The Dry Grind Corn to Ethanol Process

TM
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
Southern Illinois University
Education and Workforce Development
400 University Park Drive
Edwardsville, Illinois 62025-3604
Office: (618) 659-6737 ext. 239
Fax: (618) 659-8762

www.ethanolresearch.com
A copyright statement is as follows:
----------------------------
Copyright 2007, Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, National Corn to Ethanol Research Center,
Edwardsville, Illinois 62026
All rights reserved.
These materials are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, copied, displayed, or disseminated
in any media without the express consent of the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center
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1
2
9
13
Yeast
7
Hammer Mill

Slurry
Tank
Jet
Cooker
CO
2

Enzyme
4
Enzyme
4
Fermentation
Denatured
Ethanol

Molecular
Sieve
10
Distillation
System
Centrifuge
Evaporator
(Syrup)
Drum Dryer

5
Liquefaction
8
9
9

11
12
3
Dried Distillers
Grain with Solubles
The Corn to Ethanol Process
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, SIUE
5%
Gasoline
Added
(200 Proof )
(190 Proof )
(Whole
Stillage)
Start Here
Ammonia
Steam
(Recycled Water)
Urea
(Cooling)
( Wet Cake)
(Thin
Stillage)
Water
(Heating)


Enzyme
6
TM
2007 All Rights Reserved
The Dry-Grind Corn
to Ethanol Process




The dry-grind ethanol fermentation process (from kernel to ethanol)
requires approximately 54 to 58 hours. The time consuming step is
the actual fermentation which requires almost 50 hours.
One bushel of corn (56 pounds) yields approximately 2.8 gallons of
ethanol, 18 pounds of carbon dioxide, and 18 pounds of Dried
Distillers Grain with Solubles (DDGS).


Midwest Corn typically contains: 70-72% starch, 9% protein, 4% oils, and
9% fiber on a dry basis, plus approximately 15% water.
1
Hopper
Most corn grown for ethanol production is #2 yellow dent corn, so named
because of the indentation that occurs on top after the kernel is allowed
to dry.
The corn kernels are milled to a coarse flour and passed through a fine
mesh screen.
2
Hammer Mill
The corn particle sizing is a compromise between:
(B) leaving large enough particles for drying the Distillers Grain
at the end for animal feed.
(A) grinding fine enough to provide increased surface area to make
starch granules available for reaction with water and enzymes and
Slurry
Tank
3
Ammonia
or
Sulfuric Acid
(Recycled Water)
Water
Corn flour from the hammer mill is mixed first in the slurry mixer
with hot water and alpha-amylase enzyme.

The resulting slurry is adjusted to a pH of 5.6 to 6.0 with acid or base.
Hammer Mill
Slurry Mixer
(Corn flour)
Slurry
Tank
alpha-
amylase
3
Only one third of the total alpha-amylase is added in the slurry
Tank.


The remaining alpha-amylase will be added later in the
liquefaction tank.

Temperature = 185
o
F
pH = 5.6 to 6.0
% Solids = 32%
Jet Cooker
Steam
Slurry Mash
The slurry mash is heated to above 220F in a jet cooker using direct
steam.

holding column
Upon exiting the jet cooker, the corn slurry enters a holding column
where the mixture is held for 5 to 10 minutes.



Liquefaction
Tank
alpha-amylase
5
From the holding column, the slurry enters a Liquefaction Tank (5).
The jet cooking and liquefaction steps break apart the long starch
granules. The shorter molecules are called dextrin.
holding column
Temperature = 185
o
F
pH = 5.6 to 6.0
% Solids = 30%

Additional alpha-amylase is added and the mash is allowed to react
(liquefy) for approximately 30 minutes.
Glucose is converted by yeast (7) through a series of multi-step reactions
to ethanol and carbon dioxide in the fermentation tanks (8).
9
CO
2


Fermentation
Tanks

SSF
Yeast
7
8
Liquefaction Tank


A second enzyme, gluco-amylase (6), is added to complete the dextrin
breakdown to glucose.
gluco-amylase
6
Temperature = 90
o
F
pH = 3.5 to 4.0


Over the past 10 years, many ethanol plants have started adding the
saccharifying enzyme (gluco-amylase) directly to the fermentation tank.
This faster process is know as Simultaneous Saccharification and
Fermentation (SSF).
CO
2
Carbon dioxide is a major co-product in the fermentation process.

