Aspen Plus

Aspen Plus Bioethanol from Corn Stover Model

Copyright © 2008-2011 by Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contents
1 Introduction .........................................................................................................2

2 Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................3

3 Components .........................................................................................................4

4 Process Description..............................................................................................7

5 Physical Properties.............................................................................................10

6 Chemical Reactions ............................................................................................11

Pretreatment and Conditioning......................................................................... 11
Pretreatment ....................................................................................... 11
Overliming .......................................................................................... 12
Reacidification (Conditioning) ................................................................ 12
Saccharification and co-fermentation ................................................................ 13
Saccharification.................................................................................... 13
Co-fermentation Main Reactions............................................................. 13
Co-fermentation Side Reactions ............................................................. 14
Seed Fermentor ................................................................................... 14
Enzyme Production ......................................................................................... 15
Cellulase Fermentor.............................................................................. 15
Cellulase Seed Fermentor...................................................................... 16
Water Treatment (Aerobic Digestion) ................................................................ 16
Combustor .................................................................................................... 18

7 Simulation Approaches.......................................................................................20

8 Simulation Results .............................................................................................27

How to Run this Model .................................................................................... 27
Mass and Energy Balance Results ..................................................................... 28

9 Conclusions ........................................................................................................29

10 References .......................................................................................................30

Contents 1
1 Introduction

This model simulates a process for production of ethanol from corn stover.
The model includes the following features:
 A set of chemical species and property parameters for this process.
 Typical process areas including: feed handling, pretreatment and
conditioning, saccharification and co-fermentation, enzyme production,
product purification, storage, wastewater treatment, utilities,
burner/boiler/turbogenerator, and the main streams connecting these
units.
 Key process control specifications such as acid mass concentration in
pretreatment reactor, cake moisture, solids concentration, specifications
for distillation columns, BOD/COD, and air required for combustion.
 Usability features such as an Excel file which allows the user to check the
mass and energy balance for not only overall process but each area alone.

2 1 Introduction
2 Acknowledgements

This example was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

with minor changes by AspenTech. AspenTech thanks NREL for their
permission to distribute this example. See
http://devafdc.nrel.gov/biogeneral/Aspen_Models/ for further details.
Please contact AspenTech support if you have problems running this example.

2 Acknowledgements 3
3 Components

The table below lists the components modeled in the simulation.

Component ID Type Component name Formula

GLUCOSE CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6

CELLULOS SOLID
XYLOSE CONV
XYLAN SOLID XYLAN C5H8O4
LIGNIN SOLID
CELLULAS SOLID
BIOMASS SOLID
ZYMO SOLID
UNKNOWN CONV
SOLSLDS CONV
GYPSUM SOLID
ACETATE SOLID
LGNSOL CONV
HMF CONV
ARABINOS CONV
GALACTOS CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
MANNOSE CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
ARABINAN SOLID XYLAN C5H8O4
MANNAN SOLID
GALACTAN SOLID
GLUCOLIG CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
CELLOB CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
XYLOLIG CONV
TAR SOLID XYLAN C5H8O4
MANOLIG CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
GALAOLIG CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
ARABOLIG CONV
ACETOLIG CONV ACETIC-ACID C2H4O2-1
XYLITOL CONV
EXTRACT CONV

4 3 Components
 Component ID Type Component name Formula

PROTEIN CONV
CASO4 SOLID CALCIUM-SULFATE CASO4
CAH2O2 SOLID CALCIUM-HYDROXIDE CA(OH)2
ASH SOLID CALCIUM-OXIDE CAO
ETHANOL CONV ETHANOL C2H6O-2
H2O CONV WATER H2O
FURFURAL CONV FURFURAL C5H4O2
H2SO4 CONV SULFURIC-ACID H2SO4
N2 CONV NITROGEN N2
CO2 CONV CARBON-DIOXIDE CO2
O2 CONV OXYGEN O2
CH4 CONV METHANE CH4
NO CONV NITRIC-OXIDE NO
NO2 CONV NITROGEN-DIOXIDE NO2
NH3 CONV AMMONIA H3N
LACID CONV LACTIC-ACID C3H6O3-D1
AACID CONV ACETIC-ACID C2H4O2-1
NH4OH CONV AMMONIA H3N
NH4SO4 CONV AMMONIUM-SULFATE (NH4)2SO4
NH4ACET CONV AMMONIUM-SULFATE (NH4)2SO4
GLYCEROL CONV GLYCEROL C3H8O3
SUCCACID CONV SUCCINIC-ACID C4H6O4-2
DAP CONV DIAMMONIUM-PHOSPHATE (NH4)2HPO4
PROPANE CONV PROPANE C3H8
DENAT CONV N-HEPTANE C7H16-1
OIL CONV OLEIC-ACID C18H34O2
CSL CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
CNUTR CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
WNUTR CONV GLUCOSE C6H12O6
SO2 CONV SULFUR-DIOXIDE O2S
H2S CONV HYDROGEN-SULFIDE H2S
C SOLID CARBON-GRAPHITE C
CO CONV CARBON-MONOXIDE CO

The components without name and formula are non-library components with
user specified property parameters. Components such as GALACTOS,
MANNOSE, GLUCOLIG, CELLOB, MANOLIG, GALAOLIG, CSL, CNUTR, WNUTR
originate as ‘clones’ of glucose and are latter modified with their own property
parameters. The same is true for ARABINAN and TAR (clones of XYLAN).
The following table lists the chemical formulas for the remaining non-library
components.

