# US 9,516,891 B1 · Separation of biocomponents from whole stillage

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- Number: US 9,516,891 B1
- Document ID: US9516891B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/155,037
- Filed: 2016-05-15
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-15
- Applicants: Aicardo Roa-Espinosa
- Inventors: Aicardo Roa-Espinosa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9516891B1

## CPC

- C02F 1/24: by flotation (C02F1/465 takes precedence)
- A23J 1/16: from waste water of starch-manufacturing plant or like wastes
- C02F 1/02: by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D)
- C02F 9/00: Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
- C11B 1/06: by pressing
- C11B 13/00: Recovery of fats, fatty oils or fatty acids from waste materials
- A23K 10/38: from distillers' or brewers' waste
- B01D 21/10: {Settling tanks with multiple outlets for the separated liquids}
- B03D 1/1431: {Dissolved air flotation machines}
- B04B 1/00: Centrifuges with rotary bowls provided with solid jackets for separating predominantly liquid mixtures with or without solid particles
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y02P 60/87: Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production
- Y02W 30/74: Recovery of fats, fatty oils, fatty acids or other fatty substances, e.g. lanolin or waxes
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- A23J: PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
- C11B: PRODUCING, e.g. BY PRESSING RAW MATERIALS OR BY EXTRACTION FROM WASTE MATERIALS, REFINING OR PRESERVING FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES, e.g. LANOLIN, FATTY OILS OR WAXES; ESSENTIAL OILS; PERFUMES (drying-oils C09F)
- A23K: FODDER
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B03D: FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION (sedimentation in general B01D21/00; in combination with other separation of solids B03B; sink-float separation B03B5/28; detergents, soaps C11D)
- B04B: CENTRIFUGES (high-speed drum mills B02C19/11; domestic spin driers D06F; analysing, measuring or monitoring physical or chemical properties of samples during centrifuging, see the relevant subclasses for these procedures, e.g. G01N)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

A multi stage process for separating oil, protein, fiber and clean water from a stream containing whole stillage byproduct from ethanol production is disclosed. In a first step, fibers are separated in a two-step process that includes a plate separator and a press. In a subsequent step, the liquid stream separated from the fibers and contains oil, protein and water is treated with a composition that causes the protein to gel. The liquid stream is then processed in a phase separator that drains the oil by gravity, removes the water by an impeller under pressure and removes the solidified protein using a scroll.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multi-stage process for separating a source stream, said source stream containing oil water, fibers and protein, said process being configured for separating the source stream into four streams, wherein each stream contains predominantly one component, said process comprising the stages of:
providing a first stream comprising whole stillage, said whole stillage containing water, oil, protein and fibers;
separating from the first stream a sixth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly fibers and a fourth stream having a dry component containing predominantly oil and protein; and
separating the fourth stream into an eighth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly oil, a ninth stream containing predominantly water and a tenth stream having a dry component containing predominantly protein,
wherein separating the fourth stream is accomplished by a tricanter in which a liquid oil phase drains by gravity, a liquid water phase is discharged at a top of the tricanter under pressure by an impeller and a solid protein phase being moved by a scroll out a discharge opening, and
wherein separating the sixth stream from the first stream is accomplished through the steps of: adding dilution water to the first stream to produce a second stream containing dilute whole stillage; adding to the second stream a caustic solution such that a pH of the second stream is raised to between about 4.5 to about 8.2; passing the second stream through an oval plate separator, wherein actions of the oval plate separator resulting in separating the second stream into a third stream and into the fourth stream, wherein a dry matter of the third stream comprises predominantly fibers; and passing the third stream through a press, wherein actions of the press result in separating the third stream into a fifth stream and into the sixth stream, said fifth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly oil and protein.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein separating the fourth stream comprises a step of treating the fourth stream with a chemical composition to cause the protein to solidify, said chemical composition being added to the fourth stream at a rate of between about 5 ppm to about 25 ppm based on dry weight.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process of claim 2 wherein said composition is selected from the group consisting of polyamine and tannin.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising returning at least a portion of the ninth stream as dilution water to the first stream to form a dilute whole stillage stream.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising combining the fifth stream and the fourth stream before feeding the fourth stream into the phase separator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 further comprising passing the eighth stream through an oil press to remove impurities.

### Claim 7

A multi-stage process for separating a source stream, said source stream containing oil water, fibers and protein, said process being configured for separating the source stream into four streams, wherein each stream contains predominantly one component, said process comprising the stages of:
providing a first stream comprising whole stillage, said whole stillage containing water, oil, protein and fibers;
separating from the first stream a sixth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly fibers and a fourth stream having a dry component containing predominantly oil and protein; and
separating the fourth stream into an eighth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly oil, a ninth stream containing predominantly water and a tenth stream having a dry component containing predominantly protein, wherein separating the fourth stream into an eighth stream, a ninth stream and a tenth stream is accomplished by the steps of: treating the fourth stream with between about 5 to about 100 ppm on a dry weight basis of an anionic acrylamide copolymer, said treating being done through an addition at a first in-line inlet port; treating the fourth stream with between about 5 to about 25 ppm on a dry weight basis of a cationic acrylamide copolymer, said treating being done through an addition at a second in-line inlet port, said second in-line inlet port being located at about 15 seconds after the first in-line inlet port based on an average volumetric flow rate; passing the fourth stream through a dissolved air flotation device wherein the actions of the dissolved air flotation device result in separating the fourth stream into a seventh stream and an eleventh stream, said seventh stream having a dry component containing predominantly oil and protein, said eleventh stream containing predominantly water; treating the seventh stream with a chemical composition to cause the protein to solidify; and passing said seventh stream through a phase separator configured to separate a low density liquid phase, a higher density liquid phase and a solid phase.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process of claim 7 wherein the phase separator separates the seventh stream into an eighth stream having a dry matter component containing predominantly oil, a ninth stream that contains predominantly water and a tenth stream whose dry component is predominantly protein.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process of claim 8 further comprising passing the eighth stream through an oil press to remove impurities.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The process of claim 7 wherein the phase separator is a tricanter in which a liquid oil phase drains by gravity, a liquid water phase is discharged at a top of the tricanter under pressure by an impeller and a solid protein phase being moved by a scroll out a discharge opening.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The process of claim 7, further comprising feeding the ninth and eleventh streams into a dissolved air flotation device to further separate out solid impurities and produce a fourteenth stream that contains useable water.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The process of claim 7, further comprising heating the seventh stream to between about 150° F. to about 250° F.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, further comprising heating the seventh stream to between about 200° F. to about 210° F.