9
Fermentation
Tanks

Every bushel of corn (approximately 56 pounds) will produce
approximately 18 pounds of carbon dioxide gas.
Yeast can withstand extreme environmental stresses including high
ethanol concentrations (final concentrations of 12-18% by volume), as
well as organic acids produced by contaminating bacteria. Fortunately,
most bacterial contaminants do not grow below pH 4.
Yeast
7
Fermentation
Tanks

Contaminating microorganisms can lower the yield by converting glucose
to some undesirable fermentation products like fusel oils (undesired
alcohols), acetic acid, and lactic acid. Antibiotics maybe added to the
fermentation process to minimize bacterial contamination.
Distillation System
At the end of fermentation, the product is called beer and contains 12%
or higher concentration of ethanol. The beer is typically stored in a tank
referred to as the beer well.

Beer Well
The distillation system typically consists of three columns.


(beer)
First, the beer is passed through a degassing column (gray) to remove
carbon dioxide and other gases.
Distillation System
Beer Well
Centrifuge
(gases)
Molecular Sieve
(whole stillage)
Separation of ethanol/water from the non-converted solids mixture occurs
on the beer column (blue). These non-converted solids (whole stillage)
fall to the bottom and are sent to the centrifuge for separation.
Further separation of the ethanol/water mixture is accomplished using a
rectifier column (red). The 190 proof ethanol is sent through a
molecular sieve column to convert it to 200 proof.



Conventional distillation methods yield 190 proof (95% pure ethanol)
because ethanol and water form an azeotrope. An azeotrope is simply a
mixture of two substances that form a constant boiling point mixture.
Molecular
Sieve
10

Denatured
Ethanol Tank
from Rectifier Column
200 Proof
190 Proof
Temperature > 280
o
F
Pressure = 6 psig



The remaining 5% water is removed by molecular sieves, which rely on
pore sizes to separate the smaller water molecules from ethanol.




Finally, anhydrous (100% or 200 proof) ethanol is denatured, typically
with 5% gasoline to exempt the ethanol from beverage alcohol taxes.
5%
Gasoline
Added
Denatured Ethanol
11
Molecular Sieve
Centrifuge
whole stillage
wet cake
thin stillage
The solids materials remaining after distillation of ethanol from the beer
column is called whole stillage. Whole stillage contains 13-17% solids
and is composed primarily of small particles of corn that did not get
converted to ethanol. This whole stillage is separated in the centrifuge
into wet cake and thin stillage.
Wet cake is a more concentrated form of the whole stillage and
contains approximately 35% solids after leaving the centrifuge. Since it
contains mostly solids, it must be augured or conveyed to the drum
dryer.
Evaporator
(syrup)
12

Centrifuge
Drum Dryer
backset
(wet cake)
(thin
stillage)
The thin stillage is primarily water with between 4 and 5% solids. The thin
stillage is evaporated down to a concentrated syrup in the evaporator.
The condensed water is recycled to the Slurry tank. This condensed
water is called backset and helps to conserve total water usage.
The remaining liquid is concentrated (called syrup) by evaporation and
mixed with the wet cake before entering the dryer. Syrup is
approximately 28-30% solids and contains mostly protein and oils from
the corn. The addition of syrup increases the nutritional value of the
DDG.
Rotary Drum Dryer
DDGS
Centrifuge
(wet cake)
Evaporator
(syrup)
The mixture of syrup and wet cake is dried to generate Dried Distillers
Dried Grain with Syrup or Solubles (DDGS). DDGS is typically dried to a
10% moisture level.
The moisture content and correspondingly short shelf-life of wet distillers
grains limit use of this feed product to the immediate vicinity of ethanol
plants.
The shelf life of the DDGS can be lengthened by adding organic acids as
preservatives and removing almost all the moisture content.
Inlet Air Temperature = 600-1200
o
F
DDGS Residence time = approximately 30 minutes
13
Distillers Dried
Grain with Solubles
In the dry grind process, corn is ground whole and fermented to ethanol.
The only major by-products are ethanol, carbon dioxide, and Distillers
Dried Grain with Solubles.
DDGS is sold primarily as cattle feed.
NCERC
Hammer Mill
Slurry
Tank
Jet
Cooker
Fermentation
Ethanol
Storage

Molecular
Sieve
Distillation
System
Evaporator
(Syrup)
Drum Dryer

Liquefaction

9
9
Centrifuge
DDGS
(200 Proof )
(190 Proof )
Whole
Stillage
(Recycled Water)
(Cooling)
( Wet Cake)
(Thin
Stillage)
(Heating)
TM
Centrifuge
DE
TS %
pH
DE
pH
pH
HPLC
H2O %
Proximate
Analysis
TS%
Proximates
Amino Acids
Total P
Ash
etc.
HPLC
Particle Size
Grain
Qual