3 Components 5
 Chemical Formulas for non-library components
Compound ID Chemical Formula Notes

CELLULOS C5H10O5
XYLOSE C5H10O5
LIGNIN C10H13.9O1.3
CELLULAS UNKNOWN
BIOMASS UNKNOWN
ZYMO UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN UNKNOWN
SOLSLDS UNKNOWN
GYPSUM CASO4-2H2O
ACETATE C2H4O2
LGNSOL UNKNOWN
HydroxyMethylfurfural(HMF) C5H4O2 Uses Furfural Properties
ARABINOS C5H10O5 Uses Xylan Properties
MANNAN C6H10O5 Uses Cellulose Properties
GALACTAN C6H10O5 Uses Cellulose Properties
XYLOLIG C5H10O5 Uses Xylose Properties
ARABOLIG C5H10O5 Uses Xylose Properties
XYLITOL UNKNOWN
EXTRACT UNKNOWN
PROTEIN UNKNOWN

6 3 Components
4 Process Description

Figure 1 shows the process flowsheet, which includes nine areas: feed
handling, pretreatment & conditioning, saccharification & co-fermentation,
enzyme production, production purification, wastewater treatment, storage,
burner/boiler/turbogenerator and utilities.

Figure 1: Corn Stover to Ethanol Process Flowsheet

4 Process Description 7
 The corn stover (comprised of stalks, leaves, cobs, and husks), is delivered to
the feed handling area (A100) for storage and size reduction. From there the
biomass is conveyed to pretreatment and detoxification (A200). In this area,
the biomass is treated with dilute sulfuric acid catalyst at a high temperature
(about 190C) for a short time, liberating the hemicellulose sugars and other
compounds. Separation with washing removes the acid from the solids for
neutralization. Overliming is required to remove compounds liberated in the
pretreatment that are toxic to the fermenting organism. Detoxification is
applied only to the liquid portion of the hydrolysis stream.
After detoxification, a portion of the hydrolyzate slurry is split off to enzyme
production (A400). In enzyme production, seed inoculum is grown in a series
of progressively larger aerobic batch fermentors. The inoculum is then
combined with additional hydrolyzate slurry and nutrients in large production
aerobic fermentors to produce the enzyme needed for saccharification.
Enzymatic hydrolysis (or saccharification) coupled with co-fermentation
(A300) of the detoxified hydrolyzate slurry is carried out in continuous
hydrolysis tanks and anaerobic fermentation tanks in series. Enzyme
preparation is added to the hydrolyzate in the hydrolysis tanks that are
maintained at a temperature to optimize the enzyme’s activity. The
fermenting organism is first grown in a series of progressively larger batch
anaerobic fermentations to make enough cells to inoculate the main
fermentors. The inoculum, along with other nutrients, is added to the first
ethanol fermentor along with the partially saccharified slurry at a reduced
temperature. After several days of separate and combined saccharification
and co-fermentation, most of the cellulose and xylose will have been
converted to ethanol. The resulting beer is sent to product recovery.
Product recovery (A500) involves distilling the beer to separate the ethanol
from the water and residual solids. A mixture of nearly azeotropic water and
ethanol is purified to pure ethanol using a vapor-phase molecular sieve.
Solids from the distillation bottoms are separated and sent to the boiler.
Concentration of the distillation bottoms liquid is performed by evaporation,
using waste heat. The evaporated condensate is returned to the process and
the concentrated syrup is sent to the combustor.
Part of the evaporator condensate, along with other wastewater, is treated by
anaerobic and aerobic digestion (A600). The biogas (high with methane) from
anaerobic digestion is sent to the combustor for energy recovery. The treated
water is suitable for recycling and is returned to the process.
The solids from distillation, the concentrated syrup from the evaporator, and
biogas from anaerobic digestion are combusted in a fluidized bed combustor
(A800) to produce high-pressure steam for electricity production and process
heat. The majority of the process steam demand is in the pretreatment
reactor and distillation areas. Generally, the process produces excess steam
that is converted to electricity for use in the plant and for sale to the grid.
In the simulation the large flowsheet was organized with hierarchy blocks to
make it easier to visualize and navigate. Also text labels have been added to
the main blocks and most inlet and outlet streams in the flowsheet to make it
easier to understand.

8 4 Process Description
 The table below summarizes the main purposes of each area.
Area Purpose

Feed Handling Washes dirt and grit from corn stover;

Removes tramp metal;
Reduces in size
Pretreatment and Converts most of the hemicellulose portion of the feedstock to
Conditioning soluble sugars encouraged by diluted acid at about 190℃.
Saccharification Converts cellulose to glucose through saccharification and then
and co- converts glucose and other sugars to ethanol through
fermentation fermentation
Enzyme Production Producing enzyme for saccharification
Product Concentrating ethanol to 99.5%(mass fraction)
Purification Reducing the load to wastewater treatment by including an
evaporator
Water Treatment Treats the process water for reuse
Storage Provides for the bulk storage of chemicals used in the process
and product ethanol
Utilities Provides utilities required in the process except steam and
electricity
Burner/Boiler Burn various by-product streams for steam and electricity
/Turbo generator generation

4 Process Description 9
5 Physical Properties

The global property method used is NRTL. For some blocks such as T-203
(Blowdown tank which is modeled as flash block), a local property method
NRTL-HOC is used. This method is required to correctly model the association
of acetic acid to form dimmers in the vapor phase. SYSOP12 (ASME steam
tables) is used to calculate properties in the steam system. This model is not
intended for rigorous liquid-solid equilibrium calculation.
The Henry’s component list HC contains O2, N2, CO2 and CH4. These
components are assumed to obey Henry’s law for calculating their solubility in
the liquid phase.
Many of the components are not present in the Aspen Plus databanks. For
these components property parameters are entered in the simulation input
file.

