The Ethanol Process
Click Here For Sample Schematic
Ethanol vehicle fuel has been in short supply or too expensive
to produce, and that shortfall has kept America from embracing
it as an alternative fuel. The U.S. consumes approximately
107.3 and 141.3 billion gallons of gasoline a year (James Hamilton,
Daily Summer Demand Table). Even if sufficient ethanol mills
existed, conventional processes using organic trash would only
produce at the most 25.8 billion gallons of ethanol. Corn
figuratively would produce 31.6 billion gallons if growers had
similar amount of facilities, or 0.8 to 1.0 billion barrels. Based
on economic limitations of their by-products, it is more likely
that other cellulosic and corn mills would produce 20.9 and 16.1
billion gallons, only 19.5% and 15% of the market respectively. Ethanol’s
fuel capability does not meet demand unless a more viable method
of extraction is found.
Whereas, For Fuel Freedom’s process could potentially produce
anywhere from 70.0 and 92.2 billion gallons. For Fuel Freedom's
process works with any organic biomass, including double cropped
corn stover, unusable wheat stalk, discarded cotton branches, and
even municipal solid waste. Assuming 2,920
solid waste districts contained 6 mills each and processed an average
of 1.27 million tons of organic solid waste annually, with the
organics containing an average of 49.63% glucose and an average
17.28% decay rate, For Fuel Freedom would produce 2.1 to 2.9 billion
barrels at 65.3% of the demand, at minimum. Upper limits
on how much combined cellulosic material can practically be processed
with current technologies with this invention is 4.4 times. Our
method resolves the alternative fuel sufficiency dilemma.
Ethanol has great potential because it is a fuel that can come
from almost any organic source that contains cellulose material. Landfills
contain this material in the form of organics found in Municipal
Solid Waste known as biomass. To minimize costly ethanol
farming economies and also to increase recycling efforts, MSW biomass
could be used to remedy the disparity between gasoline prices and
ethanol production costs. For that reason, it is believed
ethanol has the potential to usher in oil independence and create
global security. Vinod Khosla said at the Clinton Global
Initiative conference, “Whoever cracks the nut on cellulosic
ethanol will be the next Google” to invest in, scoring the
importance of a need for such a discovery (CNBC, Closing Bell,
Sept. 27, 2007, 1 p.m.). Our proprietary process results
in a high enough yield to be that nutcracker.
Ethanol promotes environmental stewardship by producing 22% less
emissions than gasoline. For Fuel Freedom does not stop
there. Dr. Richard Alley proved the acceleration of
glaciers is being triggered by something unnatural, leading to
catastrophic climate change in around 25 to 40 years (National
Geographic Channel, Naked Science, 2002). Therefore,
our goal is to remove pollutants from the air and water as we remove
trash from the ground and thereby have the lynchpin to the total
environmental solution. Our process uses organic material
to hydrolyze the sugars from cellulose, rather than acid that can
pollute eco-systems. Our process removes carbon from
both polluted air and generated heat to control the fermentation
process and grow additional bio-matter. We believe
in the production of bio-fuels in an economically and environmentally
sound manner.
In ethanol production, preprocesses are necessary for the extraction
of sugars from cellulose structures due to their exterior shell. Environmentally
hazardous acids have historically provided a means of producing
this extra step. This extra step can be an unwanted
cost if the crop source also has to be watered and harvested prior
to production. However, relatively inexpensive cropless
organic materials exists in the form of mining the recycled garbage
in enough abundance to fuel every vehicle in the nation. A
process known as cellulosic ethanol can derive sugars from the
cell tissue of plant stock using hydrolysis, as opposed to methods
that extract sugar from the fruit or kernel. Hydrolysis
involves accessing and separating the sugar in the cellulose of
the plant using acid or enzymes. Enzymatic hydrolysis
activities have not been successful until For Fuel Freedom’s
discovery for the organic breakdown of biomass.
Now, different organics will decay at different rates and thereby
yield differing amounts of sugar. For example, newsprint
and branches decay fastest at around 40%, glossy paper and green
waste tend to rate in the low 30’s, cardboard 26%, and food
scraps 8%, whereas other paper products like envelopes, letters,
and ledgers typically have more cotton fiber than other paper products,
and therefore a negligible decay rate but a greater percentage
of glucose: 62%, 84%, 91% respectively (The Effect of Lignin on
Biodegradability, Tom Richard, Tables; For Fuel Freedom Recycling
Mining, Industry Report). For Fuel Freedom’s discovery
consistently produces sufficient fermentable sugars for ethanol
production.
