1, wherein said step of recovering said germ is performed prior to said step of recovering said corn coarse fiber.
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12. A corn product removal process comprising the steps of:
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soaking corn in water to loosen the attachments of various grain components therein to each other;
degerminating the soaked corn to strip the corn coarse fiber and germ away from the endosperm;
recovering the germ by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the germ and corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 7.5 to 11 Baumé
for removal of the germ;
recovering the corn coarse fiber by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 11-16 Baumé
so that the corn coarse fiber floats to the top of said slurry for removal of said corn coarse fiber;
fermenting remaining slurry; and
distilling fermented liquid to produce ethanol. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
drying the combination of germ and corn coarse fiber; and
separating the germ and the corn coarse fiber from each other using an aspirator.
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18. The process of claim 12, wherein said step of recovering said germ is performed prior to said step of recovering said corn coarse fiber.
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19. A process for recovering corn coarse fiber during a dry-grind ethanol production process, said recovery process comprising the steps of:
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soaking corn in chemical-free water to loosen the attachments of various grain components therein to each other;
degerminating the soaked corn to strip the corn coarse fiber and germ away from the endosperm; and
recovering the corn coarse fiber by increasing the specific gravity of a slurry including the corn coarse fiber therein to approximately within the range of 11-16 Baumé
so that the corn coarse fiber with the germ floats to the top of said slurry for removal of said corn coarse fiber with the germ.
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Specification