Dartmouth College

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Michigan Biotechnology Institute

Hans E Grethlein

Alvin O Converse

Lee H Lynd

Robert F Hickey

Lee R Lynd

Blaine F Severin

Daniel J Wagner

Joseph E Holland

An apparatus for simulating the operation of a full-scale belt filter press consists of a support base, a filter belt and a press belt each anchored at one end to the support base and passing over a static curved pressure face and a winch for exerting a pulling force on the press belt against the static curved press face to remove water from a sample of slurry on or within the belts. An improvement in the method of removing liquid from a slurry with a belt filter press also is disclosed which consists of pulling the pair of belts containing a slurry against a static curved pressure face to force liquid out of the slurry.

Apparatus for simulating a full scale belt filter press

A method of distillation employing a heat pump (which may be driven by a compressor) using a vapor stream from within the distillation system as a heat source and a liquid stream from within the distillation system as a heat sink. The selection of heat-source vapors and heat-sink liquid is such that at least one is withdrawn from the phase-contracting region of the distillation system. The return of streams withdrawn from the phase-contacting region of the distillation system to the distillation system is such that at least one of the streams is returned at a temperature different from that of the point from which it was withdrawn, and all withdrawn streams are returned in manner such that a stream removed as vapor is returned at a point with a temperature at most that at the point it was withdrawn, and a stream removed as liquid is returned at a point with a temperature at least that at which it was withdrawn. Embodiments of the basic method where vapor only, liquid only, or both liquid and vapor are withdrawn from and returned to the phase-contacting region of the distillation system are considered. The impact of the invention is to reduce the heat requirement of distillation in exchange for an amount of work which is usually small because the temperature difference between heat sources and sinks is minimized. Combination of the basic distillation method with multi-effect distillation, convention overhead-to-reboiler heat pumped distillation, azeotropic and extractive distillation, and fermentative production of volatile compounds is described. A system specifically designed for the separation of ethanol-water mixtures which utilizes the present invention and extractive distillation in a system with extensive heat integration is presented.

Distillation process for ethanol

A method of distillation employing a heat pump (which may be driven by a compressor) using a vapor stream from within the distillation system as a heat source and a liquid stream from within the distillation system as a heat sink. The selection of heat-source vapors and heat-sink liquid is such that at least one is withdrawn from the phase-contacting region of the distillation system. The return of streams withdrawn from the phase-contacting region of the distillation system to the distillation system is such that at least one of the streams is returned at a temperature different from that of the point from which it was withdrawn, and all withdrawn streams are returned in manner such that a stream removed as vapor is returned at a point with a temperature at most that at the point it was withdrawn, and a stream removed as liquid is returned at a point with a temperature at least that at which it was withdrawn. Embodiments of the basic method where vapor only, liquid only, or both liquid and vapor are withdrawn from and returned to the phase-contacting region of the distillation system are considered. The impact of the invention is to reduce the heat requirement of distillation in exchange for an amount of work which is usually small because the temperature difference between heat sources and sinks is minimized. Combination of the basic distillation method with multi-effect distillation, convention overhead-to-reboiler heat pumped distillation, azeotropic and extractive distillation, and fermentative production of volatile compounds is described. A system specifically designed for the separation of ethanol-water mixtures which utilized the present invention and extractive distillation in a system with extensive heat integration is presented.

A system is provided to produce sugars from a liquid-solid mixture containing biomass, and an acid, wherein the mixture is heated to an appropriate temperature to achieve hydrolysis. The liquid-solid mixture is introduced as a stream into the circular-cylindrical chamber of a cyclone reaction vessel and steam is introduced to the vessel to provide the necessary heat for hydrolysis as well as to establish the liquid-solid mixture in a rotary flow field whereby the liquids and solids of the mixture move along spiral paths within the chamber. The liquid-solid mixture may be introduced at the periphery of the chamber to spiral down toward and be discharged at or near the center of the chamber. Because of differing mass, the solid particles in the mixture move radially inward at a different rate than the liquid and that rate is controlled to maximize the hydrolysis of the solids and to minimize the decomposition of sugars, thus formed.

Cyclone reactor

A method of distillation employing a heat pump (which may be driven by a compressor) using a vapor stream from within the distillation system as a heat source and a liquid stream from within the distillation system as a heat sink. The selection of heat-source vapors and heat-sink liquid is such that at least one is withdrawm from the phase-contacting region of the distillation system. The return of streams withdrawm from the phase-contacting region of the distillation system to the distillation system is such that at least one of the streams is returned at a temperature different from that of the point from which it was withdrawn, and all withdrawn streams are returned in manner such that a stream removed as vapor is returned at a point with a temperature at most that at the point it was withdrawn, and a stream removed as liquid is returned at a point with a temperature at least that at which it was withdrawn. Embodiments of the basic method where vapor only, liquid only, or both liquid and vapor are withdrawn from and returned to the phase-contacting region of the distillation system are considered. The impact of the invention is to reduce the heat requirement of distillation in exchange for an amount of work which is usually small because the temperature difference between heat sources and sinks is minimized. Combination of the basic distillation method with multi-effect distillation, convention overhead-to-reboiler heat pumped distillation, azeotropic and extractive distillation, and fermentative production of volatile compounds is described. A system specifically designed for the separation of ethanol-water mixtures which utilizes the present invention and extractive distillation in a system with extensive heat integration is presented.

Distillation systems and methods

A process for hydrolysis of biomass wherein the biomass is mixed with a small amount of an aqueous acid to produce a wet meal. A non-aqueous carrier fluid is used to form a slurry of the biomass, and the temperature and pressure are established at appropriate levels to effect hydrolysis of the biomass to decomposition products that include sugar for a time period that is sufficient for the hydrolysis to occur.

Process for hydrolysis of biomass

Processes for treating cellulosic substances prior to hydrolysis which lead to shortening hydrolysis time and to increasing sugar yield. As exemplary, an aqueous slurry of the cellulosic substance is acidified and heated to and maintained at a temperature to produce a change in the cellulosic structure; the heating period is controlled so that there is little glucose formation. The pretreated cellulose may be subsequently hydrolyzed by acid or enzyme.

Growing community of inventors

Hanover, NH, United States of America

Hans E Grethlein