Process for recovering alcohol with energy integration

Patent · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:6507780

Tedder, D W

A process of producing alcohol is described comprising: (a) feeding a sugar and water containing feed stock to a fermenter; (b) providing the fermenter with fermentation microorganisms and operating the fermenter continuously for converting the feed stock into a fermentation product containing alcohol, sugar and microorganisms; (c) preheating said fermentation product; (d) feeding said fermentation product to a solvent extraction column; (e) delivering to said solvent extraction column a solvent which is non-toxic to the fermentation microorganisms and which will dissolve and decrease the volatility of said alcohol relative to the water in said feedstock such that said water is more volatile than said alcohol; (f) removing alcohol-solvent extract phase from said solvent extraction column and directing it to an extractive distillation dehydration unit; (g) removing said water phase from said solvent extraction column and returning it to said fermenter; (h) distilling in said extractive distillation dehydration unit the bulk of the residual water from said alcohol-solvent extract phase leaving a dehydrated extract including alcohol and solvent to provide more efficient liquid/liquid extraction of the alcohol from the fermentation product in said solvent extraction column; (i) returning the distilled water from said extractive distillation dehydration unit to the solvent extraction column; (j) delivering said dehydrated extract to a vacuum stripping unit; (k) separating said alcohol from said solvent in said dehydrated extract in said vacuum stripping unit to produce regenerated solvent and alcohol product; (l) returning a portion of the regenerated solvent to said extractive distillation dehydration unit and a portion of the regenerated solvent to said solvent extraction column; and (m) discharging said alcohol product from said vacuum stripping unit.

• Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corp., Atlanta (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5215902; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-623537
• OSTI ID: 6507780
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 7 Dec 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
ALCOHOLS
BIOSYNTHESIS
DISTILLATION
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SACCHARIDES
FERMENTATION
BIOREACTORS
DEHYDRATION
EXTRACTION COLUMNS
MICROORGANISMS
RECYCLING
BIOCONVERSION
CARBOHYDRATES
EXTRACTION
EXTRACTION APPARATUSES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION EQUIPMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
090900* - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)