Process for producing ethanol from corn dry milling
AssigneeZeaChem, Inc.
InventorsDan W. Verser, Timothy J. Eggeman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for producing ethanol by the conversion of carbohydrates from a corn dry milling process in which the bottoms fraction from distillation of ethanol in a conventional yeast fermentation is used in a process including a combination of biochemical and synthetic conversions. The process results in high yield ethanol production with concurrent production of high value coproducts. An acetic acid intermediate is produced from bottoms fraction, followed by conversion of the acetic acid into ethanol using esterification and hydrogenation reactions. Coproducts of the process include a high protein content solids fraction produced in the fermentation.
Claims28
A process for the production of ethanol from corn, comprising:
- a. conducting a yeast fermentation in a corn preparation to produce ethanol;
- b. distilling the ethanol from the yeast fermentation to produce a bottoms fraction;
- c. hydrolyzing the bottoms fraction;
- d. separating the hydrolyzed bottoms fraction into a solids fraction and a liquid hydrolyzate;
- e. culturing a homofermentative microorganism in the liquid hydrolyzate to produce acetate, acetic acid or mixtures thereof;
- f. chemically converting the acetate, acetic acid or mixtures thereof to an ester of acetic acid;
- and
- g. hydrogenating said acetic acid ester to said ethanol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.