Method for processing thin stillage and apparatus for producing a protein containing product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9714267-B2
Application number	US-201213981559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2012
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A method for processing thin stillage (TS), characterized by the following steps: a) feeding of thin stillage (TS) into a working vessel ( 3 ); b) concentrating of thin stillage (TS) in a filtration unit ( 9 ); and c) returning of a first substream of concentrated thin stillage to the thin stillage (TSI) present in the working vessel ( 3 ) in order to adjust the solids content, and apparatus for producing a protein-containing product of value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for processing thin stillage, comprising the steps of:
a) feeding thin stillage into a working vessel;
b) concentrating the thin stillage in a filtration unit;
c) returning a first substream of concentrated thin stillage to the thin stillage contained in the working vessel to adjust the amount of dry matter content of the thin stillage in the working vessel;
d) concentrating the thin stillage in the filtration unit, and
e) splitting a flow of the concentrated thin stillage into the first substream and a second substream.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
clarifying at least the second substream of the concentrated thin stillage in a centrifuge to further concentrate the thin stillage.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the further concentrated thin stillage has a dry matter amount of more than 12 percent by weight.

4. The method of claim 2 , and further comprising the steps of:
drying the concentrated thin stillage; and
forming therefrom a protein containing product.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the further concentrated thin stillage has a dry matter amount of more than 18 percent by weight.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first substream is at least three times greater than a second substream of concentrated thin stillage.

7. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
processing grain stillage in a decanter to obtain the thin stillage.

8. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
discharging a permeate stream from the filtration unit; and
routing the permeate stream to an anaerobic wastewater treatment facility.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of concentrating the thin stillage in a filtration unit is controlled as a function of the dry matter content of the thin stillage located in the working vessel.

10. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
controlling thin stillage flow based on a thin stillage flow rate after concentration of thin stillage in a filtration unit.

11. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
clarifying at least the second substream of the concentrated thin stillage in a separator to further concentrate the thin stillage.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first substream is at least six times greater than a second substream of concentrated thin stillage.

13. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
discharging a permeate stream from the filtration unit, and reusing the permeate stream as process water.

14. A device for producing a product containing protein from thin stillage, the device comprising:
a working vessel;
a thin stillage concentrating filtration unit in fluid communication with the working vessel and the thin stillage concentrating filtration unit includes:
a flow splitter in which concentrated stillage is split into a first substream and a second substream;

a centrifuge in fluid communication with the thin stillage concentrating filtration unit;
a dryer in fluid communication with the centrifuge; and
a return line between the flow splitter and the working vessel for returning the first substream of concentrated thin stillage to the working vessel.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the thin stillage concentrating filtration unit is an ultrafiltration unit.

16. The device of claim 14 , and
wherein the flow splitter in which the concentrated stillage is split into a first substream and a second substream, and is regulated as a function of the flow rate.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the centrifuge is connected to the working vessel by way of a return line for returning a clarified centrifugate phase to the working vessel.

Assignees

• Emanuele Mario
• Schöneberg Knud
• Gea Mechanical Equipment Gmbh

Inventors

• Emanuele Mario
• Schöneberg Knud

Classifications

• A23J1/005 Primary

  from vegetable waste materials · CPC title

• C07K1/14 Primary

  Extraction; Separation; Purification · CPC title

• A23K10/38

  from distillers' or brewers' waste · CPC title

• C12F3/10

  from distillery slops · CPC title

• Y02P60/873

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic