Methods and systems for removing undissolved solids prior to extractive fermentation in the production of butanol

• US 9,670,511 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2013
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gevo Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels LLC (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Burlew, Keith H., Hallam, John W., Roesch, Brian Michael, Lowe, David J., Zaher, Joseph J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOWERS, NATHAN ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/874,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130295661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A23K 10/38 from distillers' or brewers' waste
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0492 Applications, solvents used
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/26 Separation of sediment aided by centrifugal force or centripetal forcecentrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/262 by using a centrifuge
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/002 by continuous methods
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/86 by liquid-liquid treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 1/025 by enzymes or microorganisms, living or dead
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 13/00 Recovery of fats, fatty oils or fatty acids from waste materials
• CPC Class Codes: C12F 3/10 from distillery slops
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 1/00 Apparatus for enzymology or microbiology
• 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 45/04 Phase separators; Separation of non fermentable material; Fractionation
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/09 by enzymatic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/14 Fungi culture of mushrooms A01G18/00; as new plants A01H15/00; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/00 Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor mutants or genetically engineered microorganisms, per se C12N1/00, C12N5/00, C12N7/00; new plants per se A01H; plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00; new animals per se A01K67/00; use of medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases, gene therapy A61K48/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/18 polyhydric
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6418 by hydrolysis of fatty acid esters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/74 Recovery of fats, fatty oils, fatty acids or other fatty substances, e.g. lanolin or waxes

Abstract

A method and system for efficiently producing a fermentative product alcohol such as butanol utilizing in situ product extraction are provided. The efficiency is obtained through separating undissolved solids after liquefying a given feedstock to create a feedstock and prior to fermentation, for example, through centrifugation. Removal of the undissolved solids avoids problems associated with having the undissolved solids present during in situ production extraction, and thereby increases the efficiency of the alcohol production.

Claims

1. A system for producing a product alcohol comprising:

a liquefaction vessel configured to liquefy a feedstock to create a feedstock slurry, the liquefaction vessel comprising;

an inlet for receiving the feedstock; and

an outlet for discharging a feedstock slurry, wherein the feedstock slurry comprises sugar, oil, and undissolved solids;

one or more three-phase centrifuges configured to separate the feedstock slurry to form separate streams;

(i) an aqueous solution comprising the sugar, (ii) a wet cake comprising the undissolved solids, and (iii) an oil stream, wherein the three-phase centrifuge comprises;

an inlet for receiving the feedstock slurry;

a first outlet for discharging the aqueous solution;

a second outlet for discharging the wet cake; and

a third outlet for discharging the oil stream;

one or more fermentors configured to ferment the aqueous solution to produce the product alcohol, the fermentor comprising;

a first inlet for receiving the aqueous solution; and

a first outlet for discharging fermentation broth; and

a distillation column and a hydrolyzer, wherein the bottoms of the distillation column are added to a feed of the hydrolyzer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a saccharification vessel configured to saccharify the sugar in the feedstock slurry, the saccharification vessel comprising:

an inlet for receiving the feedstock slurry or aqueous solution; and

an outlet for discharging the feedstock slurry.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a dry mill configured to grind the feedstock, the dry mill comprising:

an inlet for receiving the feedstock; and

an outlet for discharging ground feedstock.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the product alcohol is methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, or isomers thereof.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the butanol isomer is 1-butanol, 2-butanol, or isobutanol.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more of the following:

decanter bowl centrifuge, disk stack centrifuge, filtering centrifuge, decanter centrifuge, filtration, vacuum filtration, beltfilter, pressure filtration, filtration using a screen, screen separation, grating, porous grating, flotation, hydroclone, filter press, screwpress, gravity settler, vortex separator, or combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fermentor further comprises

a second inlet for receiving an extractant;

and

a second outlet for discharging the extractant rich with product alcohol.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rectifier column wherein the rectifier column serves a solvent column.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a multiple effect evaporator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the multiple effect evaporator has a configuration of four bodies by two effects or a configuration of three bodies by three effects.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an extraction vessel.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more of the following:

preflash column, reboiler, heat exchanger, decanter, mixer, or distillers grain dryer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the preflash column is a retrofit of a beer column.