10 5 Physical Properties
6 Chemical Reactions

There are hundreds of chemical reactions in this process. The reactors in this
process include:
 Pretreatment
 Overliming
 Reacidification (conditioning)
 Saccharification
 Co-fermentation
 Cellulose fermentation
 Anaerobic digestion
 Aerobic digestion
 Combustion
Reactors are simplified as RStoic blocks which specify fixed fraction
conversion for reactions.
Reactions in each reactor and their specifications in Aspen Plus model are
listed as follows:

Pretreatment and Conditioning

Pretreatment
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 CELLULOS(CIsolid)  GLUCOLIG 0.007 CELLULOS(CIsolid)

2 H2O + 2 CELLULOS(CIsolid)  CELLOB 0.007 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
3 H2O + CELLULOS(CIsolid)  GLUCOSE 0.07 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
4 CELLULOS(CIsolid)  HMF + 2 H2O 0 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
5 XYLAN(CIsolid)  XYLOLIG 0.025 XYLAN(CIsolid)
6 H2O + XYLAN(CIsolid)  XYLOSE 0.9 XYLAN(CIsolid)
7 XYLAN(CIsolid)  FURFURAL + 2 H2O 0.05 XYLAN(CIsolid)
8 H2O + XYLAN(CIsolid)  TAR(CIsolid) 0 XYLAN(CIsolid)
9 MANNAN(CIsolid)  MANOLIG 0.025 MANNAN(CIsolid)

6 Chemical Reactions 11
 Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

10 H2O + MANNAN(CIsolid)  MANNOSE 0.9 MANNAN(CIsolid)

11 MANNAN(CIsolid)  HMF + 2 H2O 0.05 MANNAN(CIsolid)
12 GALACTAN(CIsolid)  GALAOLIG 0.025 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
13 H2O + GALACTAN(CIsolid)  GALACTOS 0.9 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
14 GALACTAN(CIsolid)  HMF + 2 H2O 0.05 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
15 ARABINAN(CIsolid)  ARABOLIG 0.025 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
16 H2O + ARABINAN(CIsolid)  ARABINOS 0.9 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
17 ARABINAN(CIsolid)  2 H2O + FURFURAL 0.05 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
18 H2O + ARABINAN(CIsolid)  TAR(CIsolid) 0 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
19 ACETATE(CIsolid)  ACETOLIG 0 ACETATE(CIsolid)
20 ACETATE(CIsolid)  AACID 1 ACETATE(CIsolid)
21 3 H2O + FURFURAL  TAR(CIsolid) 1 FURFURAL
22 3 H2O + HMF  1.2 TAR(CIsolid) 1 HMF
23 LIGNIN(CIsolid)  LGNSOL 0.05 LIGNIN(CIsolid)

Overliming
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 H2SO4 + CAH2O2(CIsolid)  GYPSUM(CIsolid) 1 H2SO4

Reacidification (Conditioning)
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 H2SO4 + CAH2O2(CIsolid)  GYPSUM(CIsolid) 1 CAH2O2(CIsolid)

H2SO4 + CAH2O2(CIsolid)  CASO4(Mixed) + 2
2 H2O 0 CAH2O2(CIsolid)
3 XYLOSE  TAR(CIsolid) 0 XYLOSE
4 ARABINOS  TAR(CIsolid) 0 ARABINOS
5 GLUCOSE  1.2 TAR(CIsolid) 0 GLUCOSE
6 GALACTOS  1.2 TAR(CIsolid) 0 GALACTOS
7 MANNOSE  1.2 TAR(CIsolid) 0 MANNOSE
8 CELLOB + H2O  2.4 TAR(CIsolid) 0 CELLOB

12 6 Chemical Reactions
 Saccharification and co-
fermentation
Saccharification
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 CELLULOS(CIsolid)  GLUCOLIG 0.04 CELLULOS(CIsolid)

2 2 CELLULOS(CIsolid) + H2O  CELLOB 0.012 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
3 CELLULOS(CIsolid) + H2O  GLUCOSE 0.9 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
4 2 GLUCOLIG + H2O  CELLOB 0 GLUCOLIG
5 GLUCOLIG + H2O  GLUCOSE 0 GLUCOLIG
6 CELLOB + H2O  2 GLUCOSE 1 CELLOB
7 XYLAN(CIsolid)  XYLOLIG 0 XYLAN(CIsolid)
8 XYLAN(CIsolid) + H2O  XYLOSE 0 XYLAN(CIsolid)
9 XYLOLIG + H2O  XYLOSE 0 XYLOLIG
10 ARABINAN(CIsolid)  ARABOLIG 0 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
11 ARABINAN(CIsolid) + H2O  ARABINOS 0 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
12 ARABOLIG + H2O  ARABINOS 0 ARABOLIG
13 GALACTAN(CIsolid)  GALAOLIG 0 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
14 GALACTAN(CIsolid) + H2O  GALACTOS 0 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
15 GALAOLIG + H2O  GALACTOS 0 GALAOLIG
16 MANNAN(CIsolid)  MANOLIG 0 MANNAN(CIsolid)
17 MANNAN(CIsolid) + H2O  MANNOSE 0 MANNAN(CIsolid)
18 MANOLIG + H2O  MANNOSE 0 MANOLIG

Co-fermentation Main Reactions

Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 GLUCOSE  2 ETHANOL + 2 CO2 0.95 GLUCOSE

GLUCOSE + .04696 CSL + .018 DAP  6
2 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 2.4 H2O 0.02 GLUCOSE
3 GLUCOSE + 2 H2O  2 GLYCEROL + O2 0.004 GLUCOSE
4 GLUCOSE + 2 CO2  2 SUCCACID + O2 0.006 GLUCOSE
5 GLUCOSE  3 AACID 0.015 GLUCOSE
6 GLUCOSE  2 LACID 0.002 GLUCOSE
7 3 XYLOSE  5 ETHANOL + 5 CO2 0.85 XYLOSE
XYLOSE + .03913 CSL + .015 DAP  5
8 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 2 H2O 0.019 XYLOSE
9 3 XYLOSE + 5 H2O  5 GLYCEROL + 2.5 O2 0.003 XYLOSE
10 XYLOSE + H2O  XYLITOL + .5 O2 0.046 XYLOSE
11 3 XYLOSE + 5 CO2  5 SUCCACID + 2.5 O2 0.009 XYLOSE

