2024 | Janković, Tamara; Straathof, Adrie J.J.; McGregor, Ian R.; Kiss, Anton A.
This paper presents a novel pass-through distillation (PTD) process for the concurrent alcohol recovery and fermentation (CARAF) of bioethanol. PTD is a hybrid separation technology that combines distillation with absorption, decoupling the evaporation and condensation steps by inserting an absorption-desorption loop. This decoupling allows for the use of different pressures and heating/cooling utilities, making it suitable for low-temperature operations necessary to maintain microbial viability. The process design and rigorous simulation (using Aspen Plus) of a 100-tonne/year bioethanol plant are described, demonstrating its effectiveness in CARAF. The PTD process is coupled with heat pumps or multi-effect distillation (MED) to achieve low recovery costs and energy requirements. The study also includes the development of a reliable property model for the complex system involving lithium bromide, ethanol, and water, ensuring accurate simulation results. The proposed process enables the continuous removal of inhibitory products from the fermentation broth, enhances biomass and water recycling, and reduces water requirements, contributing to the advancement of the biotech industry.This paper presents a novel pass-through distillation (PTD) process for the concurrent alcohol recovery and fermentation (CARAF) of bioethanol. PTD is a hybrid separation technology that combines distillation with absorption, decoupling the evaporation and condensation steps by inserting an absorption-desorption loop. This decoupling allows for the use of different pressures and heating/cooling utilities, making it suitable for low-temperature operations necessary to maintain microbial viability. The process design and rigorous simulation (using Aspen Plus) of a 100-tonne/year bioethanol plant are described, demonstrating its effectiveness in CARAF. The PTD process is coupled with heat pumps or multi-effect distillation (MED) to achieve low recovery costs and energy requirements. The study also includes the development of a reliable property model for the complex system involving lithium bromide, ethanol, and water, ensuring accurate simulation results. The proposed process enables the continuous removal of inhibitory products from the fermentation broth, enhances biomass and water recycling, and reduces water requirements, contributing to the advancement of the biotech industry.