Method and Conditioning and Processing Whole or Thin Stillage to Aid in the Separation and Recovery of Protien and Oil Fractions

• Main Authors: Eastin Philip M, Collins John H, Scheimann David W, Van't Hul Jason S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.12.2017
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; FODDER; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

The invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing the energy needed to process stillage in an ethanol refining operation. The method involves adding to stillage an effective amount of at least one processing aid. The flocculant induces the separation of insoluble material that would otherwise remain suspended in water but which impose a high shear energy cost on the refining processes. This allows for the removal of insoluble material that would otherwise be overlooked but which increase energy costs. This allows for more efficient and effective separation and recovery of insoluble fractions of the concentrated thin stillage that would otherwise be overlooked and lost in the process. Loss of these valued fractions as a result of traditional processing techniques and those requiring extensive additional energy input results in the loss of high value co-products to low revenue process streams. This allows stillage to be processed more rapidly with a lower energy cost and improved co-product recovery economics.