Alcohol and fuel production
AssigneeBiohol Corporation
InventorErnest R. Roth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Alcohol/water mixtures, such as those produced by fermentation of biomass material, are separated by extraction of alcohol with a solvent especially suited to such extraction and to subsequent removal. Conventional distillation steps to concentrate alcohol and eliminate water are rendered unnecessary at a considerable reduction in heat energy requirement (usually met with fossil fuel). Addition of gasoline between the solvent extraction and solvent recovery steps not only aids the latter separation but produces alcohol already denatured for fuel use.
Claims13
In separation of a mixture of water and alcohol, the step of extracting alcohol from the mixture by use of a solvent comprising a higher aliphatic alcohol major portion and an aliphatic hydrocarbon minor portion.
Process of producing fuel alcohol from biomass fermentation product, comprising adding thereto an extracting solvent comprising in major part a higher aliphatic alcohol portion with from 7 to 10 carbon atoms per molecule and in minor part an aliphatic hydrocarbon portion with from 6 to 12 carbon atoms per molecule, separating an organic-rich extract therefrom, adding gasoline in minor part to the extract and settling out an aqueous underlayer and drawing off an enriched organic overlayer, and then boiling off therefrom fuel alcohol denatured with gasoline.
Process of producing fuel from biomass fermentation product, comprising adding thereto an extracting solvent including from 4 to 7 parts higher aliphatic alcohol to one part aliphatic hydrocarbon, eliminating water from the resulting extract, boiling off essentially anhydrous alcohol therefrom, and mixing such resulting alcohol with liquid fossil fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.