# US 11,076,621 B2 · Remediation of toxins in biorefinery process streams

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- Number: US 11,076,621 B2
- Document ID: US11076621B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/050,681
- Filed: 2018-07-31
- Published: 2019-01-31
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2017-07-31
- Assignees: POET Research, Inc.
- Applicants: POET Research, Inc.
- Inventors: Shannon Scott Urban
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11076621B2

## CPC

- A23L 5/276: {Treatment with inorganic compounds (A23L5/273 takes precedence)}
- B01J 19/0033: {Optimalisation processes, i.e. processes with adaptive control systems (adaptive control systems per se G05B13/00)}
- C12H 1/00: Pasteurisation, sterilisation, preservation, purification, clarification, or ageing of alcoholic beverages (simulating ageing by flavouring C12G3/06)
- C12P 7/06: Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
- C12F 3/06: from beer and wine (C12F3/02 takes precedence; removal of yeast C12G1/08)
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- C12H: PASTEURISATION, STERILISATION, PRESERVATION, PURIFICATION, CLARIFICATION OR AGEING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; METHODS FOR ALTERING THE ALCOHOL CONTENT OF FERMENTED SOLUTIONS OR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES (simulation ageing by flavouring C12G3/06)
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- C12F: RECOVERY OF BY-PRODUCTS OF FERMENTED SOLUTIONS (removal of yeast from wine or sparkling wine C12G1/08); DENATURED ALCOHOL; PREPARATION THEREOF

## Abstract

Provided are methods and systems for remediating toxins present in feedstock that are used in processes to produce ethanol and other products.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for remediating mycotoxin in one or more biorefinery process streams, wherein the process comprises:
introducing one or more treatment compounds into at least one biorefinery process stream to form a treated biorefinery process stream, wherein the at least one biorefinery process stream is chosen from thin stillage, syrup and combinations thereof, wherein the one or more treatment compounds comprises one or more sulfur-containing compounds, wherein the at least one biorefinery process stream comprises one or more mycotoxins, wherein the one or more treatment compounds react with the one or more mycotoxins in the at least one biorefinery process stream to form the treated biorefinery process stream, and wherein the treated biorefinery process stream is less toxic than the at least one biorefinery process stream.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one biorefinery process stream is produced in a grain-to-ethanol conversion process that also includes the steps of:
i. milling grain to provide a milled grain;
ii. mixing the milled grain with water to form a slurry;
iii. saccharifying the slurry;
iv. fermenting the saccharified slurry with a yeast to produce a beer;
v. separating the beer to produce an ethanol stream and whole stillage; and
vi. separating the whole stillage into thin stillage and wet cake; and
vii. concentrating thin stillage into syrup.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process of claim 2, wherein the one or more treatment compounds react with the one or more mycotoxins in the at least one biorefinery process stream for a dwell time from 1 hour to 24 hours.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one biorefinery process stream is a syrup stream.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more mycotoxins comprises at least one of zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and fumonisin.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the treatment compound is chosen from a sulfate, a sulfite, a bisulfite, a metabisulfite and combinations thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the treatment compound is chosen from ammonium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite and combinations thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the treatment compound amount is between 0.05% to about 5% weight of the at least one biorefinery process stream.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the introducing the one or more treatment compounds into the at least one biorefinery process stream occurs while the at least one biorefinery process stream is at temperatures from 30° C. to 120° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one or more biorefinery process stream comprises 5 to 60% solids by weight.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more mycotoxins comprises deoxynivalenol.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The process of claim 11, wherein the one or more treatment compounds react with the deoxynivalenol in the at least one biorefinery process stream to form deoxynivalenol sulfonate wherein the deoxynivalenol the treated biorefinery process stream is reduced by 30% or more as compared to the deoxynivalenol in the at least one biorefinery process stream.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more mycotoxins in the treated biorefinery process stream is less than 5 ppm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more treatment compounds is introduced into the at least one biorefinery process stream in a tank.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the treated biorefinery process stream is combined with wet cake.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The process of claim 15, wherein the treated biorefinery process stream combined with wet cake is dried to form dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS).

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the introducing the one or more treatment compounds into the at least one biorefinery process stream occurs while the at least one biorefinery process stream is at temperatures from 55° C. to 120° C.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more treatment compounds are introduced into the thin stillage stream, wherein a portion of the thin stillage stream is recycled to fermentation, saccharification or both before introducing one or more treatment compounds into the thin stillage stream.