EIT M

DEP ARTMENT OF
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL FROM STARCH

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 INTRODUCTION
Background of Study
 Ethanol and ethanol-gasoline mixtures have been
considered for use as fuel since the early days of the
automobile.
 In the last few years has the general public become aware
of and concerned about the dwindling and increasingly
expensive petroleum supplies.
 Ethanol can be produced from a variety of plant-derived
raw materials, including agricultural wastes and also
from starch, rise husk and sugarcane.
 This project will assess how to produce ethanol and from
which raw materials for future energy sustainability.

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 Project Objective
 To develop an efficient method of ethanol
production by hydrolysis and fermentation of
starch.
 To emphasize ethanol production as
substitutes to fossil fuels in the future.
 To give detail explanation on selection of raw
materials and production process.

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 Literature Review

What is ethanol?

 Ethanol (CH3CH2OH )is O2 possessing HC

with OH- functional group.
 It is an organic compound that is produced by

fermentation process.
 It is a renewable fuel source often added to

gasoline.

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 Raw materials
 Ethanol can be produced from feedstock high in
sugar and/or starch content. Like
Sugar feedstocks
sugarcane sugar beet
sweet sorghum various fruits.
 starchy feedstocks
cereal grain potato corn
sweet potato cassava
cellulosic materials
paper cardboard
wood fibrous plant material.

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 Cont’d
 For industrial ethanol fermentation, starch is
being used as a main substrate due to its global
abundance and comparatively low price.
 Starch conversion to ethanol is also relatively
simple due to the long chains of glucose
molecules.

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 Starch
 Starch is one of the most abundant bio
macromolecule.
 It is a polysaccharide originated from plants as
renewable resource.
 Native starch consists of two different types of
glucose polymers
 Amylose and
 Amylopectin.

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 Continued…..

Figure: Amylose molecule structure

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 Cont’d

Figure : Amylopectin molecule structure

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 Physicochemical properties of
starch
 Starch is a highly functional carbohydrate in its
unmodified state.
 Starches have four major physicochemical
properties that make them useful in industrial
applications.
1. Thickening
2. Ability of the starch paste to disperse and
suspend other ingredients or particulate matter

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 Cont’d
3. gel formation
4. Its ability to produce strong adhesive films
when spread on smooth surfaces.
Other properties are:
 Starch have high boiling points relative to their

HC Derivatives.
 Starch posses hydrogen bond which makes

them more stable iv their natural form

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 12

cont’d
 The most commonly used type of starchy
feedstock for ethanol production is corn.
 The value of corn as a feedstock for ethanol
production is due to the large amount of
carbohydrates, specifically starch, present in corn.
 Corn can be easily produced, genetically inbreed
and have different varieties.
 Why ethanol?
 Ethanol combustion does not cause an increase
in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).
 Less polluting than gasoline.
 More secure energy source.
 It is renewable and can be produced anywhere
in the world through fermentation.
 Non-toxic, harmless and biodegradable
component.

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 Processes of ethanol production
 Corn Ethanol Industry
 Most fuel ethanol is produced from
corn by either the dry grind or the
wet mill process.
 The key distinction between wet
mill and dry grind facilities is the
focus of the resourcing.

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 cont’d
 In the case of a dry grind plant, the focus is
maximizing the capital return per gallon of
ethanol.
 In the case of a wet mill plant, capital
investments allow for the separation of other
valuable components in the grain before
fermentation to ethanol.
 The wet milling process is more capital and
energy intensive process.

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 The major steps in the dry mill process are:

1. Milling. The feedstock passes through a

hammer mill which grinds it into a fine powder
called meal.

2. Liquefaction. The meal is mixed with water and

alpha-amylase, then passed through cookers
where the starch is liquefied. Heat is applied at
this stage to enable liquefaction. Cookers with a
high temperature stage (120-150 degrees Celsius)
and a lower temperature holding period (95
degrees Celsius) are used. High temperatures
reduce bacteria levels in the mash.
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 3. Saccharification. The mash from the cookers is
cooled and the secondary enzyme (gluco-amylase) is
added to convert the liquefied starch to fermentable
sugars (dextrose).

 4. Fermentation. Yeast is added to the mash to

ferment the sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Using a continuous process, the fermenting mash is
allowed to flow through several fermenters until it is
fully fermented and leaves the final tank. In a batch
process, the mash stays in one fermenter for about 48
hours before the distillation process is started.
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 Cont’d
 5. Distillation. The fermented mash, now called beer, contains
about 10% alcohol plus all the non-fermentable solids from the
corn and yeast cells. The mash is pumped to the continuous flow,
multi-column distillation system where the alcohol is removed
from the solids and the water. The alcohol leaves the top of the
final column at about 96% strength, and the residue mash, called
stillage, is transferred from the base of the column to the co-
product processing area.

 6. Dehydration. The alcohol from the top of the column passes

through a dehydration system where the remaining water will be
removed. Most ethanol plants use a molecular sieve to capture
the last bit of water in the ethanol. The alcohol product at this
stage is called anhydrous ethanol (pure, without water) and is
approximately 200 proof.
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 Cont’d
 7. Denaturing. Ethanol that will be used for fuel must
be denatured, or made unfit for human consumption,
with a small amount of gasoline (2-5%). This is done
at the ethanol plant.

 8. Co-Products. There are two main co-products

created in the production of ethanol: distillers grain
and carbon dioxide. Distillers grain, used wet or dry,
is a highly nutritious livestock feed. Carbon dioxide is
given off in great quantities during fermentation and
many ethanol plants collect, compress, and sell it for
use in other industries.
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 Wet mill process
 Wet milling is called “wet” because the first
step in the process involves soaking the grain
in water (steep-ing) to soften the grain and
make it easier to separate (fractionate) the
various components of the corn kernel.
 It involves separation of grains into its
components including starch, fiber, gluten, and
germ.

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 Cont’d
 1. The germ is removed from the kernel and
corn oil is extracted from the germ.
 2.Gluten is also separated to become corn
gluten meal.
 3. A starch solution is separated from the solids
and fermentable sugars are produced from the
starch.
These sugars are fermented to ethanol.

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Cont’d

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 Tech and process selection
 Saphosticated control and process technology
is needed for efficient conversion of corn in to
ethanol. Like
 Process control simulators{computers}
 Efficient distillation equipment's
 Fermenters
 Less Energy consuming mills

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 NEXT PRESENTATION
 Includes a detailed
 flow diagrams
 process descriptions
 energy and material balance

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ANY QUESTION???

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THANK YOU
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