6 Chemical Reactions 13
 Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

12 2 XYLOSE  5 AACID 0.014 XYLOSE

13 3 XYLOSE  5 LACID 0.002 XYLOSE
14 3 ARABINOS  5 ETHANOL + 5 CO2 0.85 ARABINOS
ARABINOS + .03913 CSL + .015 DAP  5
15 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 2 H2O 0.019 ARABINOS
16 3 ARABINOS + 5 H2O  5 GLYCEROL + 2.5 O2 0.003 ARABINOS
17 3 ARABINOS + 5 CO2  5 SUCCACID + 2.5 O2 0.015 ARABINOS
18 2 ARABINOS  5 AACID 0.014 ARABINOS
19 3 ARABINOS  5 LACID 0.002 ARABINOS
20 GALACTOS  2 ETHANOL + 2 CO2 0.85 GALACTOS
GALACTOS + .04696 CSL + .018 DAP  6
21 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 2.4 H2O 0.019 GALACTOS
22 GALACTOS + 2 H2O  2 GLYCEROL + O2 0.003 GALACTOS
23 GALACTOS + 2 CO2  2 SUCCACID + O2 0.015 GALACTOS
24 GALACTOS  3 AACID 0.014 GALACTOS
25 GALACTOS  2 LACID 0.002 GALACTOS
26 MANNOSE  2 ETHANOL + 2 CO2 0.85 MANNOSE
MANNOSE + .04696 CSL + .018 DAP  6
27 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 2.4 H2O 0.019 MANNOSE
28 MANNOSE + 2 H2O  2 GLYCEROL + O2 0.003 MANNOSE
29 MANNOSE + 2 CO2  2 SUCCACID + O2 0.015 MANNOSE
30 MANNOSE  3 AACID 0.014 MANNOSE
31 MANNOSE  2 LACID 0.002 MANNOSE

Co-fermentation Side Reactions

Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 GLUCOSE  2 LACID 1 GLUCOSE

2 3 XYLOSE  5 LACID 1 XYLOSE
3 3 ARABINOS  5 LACID 1 ARABINOS
4 GALACTOS  2 LACID 1 GALACTOS
5 MANNOSE  2 LACID 1 MANNOSE

Seed Fermentor
This has the same reactions as the co-fermentation main reactions but with
different conversions.

14 6 Chemical Reactions
 Enzyme Production
Cellulase Fermentor
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

2 GLUCOSE + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 

9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
1 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.47 GLUCOSE
2 MANNOSE + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
2 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.47 MANNOSE
2 GALACTOS + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
3 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.47 GALACTOS
2 XYLOSE + 5.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
7.93478 H2O + 5.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
4 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.47 XYLOSE
2 ARABINOS + 5.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
7.93478 H2O + 5.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
5 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.47 ARABINOS
2 GLUCOSE + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414 SO2 
10.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
6 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 0.53 GLUCOSE
2 MANNOSE + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414 SO2 
10.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
7 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 0.53 MANNOSE
2 GALACTOS + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414 SO2 
10.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
8 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 0.53 GALACTOS
2 XYLOSE + 6.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414 SO2 
8.7931 H2O + 6.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
9 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 0.53 XYLOSE
2 ARABINOS + 6.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414 SO2 
8.7931 H2O + 6.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
10 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 0.53 ARABINOS
2 CELLULOS(CIsolid) + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414
SO2  8.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
11 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 1 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
2 MANNAN(CIsolid) + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 + .02414
SO2  8.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 + 3.44828
12 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 1 MANNAN(CIsolid)
2 GALACTAN(CIsolid) + 8.45862 O2 + NH3 +
.02414 SO2  8.7931 H2O + 8.55172 CO2 +
13 3.44828 CELLULAS(CIsolid) 1 GALACTAN(CIsolid)

6 Chemical Reactions 15
 Cellulase Seed Fermentor
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

2 GLUCOSE + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 

9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
1 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 GLUCOSE
2 MANNOSE + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
2 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 MANNOSE
2 GALACTOS + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
9.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
3 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 GALACTOS
2 XYLOSE + 5.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
7.93478 H2O + 5.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
4 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 XYLOSE
2 ARABINOS + 5.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 + NH3 
7.93478 H2O + 5.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
5 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 ARABINOS
2 CELLULOS(CIsolid) + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 +
NH3  7.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783 CELLULOS
6 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 (CIsolid)
2 MANNAN(CIsolid) + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2 +
NH3  7.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783
7 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 MANNAN(CIsolid)
2 GALACTAN(CIsolid) + 7.45217 O2 + .01522 SO2
+ NH3  7.93478 H2O + 7.65217 CO2 + 4.34783 GALACTAN
8 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 1 (CIsolid)

Water Treatment (Aerobic

Digestion)
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 6 O2 + GLUCOLIG  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 GLUCOLIG

2 12 O2 + CELLOB  11 H2O + 12 CO2 0.6 CELLOB
3 6 O2 + GLUCOSE  6 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 GLUCOSE
4 6 O2 + HMF  3 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 HMF
5 5 O2 + XYLOLIG  4 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 XYLOLIG
6 5 O2 + XYLOSE  5 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 XYLOSE
7 5 O2 + FURFURAL  2 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 FURFURAL
8 6 O2 + MANOLIG  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 MANOLIG
9 6 O2 + MANNOSE  6 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 MANNOSE
10 6 O2 + GALAOLIG  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 GALAOLIG
11 6 O2 + GALACTOS  6 H2O + 6 CO2 0.6 GALACTOS
12 5 O2 + ARABOLIG  4 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 ARABOLIG

16 6 Chemical Reactions
 Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

13 5 O2 + ARABINOS  5 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 ARABINOS