Conservative estimates say the U.S. produces over 500 million
tons of municipal solid organic waste annually in the form of wood,
paper, and scraps (Mash Making 101, pg. 16). Suitable
cellulosic material from biomass fit into two categories: Organics
[Construction Composites, Crop Residue, Food Scraps, Green Waste]
and Woods: [Branches and Wood, Cardboard and Cardstock, Envelopes,
Gloss and Polymers, Ledgers and Books, Letters and Stationary]. Organic
biomass has 57.2% organics, 42.8% woods (CA Integrated Waste Management
Board, www.ciwmb.ca.gov/profiles, Tables). Combined
sources of organic and wood biomass includes approximately 25%
lignin, 31% hemicellulose, and 44% cellulose, but the amount of
lignin increases and cellulose decreases the older and dryer the
material becomes, resulting in an average of 30% lignin and 39%
cellulose (Wood Technology, McGraw-Hill, Tables; Effect of Lignin
on Biodegradability, Tom Richard; CA Integrated Waste Management
Board, www.ciwmb.ca.gov/profiles, Tables). Paper contains
about 22.8% cotton fiber, depending on purpose, resulting in 57.7%
average fermentable sugar (glucose) content, as compared with most
other organics producing only 37% (Effect of Lignin on Biodegradability,
Tom Richard; Wikipedia.org, “Cotton Linters”). Together,
they produce around 45.9% due to the size of their waste streams. Biomass
has the potential of producing 10’s of billions of gallons
of bio-fuel, without the present process enhancements, but even
more if its lignin can be converted (Mash Making 101, pg. 16). The
reason the composition of plant cells change with time is the aging
process conforms to more lignified molecules as plant geriatrics
battle with higher alkalinity, resulting in stronger defense to
microbes.
Sugar crops are normally complex sugars that need to be broken
into glucose. Proteins that perform the function of
a biocatalyst for specific tasks at certain temperatures for a
particular pH acidity are called enzymes. Fungus are
commonly parasitical in nature, having the enzymes that digest
plant composition, accessing its starches and dextrins and converting
them to food in the form of glucose (Mash Making 101, pg. 2). Biotechnology
studies determined enzymes alone were not powerful enough agents
to breakdown lignin in a profitable timeframe (or at all). The
sugar must be extracted from starch indirectly by a conversion
or other preprocess.
Starch is a complex sugar, made of multiple links of glucose monomers
(Wood Technology, McGraw-Hilll, Fig. of Wood Cells). Alpha-type
enzymes fragment the links that hold the complex sugar branches
together, simplifying the carbohydrate structure into what are
called “dextrins” (Mash Making 101, pg.15). This
process can get expensive, as temperature and time have an inverse
relationship when seeking cellulose degradation. Without
a process for growth, penetration, digestion, and increase in biomass,
ethanol from this alone would not be economical.
Understandably, for yeast to digest sugars deep in the cell tissue,
the cellulose must be broken down. Hydrolysis treatment
then, breaks up the structure of cellulose. However,
the interior of the plant cell wall, the exoskeleton in most solid
waste organics, varies in makeup. This variation depends
on the plant and its age. This variation is the relationship
created by cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose
strands are held together by certain molecules in the sugars and
are surrounded by the hemicellulose and encased by lignin. These
form microfibrils, the tiny reeds that make the cell wall (Wood
Technology, McGraw-Hilll, Fig. of Wood Cells).
One important factor in finding the solution to access sugars
that ferment has been identifying what processes are capable of
eating away at the exteriors of cellulose. Chemical
acid has been the preferred method of breaking down cellulose. Most
cellulosic tissue breakdown has been traditionally achieved by
some combination of heat, water, and acid. For the
level of heat required alone to breakdown outer tissue, 400° F,
the cellulose and its sugars end up destroyed because the breaking
down of cellulose occurs at lower heat. So, acid hydrolysis
is used.
