White Fox Technologies Limited

Virginia Andrade

Jin Ming Zhou

Stephan Rüdiger Blum

Stephan Rudiger Blum

Thiago Righi

Zhou Jin Ming

Chenxu Shi

The present disclosure provides high-grade ethanol production systems and methods that increase energy efficiency as compared to typical systems and methods by minimizing undesired acetal formation. The provided ethanol production method may include a low boilers removal distillation column and/or a stripper column constructed to simultaneously remove at least a portion of the acetaldehyde and at least a portion of the acetal from a feed stream in the presence of water. In some aspects, a low boilers removal process may be followed by a water removal process, which may be followed by a high boilers removal process. Acidity (e.g., carbon dioxide) may also be removed from a feed stream prior to or during the low boilers removal process. By minimizing acetal production, the provided method minimizes the amount of energy that is required to remove acetal when producing high-grade ethanol.

High-grade ethanol production system

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.

Process and system for heat integration in ethanol production

A distillation and dehydration system is provided that produces an anhydrous organic solvent. The provided system includes vapor recompression (e.g., a mechanical or thermal vapor recompression unit) to recover heat from a rectification-distillation section (e.g., a rectifier/stripper column). The addition of vapor recompression enables further heat recovery within a stream by increasing the condensation temperature and pressure of that stream and later using its latent heat by condensing it.

Heat integrated process and system for ethanol production using vapor recompression

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.

Process and system for dehydrating a product stream in ethanol production

High-grade ethanol production process

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

Virginia Andrade