Patent · US Expired

Process for the acid hydrolysis of carbohydrate polymers and the continuous fermentation of the sugars obtained therefrom to provide ethanol

US4291124A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
5References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 12, 1980
Grant dateSep 22, 1981
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 12, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S435/942
  • WIPO fieldFood chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A carbohydrate polymer such as starch and/or cellulose is converted to ethanol by a process in which an aqueous slurry of the carbohydrate polymer acid hydrolyzed to provide a sterile fermentable sugar solution is thereafter continuously converted by fermentation to dilute aqueous ethanol ("beer") in a series of agitated fermentations vessels which contain progressively more ethanol and less fermentable suger employing at least two strains of yeast for the fermentation, one of which provides a high rate of ethanol production in a fermentation medium containing a relatively low concentration of ethanol and a relatively high concentration of fermentable sugar and the other of which provides a high rate of ethanol production in a fermentation medium containing a relatively high concentration of ethanol and a relatively low concentration of fermentable sugar.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.