Method for separating components of a fermentation process byproduct containing oil bound with fibers
US6106673A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 8, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 8, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S159/08
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A process and system are provided for the separation of a fermentation process byproduct into its constituent components and for the subsequent recovery of those constituent components. The process is remarkably simple--requiring only 1) heating of a mixture containing the byproduct so as to separate the oil from a base component of the byproduct to which the oil is bound, followed by 2) recovering the base product, oil, and possibly other substances such as molasses from the mixture. The process can be performed on a large scale and in a continuous fashion using a mechanical separator to recover fibers from a heated mixture to produce a solids stream and a liquor stream and by then removing oil and insoluble substances from the liquor stream in an evaporator assembly. Energy consumption and water consumption are minimized through 1) the use of waste heat from the system's dryer as an energy source for the evaporator assembly and 2) the use of condensed liquids from the evaporator assembly to dilute the mixture. Fibers recovered during the process can be dried efficiently in a way that produces a superior product.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.