Method and apparatus for production of bio-ethanol and other fermentation products

A method for converting organic material into a hydrocarbon fuel, the method comprising:

• (i) conducting a fermentation process that results in the fermentation of an organic material and which fermentation process results in the production of a fermented fluid material comprising a fermentation broth which contains a hydrocarbon fuel:
• (ii) conducting a separation process whereby the resultant fluid fermented material is separated into a hydrocarbon fuel and a residual product;
• (iii) conducting a conversion process wherein at least part of the separated residual product is converted into energy, wherein said conversion process is effected in a high pressure fluid comprising a pressure of at least 50 bar, and further wherein said high pressure fluid is selected from water, or alcohols and combinations thereof, and still further wherein said conversion process includes a hydrothermal conversion, solvothermal conversion or both a hydrothermal and solvothermal conversion, and further wherein at least one homogeneous catalyst, or one heterogeneous catalyst or combination thereof is present in said high pressure fluid;
• and
• (iv) distributing or recirculating at least some of the energy produced by the conversion process to the fermentation process, wherein the process further includes a pre-treatment process comprising one or more pre-treatment steps and wherein the pretreatment steps comprise a liquefaction step, wherein the organic material is liquefied by the addition of enzymes.

A method for converting organic material into a hydrocarbon fuel, the method comprising:

• (i) conducting a fermentation process that results in the fermentation of an organic material and which fermentation process results in the production of a fermented fluid material comprising a fermentation broth which contains a hydrocarbon fuel:
• (ii) conducting a separation process whereby the resultant fluid fermented material is separated into a hydrocarbon fuel and a residual product;
• (iii) conducting a conversion process wherein at least part of the separated residual product is converted into energy, wherein said conversion process is effected in a high pressure fluid comprising a pressure of at least 50 bar, and further wherein said high pressure fluid is selected from water, or alcohols and combinations thereof, and still further wherein said conversion process includes a hydrothermal conversion, solvothermal conversion or both a hydrothermal and solvothermal conversion, and further wherein at least one homogeneous catalyst, or one heterogeneous catalyst or combination thereof is present in said high pressure fluid;
• and
• (iv) distributing or recirculating at least some of the energy produced by the conversion process to the fermentation process, wherein the process further includes a pre-treatment process comprising one or more pre-treatment steps, and wherein the pretreatment steps include a saccharification step, wherein the organic material is saccharified by the addition of enzymes.

A method for converting organic material into a hydrocarbon fuel, the method comprising:

• (i) conducting a fermentation process that results in the fermentation of an organic material and which fermentation process results in the production of a fermented fluid material comprising a fermentation broth which contains a hydrocarbon fuel:
• (ii) conducting a separation process whereby the resultant fluid fermented material is separated into a hydrocarbon fuel and a residual product;
• (iii) conducting a conversion process wherein at least part of the separated residual product is converted into energy, wherein said conversion process is effected in a high pressure fluid comprising a pressure of at least 50 bar, and further wherein said high pressure fluid is selected from water, or alcohols and combinations thereof, and still further wherein said conversion process includes a hydrothermal conversion, solvothermal conversion or both a hydrothermal and solvothermal conversion, and further wherein at least one homogeneous catalyst, or one heterogeneous catalyst or combination thereof is present in said high pressure fluid;
• and
• (iv) distributing or recirculating at least some of the energy produced by the conversion process to the fermentation process, wherein the fermentation process (i) is effected at a temperature ranging from 24-36 degrees C. for 24-96 hours at a pH of about 4-5.