Process for the recovery of ketones and glycols from fermentation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10988428-B2
Application number	US-202016893218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2020
Priority date	Nov 9, 2017
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

A method of obtaining ketones from a fermentation process may include collecting an off-gas and a fermented broth from a fermenter, transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a ketone recuperation module and the fermented broth to a fluid separating module, and isolating the ketones from both the off-gas and the fermented broth. The off-gas and the fermented broth may both comprise a ketone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of obtaining ketones from a fermentation process, the method comprising:
collecting an off-gas and a fermented broth from a fermenter, wherein the off-gas and the fermented broth both comprise a ketone;
transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a ketone recuperation module and the fermented broth to a fluid separating module; and
isolating the ketones from both the off-gas and the fermented broth.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the fermented broth with one or more selected from a group consisting of activated carbon bed, hydrogenation, UV treatment, and ion-exchange column.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a color and odor module prior to or following the fluid separation module.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a concentration module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the fluid separation module.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the concentration module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of distillation columns and evaporators.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a pretreatment module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the fluid separation module, and wherein the pretreatment module removes at least a portion of cells and solids from the fermented broth.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pretreatment module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of centrifugation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid separating module comprises a salt removal module and one or more distillation columns.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the salt removal module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of an ion exchange module, a precipitation module, an electrodialysis module, and a nanofiltration module.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ketone is acetone.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a gas separating module prior to transferring the off-gas to the ketone recuperation module, wherein the gas separating module removes at least a portion of the ketone from the off-gas.

12. A method of obtaining ketones from a fermentation process, the method comprising:
collecting an off-gas and a fermented broth from the fermenter, wherein the off-gas and the fermented broth both comprise a ketone;
transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a ketone recuperation module;
transferring the fermented broth to a light organic separation module that generates a stream comprising the ketone;
transferring the stream comprising the ketone to the ketone recuperation module; and
isolating the ketone from both the off-gas and the fermented broth.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising processing the fermented broth with one or more selected from a group consisting of activated carbon bed, hydrogenation, UV treatment, and ion-exchange column.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a color and odor module prior to or following the light organic separation module.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a concentration module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the light organic separation module.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the concentration module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of distillation columns and evaporators.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a pretreatment module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the light organic separation module, and wherein the pretreatment module removes at least a portion of cells and solids from the fermented broth.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the pretreatment module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of centrifugation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the ketone is acetone.

20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transferring the off-gas from the fermenter to a gas separating module prior to transferring the off-gas to the ketone recuperation module, wherein the gas separating module removes at least a portion of the ketone from the off-gas.

21. A method of obtaining glycols from a fermentation process, the method comprising:
collecting a fermented broth from the fermenter, wherein the fermented broth comprises a glycol;
transferring the fermented broth to a fluid separating module that comprises a reactive distillation column; and
isolating the glycol from the fermented broth,
wherein isolating the glycol comprises:
reacting a glycol in the fermented broth in the reactive distillation column with a separating agent to form an acetal and collecting a stream from the reactive distillation column comprising the acetal;
transferring the stream comprising the acetal to a distillation column and distilling the stream comprising the acetal;
transferring the stream comprising the acetal from the distillation column to a hydrolysis column and hydrolyzing the acetal to yield a reverted glycol; and
collecting a stream from the hydrolysis column comprising the reverted glycol.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the glycol is monoethylene glycol.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the fluid separating module comprises a first evaporator, and wherein the fermented broth comprises a salt entrainer; wherein the method further comprises:
collecting a stream from the first evaporator comprising a glycol.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the salt entrainer is glycerol or sugar.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:
transferring the stream from the first evaporator to a second evaporator;
collecting a stream from the second evaporator comprising a glycol.

26. The method of claim 23 , comprising processing the stream from the first evaporator to remove one or more selected from a group consisting of water salt entrainer, heavy organics, and light organics.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the evaporator is a thin film evaporator or a short path evaporator.

28. The method of claim 21 , comprising processing the fermented broth with one or more selected from a group consisting of activated carbon bed, hydrogenation, UV treatment, and ion-exchange column.

29. The method of claim 21 , comprising transferring the fermented broth to a color and odor module prior to or following the fluid separating module.

30. The method of claim 21 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a concentration module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the fluid separating module.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the concentration module comprises one or more selected from a group consisting of distillation columns and evaporators.

32. The method of claim 21 , further comprising transferring the fermented broth to a pretreatment module prior to transferring the fermented broth to the fluid separating module, and wherein the pretreatment module removes at least a portion of cells and solids from the fermented broth.

33. The method of claim

Assignees

• Braskem Sa

Inventors

• De O Martins Ikari Liliana Zanelli
• Anderle Fernanda Munhoz
• Souza Melina Gesteira
• Santos Costa Lucas Gualberto

Classifications

• B01D3/002 Primary

  by continuous methods · CPC title

• C07C29/92

  by a consecutive conversion and reconstruction · CPC title

• C07C29/86

  by liquid-liquid treatment · CPC title

• C12P7/18

  polyhydric · CPC title

• B01D3/145

  One step being separation by permeation · CPC title