Integrated ethanol and pretreatment facility

A method for co-production of ethanol and pretreatment of a diesel feedstock, comprising:

• preparing a starch rich mash for fermentation;
• fermenting the mash into an ethanol-containing beer;
• distilling the ethanol-containing beer within a distillation apparatus of an ethanol plant, thereby producing a crude oil comprising vegetable oil, fat, wax rich material, or combinations thereof;
• directing the crude oil to a pretreatment plant;
• in the pretreatment plant, purifying the crude oil with an aqueous extractant solution to produce a purified and wastewater, wherein the aqueous extractant solution consists of water or purified water;
• and
• recycling the wastewater from the pretreatment plant to the ethanol plant;
• wherein purifying the crude oil removes 70% or more of impurities.

A system for co-production of ethanol and pretreatment of a diesel feedstock, comprising:

• an ethanol plant comprising;
• one or more fermentation tanks configured to ferment a starch rich mash into an ethanol-containing beer;
• and
• a distillation apparatus configured to distill the ethanol-containing beer;
• wherein the ethanol plant produces a crude oil;
• and
• a pretreatment plant comprising:
• a water supply, the water supply containing an aqueous treatment solution consisting of water or purified water;
• and
• a pretreatment tank comprising:
• a first inlet connected to the ethanol plant and configured to receive the crude oil from the ethanol plant;
• a second inlet connect to the water supply and configured to receive the aqueous treatment solution;
• a first outlet configured to remove a purified oil from the pretreatment tank;
• and
• a second outlet configured to direct wastewater from the pretreatment plant to the ethanol plant.