Fuel grade ethanol is produced in continuous process employing fermentation, solvent extraction of the ethanol, extractive distillation of the ethanol-solvent extract to provide water fraction and vacuum stripping for separation of the fuel-grade ethanol and regenerated solvent. The solvent is recyc
Fuel grade ethanol is produced in continuous process employing fermentation, solvent extraction of the ethanol, extractive distillation of the ethanol-solvent extract to provide water fraction and vacuum stripping for separation of the fuel-grade ethanol and regenerated solvent. The solvent is recycled. An isoparaffin is used as a solvent and this solvent can be modified with a long chain fatty acid, alcohol or fatty alcohol or long-chain esters. Alternatively, many modifiers may be used neat.
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1. A process of producing alcohol comprising: (a) feeding a sugar and water containing feed stock to a fermenter; (b) providing the fermenter with fermentation microorganisms and operating the fermenter continuously for converting the feed stock into a fermentation product containing alcohol, su
1. A process of producing alcohol comprising: (a) feeding a sugar and water containing feed stock to a fermenter; (b) providing the fermenter with fermentation microorganisms and operating the fermenter continuously for converting the feed stock into a fermentation product containing alcohol, sugar and microorganisms; (c) feeding the fermentation product to a solvent extraction column; (d) delivering to said solvent extraction column solvent which is non-toxic to the fermentation microorganisms which will dissolve and decrease the volatility of said alcohol relative to said water such that said water is more volatile than said alcohol in the presence of said solvent and said solvent is less volatile than either said water or said alcohol in ternary mixtures of said solvent, said water and said alcohol, said solvent being and is essentially immiscible in the water in the fermentation product for liquid to liquid extraction of the alcohol for providing an alcohol-solvent extract phase and a water phase, the water phase including microorganisms, solids and water; (e) removing alcohol-solvent extract phase from said solvent extraction column and directing the alcohol-solvent extract phase to an extractive distillation dehydration unit; (f) removing water phase from said solvent extraction column and returning the water phase to said fermenter; (g) distilling in said extractive distillation dehydration unit the bulk of the residual water from said alcohol-solvent extract phase leaving a dehydrated extract including alcohol and solvent; (h) returning the distilled water from said extractive distillation dehydration unit to the solvent extraction column to provide more efficient liquid/liquid extraction of the alcohol from the fermentation product in said solvent extraction column; (i) delivering said dehydrated extract to a vacuum stripping unit; (j) separating said alcohol from said solvent in said dehydrated extract in said vacuum stripping unit to produce regenerated solvent and alcohol product; (k) returning a portion of the regenerated solvent to said extractive distillation dehydration unit and a portion of the regenerated solvent to said solvent extraction column; and (l) discharging said alcohol product from said vacuum stripping unit. 2. The process defined in claim 1 including decanting said water phase after said water phase has been removed from said solvent extraction column and prior to recycling said water phase into said fermenter. 3. The process defined in claim 2 wherein the decanting of said water phase produces a microorganisms, water, and solids phase, filtering said solids from said microorganisms, water, and solids phase, and returning the water and dissolved solids to said fermenter. 4. The process defined in claim 3 wherein said microorganisms, water and solids phase is directed through an evaporator for removing water therefrom, prior to the time that it is directed back into said fermenter. 5. The process defined in claim 1 wherein the solvent which is returned to said solvent extraction column is fed to a decanter prior to being delivered to said solvent extraction column and delivering a lighter portion of said solvent in said decanter to the extractive distillation dehydration unit. 6. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said dehydrated extract is preheated during its delivery from said extractive distillation dehydration unit to said vacuum stripper. 7. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said alcohol product is condensed, prior to the time that said alcohol product is discharged from said vacuum stripper. 8. The process defined in claim 1 wherein makeup solvent is introduced into said solvent extraction column. 9. The process of claim 1, wherein the distilled water returned to the solvent extraction column includes some alcohol. 