Congener removal in ethanol production

A system, comprising:

• a fermentation vessel;
• a distillation column;
• a separation system;
• a tank comprising a sparging manifold;
• and
• a vent recovery system,
• wherein:
• the distillation column is configured to receive a fermentation product from the fermentation vessel including a solvent and water and to output a first solvent enriched solution;
• the separation system is configured to receive a first distillate and yield a water enriched solution;
• the tank is configured to receive the water enriched solution;
• the sparging manifold is configured to sparge the water enriched solution with an inert fermentation gas produced in the fermentation vessel as a byproduct of generating the fermentation product, yielding a saturated inert gas;
• and
• the vent recovery system is configured to condense a solvent from the saturated inert gas.

A system, comprising:

• a tank, configured to contain a fluid;
• a sparging apparatus;
• and
• a vent recovery system,
• wherein the sparging apparatus is disposed within the tank, and is configured to receive fermentation gases from a fermentation vessel, thereby sparging the fluid in the tank, forming a saturated inert gas that includes a congener and a solvent, which the vent recovery system is configured to receive to thereby separate the solvent from the congener.