6 results about "Biorefinery" patented technology

Described systems produce high-purity carbon dioxide from a CO2-rich gas, such as from CO2-rich tail gas produced as a waste stream during an upgrading or conditioning stage in a renewable natural gas (RNG) biorefinery. An example method comprises H2S filtration, compression, and cooling of the CO2-rich tail gas, subsequent filtration of oil, water, VOCs, and other sulfur-comprising compounds from the CO2-rich tail gas, and subsequent drying and compression of the CO2-rich tail gas. The CO2-rich tail gas is then condensed and a portion of CH4 is separated from the CO2-rich tail gas via flash separation and column distillation. The CO2-rich tail gas is then communicated into a reboiler to further separate CH4 from the CO2-rich tail gas. After subsequent further chilling / cooling, if the CO2-rich tail gas has a sufficiently high CO2 concentration, the CO2-rich tail gas is a finished CO2 product, such as food-grade CO2 or beverage-grade CO2.

It is a continuing goal to reduce the amount of sludge produced in a biorefinery while also improving oil quality and water quality. In one aspect, an exemplary method of minimizing sludge from biorefineries includes the steps of feeding a source feedstock into a degumming centrifuge, where the source feedstock is separated into wet oil and a primary sludge stream, and conveying a portion of the primary sludge stream to a three-phase centrifuge. At the three-phase centrifuge, the portion of the primary sludge stream is separated into recovered centrifuge oil, which is retrieved; centrifuged water, which is conveyed to a wastewater treatment plant; and centrifuged sludge. The remainder of the primary sludge stream is conveyed to a gravity separator, where the remainder of the primary sludge stream is separated into recovered oil and residual sludge. The residual oil is retrieved from the gravity separator.

Described systems produce high-purity carbon dioxide from a CO2-rich gas, such as from CO2-rich tail gas produced as a waste stream during an upgrading or conditioning stage in a renewable natural gas (RNG) biorefinery. An example method comprises H2S filtration, compression, and cooling of the CO2-rich tail gas, subsequent filtration of oil, water, VOCs, and other sulfur-comprising compounds from the CO2-rich tail gas, and subsequent drying and compression of the CO2-rich tail gas. The CO2-rich tail gas is then condensed and a portion of CH4 is separated from the CO2-rich tail gas via flash separation and column distillation. The CO2-rich tail gas is then communicated into a reboiler to further separate CH4 from the CO2-rich tail gas. After subsequent further chilling / cooling, if the CO2-rich tail gas has a sufficiently high CO2 concentration, the CO2-rich tail gas is a finished CO2 product, such as food-grade CO2 or beverage-grade CO2.

Process for simultaneous production of sugars from biomass including at least one polysaccharide and of sugars and lipids from a fermentation broth, comprising the following steps: (a) feeding at least one microorganism, preferably an oleaginous microorganism, to a fermentation device obtaining a fermentation broth comprising an aqueous suspension of cellular biomass comprising sugars and lipids; (b) optionally, at the end of the fermentation, subjecting the fermentation broth obtained in said step (a) to concentration obtaining a fermentation broth comprising an aqueous suspension of concentrated cellular biomass comprising sugars and lipids; (c) subjecting the fermentation broth obtained in said step (a) or the fermentation broth comprising an aqueous suspension of concentrated cellular biomass comprising sugars and lipids obtained in said step (b) and said biomass comprising at least one polysaccharide to hydrolysis in the presence of at least one organic acid having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, obtaining a reaction mixture comprising a solid phase, an oily phase and an aqueous phase, said hydrolysis being carried out at a pH comprised between 0.6 and 1.6, preferably comprised between 0.9 and 1.3; (d) subjecting the reaction mixture obtained in said step (c) to separation obtaining a solid phase comprising lignin, cellulose and cellular debris, an oily phase comprising lipids and an aqueous phase comprising sugars. The sugars obtained from the aforesaid process can be advantageously used, for example, as carbon sources in the fermentation processes for the production of alcohols (e.g., ethanol, butanol), lipids, diols (e.g., 1,3 -propanediol, 1,3 -butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol), bioplastics (e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates), or in chemical synthesis processes for the production of other intermediates or chemicals. Said alcohols and lipids, can in turn be advantageously used in the production of biofuels (e.g., biodiesel or "Green Diesel"), which can be used as such, or in admixture with other automotive fuels, while said diols can be used in the production of products such as, for example, bio-butadiene which can in turn be used in the production of rubbers (e.g., polybutadiene or copolymers thereof). The lipids obtained from the aforesaid process can be advantageously used, for example, for the production of biofuels usable in diesel or aviation engines, or said lipids can be subjected to metathesis processes in order to obtain precursors of biofuels, waxes, plastics, cosmetics, personal care items. The aforesaid process is particularly useful in the case of a biorefinery.

The invention provides a method of reactive separation of biomass-derived materials, comprising: providing a pretreated biomass stream that contains a solid phase and a liquid phase; introducing the pretreated biomass stream to a fiber-bed reactive separator (FBRS) that forms a fiber bed; optionally, applying a pre-separation reaction trigger to the fiber bed to cause a chemical reaction of at least one component in situ within the fiber bed; separating the liquid phase from the solid phase, to generate a solid-rich material remaining in the fiber bed and a liquid-rich material directed to an output liquid stream; optionally, applying a post-separation reaction trigger to the solid-rich material, while it is still contained in the fiber bed, to cause a post-separation chemical reaction of at least one component; and recovering the solid-rich material from the FBRS. At least one reaction trigger is applied to the FBRS, to cause a selected chemical reaction.