Ecolab USA Inc.

Nalco Company

Philip M Eastin

Jason Van't Hul

Xiaodong Huang

Lan Xiao

John H Collins

David W Scheimann

Xuejun Wang

Patrick G Murray

Hua Zheng

Tiandi Zhuang

Jason S VAN'T Hul

A method of processing thin stillage in an ethanol refining operation is provided. The method comprises treating thin stillage upstream of a concentration or evaporation step with an aid comprising a sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, an ethoxylated sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, or a combination thereof, thereby forming treated thin stillage. The aid may include at least one of sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate.

Method for conditioning and processing whole or thin stillage to aid in the separation and recovery of protein and oil fractions

A method of detecting free flocculant polymer having a net charge present in an aqueous phase of a multi-phase substance is provided. The multi-phase substance comprises a solid phase, an organic phase, and the aqueous phase. The method comprises separating the solid phase from the multi-phase substance to form a dual phase top liquid comprising the organic phase and the aqueous phase; separating the organic phase from the dual phase top liquid, leaving the aqueous phase; combining the free flocculant polymer in the aqueous phase and a dye having an opposite net charge than that of the free flocculant polymer, thereby causing a spectroscopically observable change in the aqueous phase; and analyzing the aqueous phase via spectrometry to determine the concentration of the free flocculant polymer in the multi-phase substance.

Method of determining residual flocculant in effluent of an industrial clarification process

The invention provides methods and compositions for recovering oil from stillage. The method comprises the addition of a surfactant and a microparticle comprising hydrophilic silica to a grain to ethanol stillage. The methods and compositions of the present invention release oil trapped in solid aggregates, increasing the total amount of oil extracted from the stillage.

Chemical additives to improve oil separation in stillage process operations

A method of processing thin stillage in an ethanol refining operation is provided. The method comprises treating thin stillage upstream of a concentration or evaporation step with an inverse emulsion comprising at least one anionic flocculant and an emulsifying agent selected from a sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, an ethoxylated sorbitan ester of a fatty acid, and combinations thereof, thereby forming treated thin stillage; clarifying the treated thin stillage via at least one of dissolved air flotation and induced air flotation, thereby forming clarified thin stillage and a float layer comprising oil and solids; separating the oil from the solids of the float layer; and recovering the oil.

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St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Philip M Eastin