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Gas recycle loops in process for converting municipal solid waste into ethanol

  • US 9,458,073 B2
  • Filed: 12/23/2013
  • Issued: 10/04/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A facility for converting organic materials into ethanol comprising:

  • a gasifier comprising one or more vessels, an inlet designed to accept solid organic materials, a steam inlet in fluid communication with a steam boiler, and a primary syngas outlet, and means for creating a primary syngas stream;

    a syngas compressor comprising one or more pumps configured to raise the pressure of a compressor inlet stream comprising at least a portion of the primary syngas stream to a predefined level, thereby outputting a compressed gas stream; and

    a main gas recycle loop comprising;

    a gas recycle compressor comprising one or more pumps of sufficient power to circulate gas through the main gas recycle loop;

    one or more alcohol synthesis reactors, comprising a catalyst, means for controlling the temperature of the catalyst, a reactor inlet in fluid communication with the syngas compressor which is configured to pass a reactor inlet stream comprising at least a portion of a combined recycle gas stream over the catalyst and to a reactor effluent stream, and a reactor outlet configured to pass the reactor effluent stream, wherein in operation the reactor effluent stream comprises unconverted syngas and a mixture of reaction products including alcohols and water;

    a recycle separator configured to separate at least the majority of the reactor effluent stream into a mixed alcohol stream, the majority of which is composed of water and alcohols, and a gas recycle stream, the majority of which is composed of unconverted syngas; and

    mixing means for mixing at least a portion of the gas recycle stream with at least a portion of the compressed syngas to create the combined recycle gas stream.

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