14 2 O2 + ACETOLIG  2 H2O + 2 CO2 0.6 ACETOLIG
15 2 O2 + AACID  2 H2O + 2 CO2 0.6 AACID
16 3 O2 + LACID  3 H2O + 3 CO2 0.6 LACID
17 .5 O2 + UNKNOWN  .5 H2O + .5 CO2 0.6 UNKNOWN
SOLSLDS  1.1333 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
18 .3662 NO2 + .00278 SO2 0.6 SOLSLDS
19 3 O2 + ETHANOL  3 H2O + 2 CO2 0.6 ETHANOL
20 3.5 O2 + GLYCEROL  4 H2O + 3 CO2 0.6 GLYCEROL
21 3.5 O2 + SUCCACID  3 H2O + 4 CO2 0.6 SUCCACID
22 5.5 O2 + XYLITOL  6 H2O + 5 CO2 0.6 XYLITOL
23 3.75 O2 + NH4ACET  3.5 H2O + 2 CO2 + NO2 0.6 NH4ACET
24 GLUCOSE  7.75281869 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 GLUCOSE
25 MANNOSE  7.75281869 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 MANNOSE
26 GALACTOS  7.75281869 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 GALACTOS
27 XYLOSE  6.46062489 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 XYLOSE
28 ARABINOS  6.46062489 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 ARABINOS
29 XYLITOL  6.54746538 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 XYLITOL
30 SOLSLDS  4.2297 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 SOLSLDS
31 UNKNOWN  .64607109 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 UNKNOWN
32 GLUCOLIG  6.977597 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 GLUCOLIG
33 GALAOLIG  6.977597 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 GALAOLIG
34 MANOLIG  6.977597 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 MANOLIG
35 XYLOLIG  5.685454 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 XYLOLIG
36 CELLOB  14.730461 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 CELLOB
37 FURFURAL  4.134923 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 FURFURAL
38 HMF  5.4269558 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 HMF
39 AACID  2.584288 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 AACID
40 LACID  3.876431 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 LACID
41 SUCCACID  5.081824 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 SUCCACID
42 GLYCEROL  3.963182 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 GLYCEROL
43 OIL  12.155542 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 OIL
44 ETHANOL  1.982524 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 ETHANOL
45 NH4ACET  3.317135 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 NH4ACET
EXTRACT  1.1333 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
46 .3662 NO2 + .00278 SO2 0.6 EXTRACT
PROTEIN  1.1333 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
47 .3662 NO2 + .00278 SO2 0.6 PROTEIN
48 EXTRACT  4.2297 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 EXTRACT
49 PROTEIN  4.2297 BIOMASS(CIsolid) 0.3 PROTEIN

6 Chemical Reactions 17
 Combustor
Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

1 CH4 + 2 O2  CO2 + 2 H2O 0.99 CH4

2 CELLULOS(CIsolid) + 6 O2  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 CELLULOS(CIsolid)
3 XYLAN(CIsolid) + 5 O2  5 CO2 + 4 H2O 0.99 XYLAN(CIsolid)
4 ARABINAN(CIsolid) + 5 O2  5 CO2 + 4 H2O 0.99 ARABINAN(CIsolid)
5 MANNAN(CIsolid) + 6 O2  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 MANNAN(CIsolid)
6 LIGNIN(CIsolid) + 12.825 O2  6.95 H2O + 10 CO2 0.99 LIGNIN(CIsolid)
7 ACETATE(CIsolid) + 2 O2  2 CO2 + 2 H2O 0.99 ACETATE(CIsolid)
8 GALACTAN(CIsolid) + 6 O2  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 GALACTAN(CIsolid)
9 6 O2 + GLUCOLIG  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 GLUCOLIG
10 CELLOB + 12 O2  12 CO2 + 11 H2O 0.99 CELOB
11 GLUCOSE + 6 O2  6 CO2 + 6 H2O 0.99 GLUCOSE
12 HMF + 6 O2  3 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 HMF
13 XYLOLIG + 5 O2  4 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 XYLOLIG
14 XYLOSE + 5 O2  5 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 XYLOSE
15 FURFURAL + 5 O2  2 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 FURFURAL
16 TAR(CIsolid) + 5 O2  5 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 TAR(CIsolid)
17 MANOLIG + 6 O2  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 MANOLIG
18 MANNOSE + 6 O2  6 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 MANNOSE
19 GALAOLIG + 6 O2  5 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 GALAOLIG
20 GALACTOS + 6 O2  6 H2O + 6 CO2 0.99 GALACTOS
21 ARABOLIG + 5 O2  4 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 ARABOLIG
22 ARABINOS + 5 O2  5 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 ARABINOS
23 ACETOLIG + 2 O2  2 H2O + 2 CO2 0.99 ACETOLIG
24 AACID + 2 O2  2 H2O + 2 CO2 0.99 AACID
25 LACID + 3 O2  3 H2O + 3 CO2 0.99 LACID
CELLULAS(CIsolid) + 1.2445 O2  .785 H2O + CO2
26 + .145 N2 + .007 SO2 0.99 CELLULAS(CIsolid)
SOLSLDS  1.4995 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
27 .18312 N2 + .00278 SO2 0.99 SOLSLDS
28 ETHANOL + 3 O2  3 H2O + 2 CO2 0.99 ETHANOL
29 ZYMO(CIsolid) + 1.2 O2  .9 H2O + CO2 + .1 N2 0.99 ZYMO(CIsolid)
30 GLYCEROL + 3.5 O2  4 H2O + 3 CO2 0.99 GLYCEROL
31 SUCCACID + 3.5 O2  3 H2O + 4 CO2 0.99 SUCCACID
32 XYLITOL + 5.5 O2  6 H2O + 5 CO2 0.99 XYLITOL
BIOMASS(CIsolid) + 1.2185 O2  .82 H2O + CO2 +
33 .115 N2 + .0035 SO2 0.99 BIOMASS(CIsolid)
34 SO2 + .5 O2 + H2O  H2SO4 0.01 SO2
35 H2S + 1.5 O2  SO2 + H2O 1 H2S
36 H2SO4  SO2 + H2O + .5 O2 1 H2SO4
37 NH4SO4 + O2  SO2 + N2 + 4 H2O 1 NH4SO4
38 OIL + 25.5 O2  18 CO2 + 17 H2O 0.99 OIL

