High shear mixer
AssigneeLucasE3, L.C.
InventorScott A. Lucas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Spent stillage remaining after the fermentation of a feedstock for ethanol production may be processed to recover, use, and/or recycle the constituent components of the stillage. Stillage may be mixed, heated, and held at a desired temperature for a period of time. The stillage may then be cooled and treated with an enzyme. The enzymatically treated stillage may be emulsified with oil and water, and then permitted to settle into discrete layers. Individual layers may then be processed. A system and method for separating stillage after the fermentation process of ethanol production has concluded are provided.
Claims15
A system for separating stillage after a fermentation process of ethanol production has concluded, the system comprising:
- a reaction vessel configured to receive stillage and one or more enzymes, wherein the reaction vessel is configured to retain a stillage and enzyme mixture for a residence time of at least one hour and thereafter discharge an enzymatically treated stillage;
- a high shear mixer configured to receive the enzymatically treated stillage from the reaction vessel, a steam stream, and an oil stream recycled from a previously separated top layer, wherein the high shear mixer is configured to form an emulsion of solids from the stillage, the steam stream, and the oil stream;
- a settling tank fluidly connected to the high shear mixer and configured to retain the emulsion for a settling time of at least one hour to permit separation into a top layer comprising oil, protein, and water, a middle layer comprising dissolved solids in water, and a bottom layer comprising fibers;
- and
- at least one extraction mechanism configured to independently withdraw the top layer, the middle layer, and the bottom layer for further processing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.