Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Micro-organism – tissue cell culture or enzyme using process... – Preparing oxygen-containing organic compound
Patent
1996-07-19
1998-06-16
Lankford, Jr., Leon B.
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Micro-organism, tissue cell culture or enzyme using process...
Preparing oxygen-containing organic compound
435163, 435165, 203 19, C12P 706, C12P 708, C12P 710
Patent
active
057668957
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention describes a method for producing ethyl alcohol by fermentation which introduces the following innovations:
More specifically, our invention describes a method for the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation, in a highly original manner, with no energy consumption and with low production cost. Raw materials to be used are sugars or sugars obtained by hydrolysis of cellulose and pentozanes which are widely found as they are the basic products resulting from the function of metabolism. As such the invention offers an essential solution towards covering basic human necessities.
Today's world is facing a severe problem regarding the availability of raw materials for the production of essential consumer products such as polymers, synthetic products, detergents, and synthetic products for agricultural use. The fast consumption of crude oil reserves which are likely to be depleted within the next 40 years creates potential shortages in the production of such consumer products.
As a result, alternative sources of raw materials are already required, which are not subject to depletion like crude oil. Such a raw material is ethyl alcohol which, if produced on a large scale and at a low cost can satisfy the needs in basic polymer materials, in detergents and synthetic materials. However, the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation methods from sugars results in 10% aqueous solutions and as a result, dewatering is necessary for its purification. This is effected by successive distillations leading to alcohol strengths of 96%, which constitutes the final azeotropic mixture. To this mixture, benzene is added and after successive distillations pure alcohol is produced. However, such methods are highly energy intensive consuming 20 to 60% more energy compared to what the product can give as a fuel.
Furthermore, during the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation, a lot of toxic and highly pollutant wastes are produced that can not be handled easily. This problem, along with those mentioned before, make the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation economically and production wise undesirable. As such fermentation alcohol until now has been used only for the production of alcoholic beverages and is subjected to high taxation making it a very valuable material. Nevertheless, the production of ethyl alcohol by fermentation means has been of great interest for the past 100 years. During the war, for example, ethyl alcohol was produced on a large scale in Germany from lignine cellulosic materials, by their hydrolysis in concentrated hydrochloric acid which was then distilled according to a method known as the Bergius process. In the USA, after the war, the German method was improved by hydrolysing lignine cellulosic materials with sulphuric acid, in the presence of a catalyst and at high temperatures and special conditions, according to a method known as the Scholler-Madison process, but once more this approach was not useful.
In the meantime, in Brazil, mass production of ethyl alcohol as a fuel has been promoted, by making use of the molasses obtained from leaching of sugar canes. The wood like residues known as bagasse are used as fuel during the production, and as a result the external energy requirement is reduced. However, the industrial wastes and the high volume of rejected materials produced, cause severe environmental pollution and since all these are discarded into the Amazon river it is clear that the environmental burden on it is getting very serious.
In the meantime, the EEC is promoting various improvements on these methods. One important achievement is the hydrolysis of cellulose with pure liquid hydrogen fluoride, which is a feasible solution since the hydrolysis is efficient and because the recycling of hydrogen fluoride by distillation has a low energy cost. The inventors, with financial aid from the EEC, have came up with a solution that uses the produced wastes, by digesting them anaerobically in the thermophilic region. By this method, substantial amounts of energy are produced an
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Theodoropoulos Athanassios G.
Valkanas George N.
Valkanas Nicolas P.
Vlyssides Apostolos G.
Innoval Management Limited
Lankford , Jr. Leon B.
Tate Christopher R.
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