18 6 Chemical Reactions
 Fraction
No. Stoichiometry conversion Based component

39 NH4ACET + 2.75 O2  2 CO2 + 3.5 H2O + .5 N2 0.99 NH4ACET

EXTRACT  1.4995 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
40 .18312 N2 + .00278 SO2 0.99 EXTRACT
PROTEIN  1.4995 O2 + .05487 H2O + CO2 +
41 .18312 N2 + .00278 SO2 0.99 PROTEIN
42 LGNSOL + 12.825 O2  6.95 H2O + 10 CO2 0.99 LIGSOL
43 CASO4(Mixed) + 2 H2O  GYPSUM(CIsolid) 1 CASO4(Mixed)

Two molar extent type reactions are included in the combustor:

0.5 N2 + O2 = NO2 0.001kmol/hr
CO2 = CO + 0.5 O2 0.0001kmol/hr
The saccharification and fermentation reactors are batch reactors. A number
of these reactors are used to maintain continuous feed to the following areas,
so the reactors are modeled as continuous operations. Conversions and molar
extents are adjustable parameters in the model. Although the conversion of
some reactions is zero in this model, these reactions are included for future
study and improvement.
No attempt has been made to model the action of enzymes and yeast in the
reactors.

6 Chemical Reactions 19
7 Simulation Approaches

Unit Operations – The major unit operations in the corn stover to ethanol
process have been represented by Aspen Plus blocks as shown in the
following table:

Aspen Plus Unit Operation Blocks Used in the Corn Stover

to Ethanol Model
Unit Operation Aspen Plus "Block" Comments / Specifications

Pneumapress® SSplit + Sep + Simplified simulation of

Filter Flash2 solid/liquid separation
Pretreament RStoic Simplified simulation with
Reactor, stoichiometric reactions
Overliming tank,
Reacidification
tank,
Saccharification ,
Fermentation and
Cellulase
Fermentors
Distillation / RadFrac Rigorous multi-stage distillation
Scrubber model.
Beer Column with 16 theoretical
stages.
Scrubber Column with 4
theoretical stages.
Rectification RadFrac Rigorous multi-stage distillation
Column model with 36 stages.
Dehydration Sep Simplified separation block, not a
true separation block based on
adsorption
Heaters/Coolers Heater Simplified heater model.
Evaporation Flash2 Flash calculation; calculates heat
load required to achieve desired
vapor fraction.
Anaerobic A User block
Digester

20 7 Simulation Approaches
 Unit Operation Aspen Plus "Block" Comments / Specifications

Aerobic Digester RStoic Simplified simulation with

stoichiometric reactions
Combustor RStoic Simplified simulation with
stoichiometric reactions
Pump Pump Calculates the power
requirement given an outlet
pressure specification
Compressor/Turb Compr Calculates the power
ine requirement given an outlet
pressure specification
Boiler Flash2 Flash calculation; calculates heat
load required to achieve desired
vapor fraction.
Streams - Streams represent the material and energy flows in and out of the
process. Streams can be of three types: Material, Heat, and Work. Feeds to
corn stover-to-ethanol model are corn stover, energy, water, acid, lime, air,
methane, propane, gasoline, CSL (corn steep liquor), DAP (diammonium
phosphate), enzyme and yeast; the later two are both represented by WATER
for simplicity.
Design-Specs, Calculator Blocks and Convergence - The simulation is
augmented with a combination of flowsheeting capabilities such as
Convergence, Design Specs and Calculator Blocks.
Sequencing and Convergence paragraphs are included that produce a
relatively stable model at varied production rates.
The following tables outline key flowsheeting capabilities of this model:

Design Specs Used in the Corn Stover to Ethanol Model

Spec Name Spec (Target) Manipulated Variables

Acid concentration(mass) of Mass flow of sulfuric acid feed

ACIDCONC stream 217 is 1.1% (stream 212)
Water split fraction of mixed
The cake moisture of S505 is substream in stream 571B
CFUGE35 45% from block S505
Heat stream QCHILXS's heat Mass flow of chilled water
CHWFLWCP duty is zero (stream 950A)
Heat stream QCHWXS's heat Mass flow of chilled water
CHWFLWOP duty is zero (stream 950)
O2 mole flow of stream 804E CH4(stream 804) mass flow
COMBAIR is six times of stream 804C entered into the combustor
Mixed substream split fraction
Cake of Pneumapress filter of stream 225 from block
CT-S205A (S205A) is 54.8% solids S205A