10. The process of claim 1, further including the step of separating a heavier fraction containing water from the alcohol-solvent extract phase removed from the solvent extraction column before directing said alcohol-solvent extract phase to the extractive distillation dehydration unit. 11. The process of claim 1, wherein metabolites are continuously removed using solvent extraction. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein said solvent is a blend, and the process further includes the step of metabolite dehydration and recovery from dilute fermentates. 13. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said solvent includes a branched chain paraffin. 14. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said solvent is selected from the group consisting of branched chain paraffins, linear chain paraffins, long chain fatty acids, long chain alcohols, long chain fatty alcohols, and long-chain esters. 15. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said non-toxic solvent is selected from the group consisting of tridecyl alcohol, decyl alcohol, fatty alcohols, fatty acids and long-chain esters. 16. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said solvent constitutes an admixture of a branched chain diluent and a modifier selected from the group consisting of long chain alcohols, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, and long-chain esters. 17. The process of claim 16 wherein said solvent constitutes equal parts of said branched chain paraffin diluent and said modifier. 18. The process of claim 16 wherein the diluent to modifier ratio is from 10/1 to 1/10. 19. The process of claim 1 wherein said solvent is a blend of long-chain esters mixed with long-chain alcohols in a ratio of 10/1 to 1/10. 20. The process of claim 1, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of undiluted tridecyl alcohol, tridecyl acetate, and tridecyl acid. 21. The process of claim 1 wherein said solvent includes diols, polysilicates, or other similar polar functionalities that enable hydrogen bonding and/or solvation coordination with said alcohol. 22. The process of claim 1, wherein said solvent has a viscosity, density, and liquid/liquid interfacial tension with said fermentation product such that there is a primary break time of less than ten minutes. 23. The process of claim 22 wherein said solvent does not form stable emulsions when mixed vigorously with said fermentation products, is a liquid at all operating temperatures, is not highly flammable and will not result in explosive conditions, is chemically stable in the presence of said fermentation products or, if degradation occurs, the degradation Product exhibits similar properties as said solvent, and if said solvent includes nonpolar diluents, said alcohol-solvent extracts do not form third phases. 24. The process of claim 1 wherein the sugar concentration in said fermenter is about 3% by weight. 25. The process of claim 1 wherein the alcohol concentration in the fermentation product ranges from 0.5 to 15.0%. 26. The process of claim 1 wherein the alcohol concentration in the fermentation product is approximately 5-10%.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (4)
Lee, Fu-Ming; Pahl, Robert H., Dehydration of alcohol with extractive distillation.
Zudkevitch David (Denville NJ) Preston David K. (Hope NJ) Belsky Stephen E. (Parsippany NJ), Extraction and/or extractive distillation of ethanol from aqueous solutions.
Schonemann, Hans; Waibel, Brian J.; Krukonis, Val, Energy efficient method and apparatus for the extraction of lower alcohols from dilute aqueous solution.
Anton, Douglas Robert; Bazzana, Stephane Francois; Burlew, Keith H.; Cirakovic, Jelena; Dicosimo, Robert; Diner, Bruce A.; Grady, Michael Charles; Roesch, Brian Michael; Woerner, Francis J., Production of alcohol esters and in situ product removal during alcohol fermentation.
Anton, Douglas Robert; Bazzana, Stephane Francois; Burlew, Keith H; Cirakovic, Jelena; Dicosimo, Robert; Diner, Bruce A; Grady, Michael Charles; Roesch, Brian Michael; Woerner, Francis J, Production of alcohol esters and in situ product removal during alcohol fermentation.
Evanko, William A.; Eyal, Aharon M.; Glassner, David A.; Miao, Fudu; Aristidou, Aristos A.; Evans, Kent; Gruber, Patrick R.; Hawkins, Andrew C., Recovery of higher alcohols from dilute aqueous solutions.
Evanko, William A.; Eyal, Aharon M.; Glassner, David A.; Miao, Fudu; Aristidou, Aristos A.; Evans, Kent; Gruber, Patrick R.; Hawkins, Andrew C., Recovery of higher alcohols from dilute aqueous solutions.
Evanko, William A.; Eyal, Aharon M.; Glassner, David A.; Miao, Fudu; Aristidou, Aristos A.; Evans, Kent; Gruber, Patrick R.; Hawkins, Andrew C., Recovery of higher alcohols from dilute aqueous solutions.
Evanko, William A.; Eyal, Aharon M.; Glassner, David A.; Miao, Fudu; Aristidou, Aristos A.; Evans, Kent; Gruber, Patrick R.; Hawkins, Andrew C.; Meinhold, Peter; Feldman, Reid M. Renny; Gunawardena, Uvini; Urano, Jun, Recovery of higher alcohols from dilute aqueous solutions.
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