Grain Journal - July/August 2008 - (Page 99) New Biofuels Tech FRACTIONATION AND BIOMASS GASIFICATION As the ethanol industry matures, ethanol producers are starting to look for ways to increase plant performance and boost profits. To answer this demand, two major ethanol industry design/builder contractors have responded with new technologies such as fractionation for multiple food product streams and gasification of biomass for displacement of natural gas. nol. Instead of gasifying the bran for energy, another locally-grown biomass crop is gasified for energy, and the bran is converted to cellulosic ethanol. “In the process of adding these boltons, we will be creating the infrastructure to store and transport biomass,” Vander Griend said, adding that bran from corn is easier to convert to ethanol than other biomass due to lower amounts of lignin which can inhibit conversion. Total Kernel Optimization ICM, Inc., Colwich, KS (316-7960900), launched its new Total Kernel Optimization (TKO)® technology at this year’s Fuel Ethanol Workshop in June, Nashville, TN. According to ICM, Inc. President and CEO Dave Vander Griend, the new TKO process will be the first system to guarantee commercial production of both food and fuel. It is presently being tested at ICM’s LifeLine Foods, LLC ethanol plant in St. Joseph, MO. The five-step bolt-on process includes: Step 1. LifeLine Foods is currently utilizing dry fractionation to separate the endosperm (starch for ethanol), bran and germ (where corn oil can be extracted). This step includes gasifying the extracted fiber to provide an offset for natural gas. Step 2. Extracting a high-value, human food-grade corn oil from the germ. Step 3. Removing a human foodgrade protein from the germ. Step 4. Converting the syrup (solubles) from the ethanol process to produce single-cell protein comparable to brewer’s yeast, which can be fed to animals including cattle, poultry, and swine. Step 5. Producing cellulosic etha- Biomass Gasification Fagen Inc., Granite Falls, MN (320564-3324), joined forces in June with Frontline Bioenergy, LLC, Ames IA (515-292-1200), to offer existing ethanol plants and other industrial facilities a way to displace up to 90% of their natural gas usage by utilizing biomass gasification. Frontline’s biomass gasification process converts a wide variety of plant matter such as wood residues, corn cobs, and prairie grasses into a clean, combustible gas that can be utilized like natural gas. “This system would provide a second fuel for dual-capacity heat usage,” said Matt Sederstrom, vice president of marketing and project development for Fagen, Inc. “The goal is to displace 90% to 95% of a plant’s natural gas usage,” Sederstrom added. The gasifier system can be easily retrofited to an ethanol plant currently utilizes a natural gas boiler and grain dryer, or may be installed for any greenfield project. Any plant design can utilize the gasifier as a bolt-on, said Sederstrom. Myke Feinman, associate editor Response No. 991 J/A GJ 99 http://www.vicam.com http://www.vicam.com/aflacheck http://www.vicam.com
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