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Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc

Anthony L Pometto

Johannes Van Leeuwen

Samir Kumar Khanal

Debjani Mitra

Ali Demirci

Mary L Rasmussen

Kenneth E Johnson

The present invention is directed to an improved method of processing thin stillage from ethanol production and/or other industrial processes to produce high value fungal biomass that can be recovered by simple means. The effluent is sanitized and recycled using a novel disinfection technique. This innovative approach generates revenue from low value thin stillage, while reducing wastewater purification costs.

Purification of thin stillage from dry-grind corn milling with fungi

A method of processing stillage from fermentation derived alcohol is disclosed, including dry-grind ethanol production from corn, by fermentation with filamentous fungi. This produces high-value fungal biomass that can be recovered by screening, is easily dewatered and used as an animal feed, human food or as a source of nutraceuticals. The methodology uses an airlift reactor to enhance the morphology of the fungi for easy harvesting and separation of water for recycling and reuse and to recover added enzymes and mineral acid with the water. The process also separates oil from the stillage. The fungal processing removes organic substances from the water that are otherwise inhibitory to the reuse prospects for the water, i.e. suspended and dissolved organic matter, including glycerol, lactic and acetic acids. The process also separates oil from the stillage by enmeshing the oil in the fungal biomass and can produce more oil through cultivation of oleaginous fungi. This approach generates revenue from low value thin stillage, while substantially reducing stillage processing costs, mainly by averting the need for evaporation of the thin stillage.

Fungi cultivation on alcohol fermentation stillage for useful products and energy savings

A solid support for immobilization of microorganism cells is made of a synthetic polymer such as a polyolefin, in admixture with an organic polymeric plant material such as corn fibers, oat hulls, starch, and cellulose. Preferably, the synthetic polymer is in an amount of about 50-95% wt-% and the plant material is in an amount of about 5-50 wt-%. Preferred polyolefins are polyethylene and polypropylene. The plant material may be a mixture including a plant material that functions as a nutrient to enhance growth of the microorganism on the support. The support may be produced by combining the synthetic polymer and plant material to form a composite, dough-like thermoplastic composition. The composition may be prepared in an extrusion mixer and co-extruded as an extrudate to form a shaped article. The supports are useful for immobilizing living cells of a microorganism to form a biofilm reactor for use in continuous fermentations, in streams for bioremediation of contaminants, and in waste treatment systems to remove contaminants and reduce biochemical oxygen demand levels.

Immobilization of microorganisms on a support made of synthetic polymer

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Boone, IA, United States of America

Anthony L Pometto