Continuous Lactic Acid and Alcohol Production from Corn
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of a simple and inexpensive process for simultaneously producing lactic acid and a second fermentation product, such as alcohol or biogas, from cereal grains, particularly corn kernels or cobs, which hinders economic upgrading and efficient utilization of starting materials in biotechnology processes.
Innovation Solution
A continuous process involving dry milling of corn cobs, followed by liquefaction, saccharification, separation of dextrose streams, selective sugar separation, and fermentation using appropriate microorganisms to produce lactic acid and alcohol or biogas, while upgrading difficult-to-ferment components into valuable products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cereals are treated by wet milling to produce fermentable products, then the quality of starting material for fermentation is improved, but the production cost and process complexity increase significantly compared to dry milling
Solution Approach 1:
The process segments the cereal treatment into two distinct pathways: dry milling for producing lactic acid from starch-rich fractions, and separate treatment of fiber-rich fractions for alcohol or biogas production. This segmentation allows each pathway to be optimized independently, achieving high-quality fermentable substrates without the complexity of wet milling while maximizing overall resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a multi-functional processing system where the same cereal feedstock can be directed to different fermentation pathways based on the desired product. The dry milling pathway produces lactic acid, while the separated fiber fraction can be converted to alcohol or biogas, making the overall system versatile and adaptable to different market demands without requiring separate specialized facilities.
2Reliability
If wastes and difficult-to-ferment components are separated from the initial stream, then the purity of lactic acid fermentation substrate is improved, but the treatment of separated fractions requires sizeable capital costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the previously problematic waste fractions (fibers and difficult-to-ferment components) into a valuable resource by directing them to secondary fermentation pathways for alcohol or biogas production. What was once considered waste requiring expensive treatment or disposal is now transformed into additional revenue streams, turning a harmful economic factor into a beneficial one.
Solution Approach 2:
The process selectively discards difficult-to-ferment components from the lactic acid production stream through simple separation, then recovers their value through separate alcohol or biogas fermentation. This approach avoids the need for expensive comprehensive waste treatment while maximizing resource utilization by extracting value from previously unusable fractions.
3Ease of operation
If a single fermentation product is produced from cereals, then the process is simpler to operate, but the economic upgrading and value maximization of starting materials is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cereal utilization into multiple product streams: lactic acid from the starch-rich fraction and alcohol or biogas from the fiber-rich fraction. Each fermentation pathway remains relatively simple and can be operated independently, maintaining ease of operation while dramatically increasing the economic value extracted from the original cereal feedstock through diversified product output.
4Productivity
If corn kernels and cobs are processed together, then the overall utilization of cereal biomass is maximized, but the difficulty of fermenting cobs increases the complexity of the process
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the processing based on the natural composition of corn components: kernels (high starch content) are directed to lactic acid production, while cobs and fiber-rich materials are directed to alcohol or biogas production. This segmentation matches the feedstock characteristics with appropriate fermentation pathways, maximizing biomass utilization while avoiding the complexity that would arise from attempting to ferment all materials through a single pathway.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process enables simultaneous and cost-effective production of lactic acid and a second fermentation product, maximizing economic upgrading of corn kernels and cobs, and optimizing the treatment of cereals to produce high-value products like ethanol, butanol, and biogas.
Implementation Method 1
mixing it, in a mixer (102), with a stream of water (that is to say, to carry out a liquefaction stage)
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the slurry (103) to a saccharification stage (104) so as to produce a crude dextrose stream (105)
Implementation Method 3
fermented in a fermenter to produce lactic acid
Data Source
AI summary
A process for the continuous production of lactic acid (a first fermentation product) and of a second fermentation product selected from the group consisting of alcohols and biogas, may include starting from the milling, necessarily carried out under dry conditions, of cereals and more particularly of corn. In the context of this process, a main flow and a flow of wastes which are difficult to ferment are recovered from the milling. These two flows are treated separately but simultaneously so as to produce, by fermentation, on the one hand, lactic acid and, on the other hand, an alcohol and/or biogas.