7 Simulation Approaches 21
 Spec Name Spec (Target) Manipulated Variables

Water split fraction of mixed

Cake of Pneumapress filter substream in stream 256 from
CT-S205B (S205B) is 54.8% solids block s205B
Cake of Hydrocyclone & Mixed substream split fraction
Rotary Drum filter (S222) is of stream 225 from block
CT-S222 80% solids S222
Mixed substream split fraction
Cake of Belt Filter Press of stream 623 from block
CT-S614 (S614) is 30% solids S614
Mixed substream split fraction
Depositions of Clarifier of stream 625 from block
CT-T610 (T610) are 5% solids T610
Heat stream QTTOTXS's heat Stream 945 (cooling water)
CWFLOWA duty is zero mass flow
Heat stream QTTOTXB's heat Stream 946 (cooling water to
CWFLOWB duty is zero recycled) mass flow
Heat stream QCWFLXS's heat Stream 948 (cooling water to
CWFLOWC duty is zero be evaporated) mass flow
Ethanol mass fraction of
bottom stream of
rectification column(D502) is Ethanol mole fraction of mixed
D502BTMS 0.0005 substream of stream 516
Ethanol mass fraction of
overhead stream of
rectification column(D502) is Ethanol mole fraction of mixed
D502OVHD 92.6028472 substream of stream 511
Heat stream QDEAER's heat
DEAERHT duty is zero Mass flow of stream 815A
Heat stream QH811EX's heat Split fraction of stream 812B
ECONSTM duty is zero from block M811HSPT
The area of the second
evaporator is the average of
the total area of the three The pressure of the first
EV1SIZ evaporators evaporator
The area of the third
evaporator is the average of
the total area of the three The pressure of the second
EV2SIZ evaporators evaporator
The moisture of the QE501A heat duty (that
evaporator syrup (stream determines the mass flow of
EVAPCONC 531) is 60% LP steam)
Temperature of stream 501 Heat stream QH201 split
H201TEMP is 95C fraction of block QH201SPT
Heat stream QM202LO's heat Mass flow of stream 215 (LP
LPSTMFLO duty is zero steam)

22 7 Simulation Approaches
 Spec Name Spec (Target) Manipulated Variables

Water mass fraction of the Water split fraction of mixed

mixed substream of stream substream of stream 514 from
MS-BTM 514 is 0.005 T507-8
Ethanol mass fraction of the Ethanol split fraction of mixed
mixed substream of stream substream of stream 515A
MS-OVHD 515A is 0.722 from T507-8
Heat stream QM202HI's heat Mass flow of stream 216 (HP
REACHEAT duty is zero steam)
Ethanol mass flow of the
mixed substream of stream
550 is 4.316kg/hr (See Mass flow of stream 524
SCRBFLOW enhancement2) (water)
Heat stream QM803EX's heat Mass flow of stream 824 (hot
SETSTEAM duty is zero water)
Heat stream QTSTMXS heat Mass flow of stream 890 (LP
STDDMD duty is zero steam)
Heat duty of QE501A equal
VLPSTM to that of QE501A2 Mass flow of stream 860

Calculators Used in the Corn Stover to Ethanol Model

Name Purpose

Control the air provided to aerobic digester to be 50% more

AERAIR than that required by the COD
Control the amount of air needed in cellulase production and
AIRREQ seed fermentors
Works with the design-spec CFUGE3S to control the
component split fraction by filter S505. Because the water
split fraction is varied by CFUGE3S, other soluble
components' split fractions are set the same as the water
CHUGESLD split in S505 by this calculator.

CHEMICAL Calculates BFW & cooling tower chemicals required

Calculates BOD and COD amount for anaerobic digester (T-
606). COD coefficients are set for the soluble organic
components first, then the COD amount for each component
is calculated by multiplying the coefficient and mass flow,
total COD amount equals to the sum of all these component
CODCAL1 COD. BOD is set to 70% of the COD.
Calculate BOD and COD amount for aerobic digester (T-608)
CODCAL2 using the same method of CODCAL1.
Calculate BOD and COD amount after aerobic digester using
CODEND the same method of CODCAL1.
Calculates the total combustion heat for combustor
(M803CMB). First, calculates the combustion heat for each
COMBHEAT stream (615, 840, 803) entered into the combustor, then

7 Simulation Approaches 23
 Name Purpose
sums these.

Calculates the lower heating value (LHV). The LHV of 1111-

1389kcal/kg is considered a minimum for maintaining
COMBHEAT2 combustion, a LHV higher than this value must be assured.
Calculates the CSL requirements of the Cellulase Production
and Seed Fermentation, Streams 414 and 423. Also
calculates the "Other Nutrients" demand, Stream 415. Finally
the total CLS requirements are calculated and the flow of 735
CSL0ENZY set.

CWDEM Calculates the total well water demand for the entire process
Calculates the amount of gasoline (used as denaturant for
DENATURE the ethanol being loaded for transportation) required.
Calculates the acid dew point of the flue gas. The equation
used was taken from Hydrocarbon Processing, February
DEWPT 1993, Ganapathy, V. "Computed Dew Point of Gases".
EFFCY Calculates the heat rate and the boiler efficiency
Calculates the enzyme needed in the saccharification tank.
ENZ2 (T310)
Make changes for a separate saccharification and
fermentation mode, this calculator can control the simulation
ENZYME consistent to the new process mode
Calculates:
1. Feed stream (101) component flow rates given the plant
feed rate, mass fractions (dry basis) and feed moisture.
2. DHFORM, NOATOM and MW of SOLSLDS, EXTRACT,
PROTEIN components given the feedstock ultimate analysis,
Higher heating value, composition.
3. Reaction coefficients for SOLSLDS, EXTRACT, PROTEIN for
T608 and M803CMB.
4. Parameters for calculators COMBHEAT, COMBHET2,
FEEDPROP CODCALC1, CODCALC2, CODEND.
This calculator sets the CSL flows to SSCF production and
FERMCSL seed
This calculator sets the DAP flows to SSCF production and
FERMDAP seed
Feed forward control for beer column. Estimates the distillate
FRWD501 flow and specification bounds for beer column
HPSTMD Calculate the total HP steam demand
LPSTMD Calculate the total LP steam demand
Calculates the power requirements for all of the solids
handling and other miscellaneous equipment except area 100
MISCPOW (calculated in pow101)
MOISTURE Calculates the total feed moisture to the combustor

