CHAPTER 5: PROCESS DESIGN

Process description
Processing of BSG consists of four major unit operations: pre-treatment, hydrolysis,
fermentation and product purification. In addition to these unit operations the process
involves feedstock handling and storage, product purification, wastewater treatment, lignin
combustion, product storage and other utilities
BSG is delivered to the feed handling area for storage and size reduction. From there the
biomass is conveyed to pre-treatment and conditioning. In this area the biomass is treated
with dilute sulphuric acid at low temperature (20-25C) liberating cellulose and
hemicellulose sugars. The hydrolysis process requires 4hours to process each batch.
Neutralisation is required to adjust the pH to levels ideal for the fermenting organism. Only
the liquid portion of the hydrolysis stream is conditioned. The hydrolysate is then transferred
to storage tanks.

Fermentation of the hydrolysate slurry is carried out in an aerobic bioreactor utilising S

Cerevisae. This is where glucose and xylose are converted to ethanol. Fermentation requires 3
days to achieve ideal optimal alcohol concentration. The resulting beer with is sent to product
recovery.
Product recovery consists of a beer column to distil the ethanol from the majority of the water
and residual solids. The vapour exiting the beer column is 40% by weight ethanol and feeds
the rectification column.
Wastewater is treated in the wastewater treatment pond.

MASS BALANCE
The objective is to produce 3000L/day of ethanol
Assumptions:

Production is divided into 8 batches per day

The BSG will processed in 2T batches
Ethanol produce is 95%
Density of ethanol is 789g/L

Balance over the distillation column

Assumptions

All reactions are completed in the fermenter

Required capacity is 500L per batch

The determination of ethanol content before and after distillation revealed that the feed concentration
into the column is 16%, with a corresponding product concentration of 95%.

Actual flow-rate of ethanol in the product

= 0.938*400kg
= 375kg

This is also 40% of the feed, therefore

yT/day

100
375 kg
16

= 2343.75kg

This also implies that

xT/day

= 2343.75kg-400kg
= 1973.75kg

Balance over the distillation column

Feed
Ethanol (16%)

Mass(kg)
2343.75

Product
Ethanol (93.8%)
Water

Balance over the fermenter

Assumptions

Only ethanol and CO2 are produced

Yeast added is 3g/L, none is consumed.
Mass of yeast can be considered to be negligible
Since the actual

Fermentation reaction
C6H12O6
Mr of ethanol

= 46.06844g/mol

Mass(kg)
400
1973.75

Mr of glucose

= 312g/mol

Mr of carbon dioxide

= 44g/mol

Actual mass of ethanol produced is 375kg

Moles of ethanol

mass/mr

375000 g / 46.06844g/mol

= 8152.17mol
According to the reaction, the ratio of moles of glucose to ethanol is 1:2. This implies that the number
of moles of glucose

8152.17 mol /2
= 4076.09mol

Mass of glucose required

= nMr
= 4076.09mol *316g/mol
= 1291.20kg

From the experiments carried-out to determine sugar content, it was observed that sugar content
percentage was 47.78%. this implies that the actual amount of hydrolysate required:
Mass of hydrolysate

100
1291.2
47.78

6148.57kg
Moles of carbon dioxide

= 8152.17mol

Mass of CO2 produced

= nMr
= 8152.17mol *44g/mol
= 358.70kg
= 53.8kg

Feed
Hydrolysate

Mass(kg)
2702.40

Product
Ethanol
Carbon dioxide

Balance over the hydrolysis reactor

Balance over the hydrolysis reactor

Carbohydrate concentration in BSG is 80%

Acid to BSG ratio is 1:1

Mass(kg)
2343.75
358.70

Feed
BSG
Acid

Mass/kg
2000
2000

Product
Hydrolysate
Solids

Mass/kg
2702.45
1297.55

ENERGY BALANCE
Energy required by distillation column
The energy required for distillation column is obtained from the relationship between the energy input
for the reboiler and the heat energy rejected by the condenser. The objective is to calculate the heat
required to separate 2343.75kg of a solution of ethanol in water containing 16% by mass ethanol to
give a product of 93.8% purity.
Energy input to the reboiler
Heat added to the reboiler

= (mCpT + mLw)water + (mCpT + mLe)ethanol

Where: Lw and Le are the latent heats of vapourisation of water and ethanol respectively.
(mCpT + mLw)water

= [1973.75*4.19*(80-60)+(1973.75*2260)]
= 4708.78kj/T

(mCpT + mLe)ethanol

= [400*2.470*(80-60)+(400*846)]
= 358kj/T

Therefore energy required by the reboiler;

= 4708.78kj/T+4417.72kj/T
= 9126.5kj/T
Heat rejected by the condenser
There is no change in temperature but condensation occurs by removing heat at constant temperature,
which is the boilingpoint of ethanol (78)
Heat rejected

Energy balance over the fermenter

Assumptions
No enthalpy of mixing

 Fermenter is completely adiabatic

To make sure that the reaction is not slowed down by an alteration in temperature the aqueous
glycerol is first heated to370C from 240C in the blender with a direct steam injection
mechanism in the blender.
Total feed = 12000 + 500
= 12500kg
Q = mCPDt
12000
500
= 12500*( 12500 2.4 + 12000 4.2 ( 3724 )
= 402837.5
= 4.028375 105 KJ
The heating medium used is wet unsaturated steam at 353K
Steam requirement

= 4.028375 106/2201.59
= 182.97kg

Energy balance Fermenter

The feed enters the reactor at 290K and is maintained at that temperature by means of cold
water carrying coils embedded in the fermentation vessels. Heat produced during the reaction
is exchanged through the coils and the water is channeled towards the hotwell for use in the
boiler.
Component

No.moles produced

Enthalpy change of formation

(KJ/mol)

C2H5OH
CO2
H2

103.03
130
260

-277
-393
-286

The total amount of heat generated with the reaction is given by:
Enthalpy of reaction = (103.03 -277) + (130 -393) + (260 -286)
= 153989.31KJ

= 1.53989 105 KJ
This implies that a total of 1.53989 105 KJ is channeled towards the hotwell.