Farm Scale Ethanol Plant

Abstract

An energy-efficient cycle for the production of ethanol and optionally natural gas from sunlight and biomass comprising first producing or obtaining biomass, for example by planting and harvesting of either an annual or perennial crop or both, and optionally tilling, fertilizing and obtaining wood wastes or paper wastes on-site or from a secondary site, for example, to supplement the on-site production of biomass, or for use as the sole source of biomass. The biomass is then converted to fermentable sugars through enzymatic conversion, acid hydrolysis, thermal cracking, or other processes that reduce cellulosic and hemi-cellulosic compounds to simple sugars. The reduced product is then fermented, producing ethanol in an intermediate beer product followed by recovery of ethanol from the resulting fermentation beer, wherein liquids are concentrated and recovered as fuel grade product. Recovery of ethanol may be by any suitable means including distillation, membrane separation or similar methods, and chromatographic rectification

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.