Whole Stillage Separation for High-Protein Feed Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current corn dry milling processes primarily produce ethanol and distiller's grains with solubles, lacking a method to effectively recover additional revenue-generating products from the whole stillage byproduct.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for producing a protein and fiber feed product from whole stillage byproduct in corn dry milling processes, involving separation of insoluble solids and solubles, followed by filtration and dewatering to create a high-protein and high-fiber feed product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If whole stillage is processed through conventional decanting and evaporation to produce DDGS, then a feed product is obtained, but additional revenue-generating products cannot be recovered
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the whole stillage into distinct fractions: insoluble solids (fiber), solubles (protein, amino acids, oils), and fine fiber through sequential filtration. This segmentation enables separate processing and recovery of multiple valuable components, transforming a single feed product into multiple revenue-generating products including protein feed, fiber feed, and fine fiber feed
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and separates specific valuable components from the whole stillage stream. Fine fiber is extracted through filtration, proteins and amino acids are recovered from the soluble portion, and oils are separated. This extraction enables targeted recovery of high-value components that would otherwise be lost in conventional DDGS production
2Productivity
If the whole stillage is further processed to recover additional products, then revenue streams increase, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it separates fine fiber from the soluble portion, concentrates proteins and amino acids, and prepares the soluble fraction for oil separation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated equipment for each separation task, managing complexity while enabling multiple product recoveries
3Manufacturing precision
If fine fiber and protein are separated from solubles, then product purity increases, but processing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary separation of fine fiber through filtration before the main evaporation and drying processes. This preliminary action removes the bulk of the fine fiber content early in the process, simplifying subsequent processing steps and improving the efficiency of protein and oil recovery operations
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
The system efficiently produces a high-protein and high-fiber feed product, providing an additional revenue stream and enhancing the economic viability of corn dry milling processes.
Implementation Method 1
filtering out the fine fiber and protein from the separated solubles portion
Implementation Method 2
the fine fiber and protein portion is dewatered to produce a dewatered protein and fiber feed product
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system are disclosed for producing a protein and fiber feed product from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry milling process for making alcohol, such as ethanol, and/or other biofuels/biochemicals. In one embodiment, the method includes separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a centrate (solubles) portion. Thereafter, a fine fiber and protein portion may be separated from the centrate (solubles) portion. The fine fiber and protein portion may be dewatered to provide a protein and fiber feed product. In one example, the protein and fiber feed product can include insoluble solids, such as wet or dry distiller's grains with or without solubles. The resulting protein and fiber feed product may be sold and/or used as rumen feed, swine feed, chicken feed, aqua feed, food uses, or have other uses, including pharmaceutical and/or chemical usage, for example.