# US 9,752,165 B2 · Processes and systems for recovering oil from fermentation products

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- Number: US 9,752,165 B2
- Document ID: US9752165B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/176,988
- Filed: 2014-02-10
- Published: 2015-08-13
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-02-10
- Assignees: Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Travis Brotherson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752165B2

## CPC

- C12F 3/02: of carbon dioxide
- A23K 10/38: from distillers' or brewers' waste
- C11B 1/00: Production of fats or fatty oils from raw materials
- C11B 1/02: Pretreatment
- C11B 1/025: {by enzymes or microorganisms, living or dead}
- C12P 7/64: Fats; Fatty oils; Ester-type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats
- B01D 3/14: Fractional distillation {or use of a fractionation or rectification column}
- B01D 17/0205: {by gas bubbles or moving solids}
- C02F 1/24: by flotation (C02F1/465 takes precedence)
- C12F 3/00: Recovery of by-products
- C12P 7/06: Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y02P 60/87: Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production
- C12F: RECOVERY OF BY-PRODUCTS OF FERMENTED SOLUTIONS (removal of yeast from wine or sparkling wine C12G1/08); DENATURED ALCOHOL; PREPARATION THEREOF
- A23K: FODDER
- 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)
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- 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)
- 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)
- 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

## Abstract

Processes and systems for recovering oil from a fermentation product are provided that optimize oil recovery during fermentation. The processes and systems described herein introduce a gas into the fermentation product in order to cause the oil within the fermentation product to separate therefrom, thereby facilitating its subsequent recovery. The processes and systems described herein can maximize the amount of oil that can be recovered during fermentation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for recovering an oil from a fermentation product, the method comprising: (a) fermenting an oil-containing biomass feedstock to thereby produce a fermentation product comprising an oil; (b) introducing a gas into the fermentation product to thereby form an oil-poor component and an oil-rich component; and (c) separating the oil-rich component from the oil-poor component to thereby produce a recovered oil-rich product, wherein the gas is introduced into the fermentation product at a rate of 5 to 1,000 cm3/min and the fermenting of step (a) and the introducing of a gas of step (h) occur in a container comprising an agitator, wherein the agitator operates at a predetermined agitation rate during the fermenting of step (a) and a predetermined agitation rate during the introducing of the gas of step (b), wherein the predetermined agitation rate during the introducing step of the gas of (b) is at least 50 percent less than the predetermined agitation rate during the fermenting of step (a).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the gas is introduced over a period of 0.1 to 24 hours.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the recovered oil-rich product comprises at least about 75 weight percent of oil.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the recovered oil-rich product comprises at least about 50 percent of the oil originally present in the fomentation product.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the gas is produced by a gas sparger, gas diffuser, aeration turbine, venturi tube, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises carbon dioxide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the oil-containing feedstock comprises a grain.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising purifying the recovered oil-rich product to produce a purified oil.