Acid hydrolysis is the process of mixing acid with the biomass
in an starchy mix, so that exposed tissue will break apart. Different
types of hydrolysis may reduce the time needed for enzymatic breakdown. Normally,
a caustic solution of 1% would treat the biomass at 140° F
for three hours (Mash Making 101, pg.19). When alkalinity
levels contain too much acid, powdered limestone or ammonium hydroxide
will neutralize it (Mash Making 101, pg.13). Cellulosic
material, once it has a pH imbalance, can be recovered with filtration
and shocked with hydrochloric acid to restore alkalinity. Since
For Fuel Freedom does not use acid, the pH level is not extreme. Whatever
the method, alkalinity must be stabilized following hydrolysis
for later fermentation.
Acid processes are both economically and environmentally challenging,
leaving the invention of an organic option preferred. Acid
poses a threat to water and livestock. If ammonium
hydroxide (ammonia) is used, its composition is regarded as a hazardous
material and lung toxin (Wikipedia.org, “ammonia”). If
the acid is neutralized by limestone, by-products will be gypsum
wallboard, limiting profits to U.S. construction cycles. An
environmental solution would break down the exoskeleton and lignin
without destroying the sugars in order to maximize ethanol production. This
makes the activity more economical in coastal cities where extreme
costs are associated with environmental clean-up.
The major components of the process are: degradation of exoskeleton,
capture of carbon dioxide, conversion of cellulose to cellobiose,
use of separated sugars, recycling of undigested cellulose, and
reuse of remaining pulp.
For grinding, the biomass must be chopped or ground into a course
constituency as known in the art. The more refined
the biomass, the more surface area will come in contact with the
yeast culture in the fermentation process and thereby making digestion
more effective. The faster the rate of fermentation,
and more profitable the production of ethanol. However,
degradation can reduce ethanol production, so less abrasive means
of breakdown are used after grinding. Otherwise, the size
of the fragmented material can be between half a centimeter and
2 inches, as long as the material can be suspended with sufficient
water to be pumped, filtered, and recycled
Hydrolysis is the pre-boil process of mashing where the biomass
is suspended in a watery solution and heated, to allow the glucose
molecules to expand and gel. Hydrolysis of the slurry
softens the lignin, so the breakdown process can prevail. This
complex process includes consideration for the type of installation,
relative operating conditions, and maximum capacity. Variables
to factor in calculations are: tonnage of biomass, rate the biomass
will be introduced into the slurry, heated at what temperature
for how long, when and how to stop activity, and run-off filtration
of by-product that varies with method used.
The temperature in acid hydrolysis is higher and resulting pH
is lower, so the acid must be neutralized and its pH restored prior
to fermentation, in addition to using glucoamylase or other enzyme
as claimed to convert the remaining dextrins, preferably ADHE. At
a pH below 7, certain biotechnologies do not ferment. pH
can be corrected with a combination of heat plus either limestone,
ammonium hydroxide, and alkalinity can be increased with citrus
lime. Increasing the pH will also cause a chemical
reaction that accelerates lignification. Agitation
is used to stop remaining activity and to sort out plastics and
metal shards.
Before the ethanol sugars can be separated from those that do
not ferment, the mash is heated and a small amount of glucoamylase
enzyme is added after alkalinity is adjusted. This
process, called liquefaction, aids in the conversion of glucose
using a set of enzymes that breakdown cellulosic complexes called
cellulases. For one method to convert the remaining
dextrins, the cellulosic mash must be cooked at 140° F for
four hours in 1% cellulase, but only if no sugar separation process
used. However, the amount of enzymes needed is less
and temperature of the heat is more when employing a preferred
process for separating non-fermenting sugars. For liquefaction
then, the mash is heated to the same temperature as in a steam
cooker: 176-212° F (80-100° C) for about an hour and a
half. Boiling will then stop the enzymatic growth.
Xylitol and similar sugars are siphoned off primarily because
they prevent fermentation but can be salvaged for by-products using
a chromatography apparatus, by either osmosis, preservative, or
resin, preferably DOWEX-like Strong Base Anion Resin. This
is based on Einstein’s discovery of Capillary Action, how
the properties of molecule structures in liquid will tend to bind
to certain surfaces. This filtration occurs before
the glucoses in the mash to cool down to 90° F for fermentation.
At this point, the cellulosic matter is ready for fermentation. After
boiling to kill the proteins and introduce a chemical base to expose
the remaining starches, the enzyme is reintroduced. For
Mash Cooling, the temperature is set to 118.4-154.4° F (48-68° C)
for half an hour. The mash is then cooled down to 90° F,
and Beta enzymes eat away to breakdown recently exposed sugars
in the sections remaining.