24 7 Simulation Approaches
 Name Purpose
(M803CMB)
Nutrients required for the cellulase fermentors (F400). This
NUTRA calculator has no use in the new SSCF mode.
Nutrients required for the cellulase seed fermentors (F401-
NUTRB 4). This calculator has no use in the new SSCF mode.
O2CALC Calculates the O2 required in the combustor (M803CMB)
Sets the desired overall conversion fraction of Ca(OH)2 to
OLCONV gypsum
Calculates the lime required to adjust the PH of hydrolysate
in overliming tank (T209). FACTOR = the lime addition factor
(g CaOH / g Hydrolysate Liquor)
FACTOR = 0.003 was experimentally determined by MN, MA,
& TKH on
OLIME P961008SD, P961010SD, and P961014SD, respectively.
Sets the power required in the whole plant, 1000kw is an
PLANTPOW estimation value
PLNTELEC Calculates the electrical work generated
Sets the NOX and CO generated rate from the combustor
POLLUTE (M803CMB)
Calculates the polymer requirements (take as a function of
POLY1 feed) for the clarifier-thickener
Calculates power requirements for equipment in Area 100
from Harris
subcontract Information.
Power requirements are ratioed from 101's flow-rate.
Harris stated that power requirements are 75% of
connected power
POW101 and reported connected power for equipment.
Calculates the agitation power requirement for mixers and
fermentors.
The system includes: overliming tank, reacidification tank,
hydrolysate mix tank, slurrying tank, zymomonas seed
fermentor, zymomonas hold tank, saccharification tank,
fermentor, beer well, cellulase seed fermentor, cellulase
fermentor, media prep tank, equalization basin, recycle
POWER water tank, CSL storage tank, CSL/DAP day tank
Calculates the electrical work required by each pump in the
PUMPS process
QDIGEST Calculates the heat duty for the anaerobic digester (T606)
Calculates the heat loss of the boiler and its ratio to the total
RADUACC heat
Calculates the sulfuric acid requirement for conditioning the
REACID PH of dehydrolyzate in T224
Define variables for recycle water stream #1. This stream
RECCOND controls the solids concentration in the impregnator
RECYCLE Calculates the amount of recycle water needed and incoming

7 Simulation Approaches 25
 Name Purpose
fresh water
Calculates the recovery in the dilute stream to hit the desired
overall recovery
S205SOL for xylose and sets all solubles to same recovery
Calculates the air requirement for the Pneumapress® filter
S205WASH (S205)
Calculates the losses in the steam cycle due to direct steam
injection and boiler blowdown.
Steam demands to heat exchangers are not included
SETMAKUP because these flows should return.
SETVAR Set variables which are used throughout the model
Sums up various Tank Farm Flows and sets others, like
STORE Diesel, & Fire Water as ratios of Ethanol Product
Calculates the total well water demand for the entire
process.
PWMU is process water makeup; CTL is cooling tower losses;
STLOSS are losses from the steam system, including direct
steam injection and boiler blowdown; CTPCS are losses from
WATERDEM the CIP/CS system. CW is the cooling tower stream.
Adds about 37 grams of nutrients (primarily caustic with
some phosphoric acid, urea and micronutrients) per kilogram
of COD to provide other nutrients the anaerobic organisms
WWNUTR1 require
WWNUTR2 Sets the polymer added to the aerobic digestor
XPSTMD Calculates the xHP steam demand

26 7 Simulation Approaches
8 Simulation Results

The Aspen Plus simulation main flowsheet is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Corn Stover to Ethanol Overall Flowsheet in Aspen Plus

How to Run this Model

This simulation requires that you have a supported Fortran Compiler installed.
This is because Fortran is used for design specs and calculator blocks. It also
uses Microsoft Excel to analyze the material and energy balance.
To run the simulation:
1 Copy the example files:
o Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.bkp
o usran4.obj
o usran4.for

8 Simulation Results 27
 o Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.xls
from \Program Files\AspenTech\Aspen Plus <version>\Gui\Xmp to a
convenient folder.
2 Start Aspen Plus and open the Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.bkp file.
3 When the simulation has loaded, click the run button to run it.
4 The simulation will complete with run status Results Available with
Warnings. The simulation gives warnings for blocks A500.D502,
A800.A810.M811VLRB and A800.M801CND as follows:
A500.D502 – because the feed stream is slightly below column pressure
A800.A810.M811VLRB - because the feed to this compressor is slightly
below dew point
A800.M801CND - because there is zero feed to this heater block.
5 Click the Check Results button, you can browse the simulation results for
all streams, blocks, and control blocks such as Design spec, Calculator,
Sensitivity, etc.
6 The Excel file Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.xls is supplied to analyze the
mass and energy balance for the simulation results. Open this file in Excel.
7 In Excel select the Set-Up sheet and click the Update File Name button.
In the popup dialog, navigate to the Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.bkp file,
and click Open. Change the file path and name displayed on the Set-Up
sheet to the file you linked just now. You can also select the Mass Units
and Energy Units that you want to use
8 Click Run MEB Tool button and wait for Excel to read results from Aspen
Plus into the spreadsheet. When this is complete you can review the
sheets for the Overall mass and energy balance as well as for each area.

Mass and Energy Balance

Results
The mass and energy balance is supplied in the
Corn_Stover_to_Ethanol.xls file.

28 8 Simulation Results
9 Conclusions

The Corn stover to ethanol model provides a useful description of the process.
The simulation has been developed using many of the capabilities of Aspen
Plus including unit operation models, physical property methods, models and
data, and flowsheeting capabilities like convergence design specs.
The model provides a rigorous mass and energy balance information for the
corn stover to ethanol process, and can be used to support the conceptual
process design. When combined with ICARUS cost estimation software the
model can also be used to investigate the complete process design and
economics of corn stover to ethanol plants.
The model may be used as a guide for understanding the process and the
economics, and also as a starting point for more sophisticated models for
plant design and specifying process equipment.

9 Conclusions 29
10 References

1. Aden, M. Ruth, K. Ibsen, J. Jechura, K. Neeves, J. Sheehan, B.Wallace

(NREL), and L.Montague, A. Slayton, J. Lukas (Harris Group, Seattle,
Washington), technical report: “Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process
Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and
Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Corn Stover”, June 2002

30 10 References