Fermentation of any sort is strictly regulated by the Alcohol
Tabacco and Firearm federal government agency and requires special
permits to operate any equipment. Fermentation is
a process that can utilize either batch or continuous flow automation
depending on system needs, in this case continuous is preferred. Fermentation
occurs best when the cellulose is placed in a slurry tank and carefully
agitated. Following about 10 minutes of agitation,
oxygen-starved yeast then stops multiplying and starts feeding
on the glucose to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide (Mash Making
101, pg.15-16). The bacteria is removed by vacuum or
filtration. At intervals, samples are extracted to
determine tolerance. Determining when ethanol production
reaches its tolerance tends to vary with production quality and
sugar content. Fermentation stage includes cellulase
with the yeast, so that the substance can be infested by the yeast. The
yeast then proceeds to produce ethanol while consuming the cellobiose. Yeast
cultures produce sufficient quantity to reuse in subsequent fermentation
cycles. Undigested cellulose is removed by filtering
when the cellulose-liquid is drained. Afterwards,
the yeast will tend to coagulate in the slurry and can be harvested.
Yeast requires nutrients to grow. In the fermentation
process, an aqueous mineral medium containing an assortment of
minerals and electrolytes, plus an iron-oxide inhibitor: including
calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and
sulfur, as well as trace quantities of elements such as copper,
iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc, and preferably contains
vitamins such as biotin and thiamine. The fermentation
concentrate should have just sufficient nutrients for both yeast
and enzymes to grow in life-generating conditions. Fibrous
cellulosic material gets exposed in this broth will produce at
least a significant amount of ethanol. When the tolerance
of the bacteria reaches ethanol equilibrium (about 6-10%), pressure
valves release the ethanol at such temperature in vapor form.
A low temperature should be maintained during the fermentation
to not destroy the yeast. For example, 82-90° F
(27.2-31.6° C) for 24-60 hours, or 36-40 hours with flash fermentation
processes. While fermentation is taking place over
the course of two to four days, the undigested portions can be
recycled so the entire operation in effect reprocesses usable tissue. The
flow which reprocessing and recycling of the material occurs is
vital.
For Fuel Freedom’s proprietary system incorporates a proprietary
blend of organisms for its enzymatic process, resulting in 173.7%
more product than without, per laboratory calculations. A
symbiotic relationship with other bio-fuels is used to shave off
cost of production of these other organisms and also resolves other
environmental concerns. Bio-diesel from algae can offset
cost of primary process as well as producing oxygen to restore
the ozone. Algae growth can be promoted by using the
carbon dioxide gases captured from heating and fermentation sources. Algae
on large-scale ponds can be scaled to operate 17.8 to 20.7 tons
of mass per acre, in a solution between 5,000 to 5,800 gallons
per acre. Algae will produce approximately 14.4237
gallons per day for each ton per acre, based on 60% oil extraction
with carbon dioxide, and can grow 31.507041% additional mass per
day. At 17.8 tons per acre, mass will increment to
23.4 tons, and can generate about 256 gallons oil for use in bio-diesel
per day. Algae only provides this benefit in such quantity
when using species of algae specifically or indigenously adapted
to that specific climate.
Distillation of any sort is strictly regulated by the Alcohol
Tabacco and Firearm federal government agency and requires special
permits to operate any equipment. When fermentation
is carried out at atmospheric pressure, the contents of the fermentor
are then treated to separate and recover its ethanol component
through distilling off the ethanol. Distillation keeps
the temperature between 173-212° F (75-100° C) for about
1 hour. Distillation remains are purified through filtration
using molecular sieves, and remaining pulp is reprocessed, discarded,
or used as a by-product.
For Fuel Freedoms ’s formulated process is organic and utilizes
Einstein’s
theory of Capillary Action; there is no environmentally questionable
acid needed. When microscopic 'bugs' were found consuming
30 year-old newspaper in landfills, a proprietary organic substance
was then discovered that forms a chain reaction breakdown that
utilizes carbon dioxide from the air and 100% of the plant fibers,
not just the cellulose. Unrecyclable paper, a food
source for mold and insects, totals over 40% of total municipal
solid waste and is a key source for this process. Fuel
for Freedom's process is believed to be the most
significant find in bio-fuel history. This organic
hydrolysis process is carbon negative and produces almost 4.4 times
as much ethanol as similar cellulosic processes, 2.3 times more
than corn ethanol. Simply
stated, the process is economically carbon negative. |
