Drymill - Large Scale
Ethanol from Corn
At present the predominant technology in the 6Solutions portfolio is a dry-mill ethanol process for converting corn to fuel grade ethanol. This process is a conventional package now in commercial operation at Winthrop, Minnesota. The process is comprised of the following primary steps:
- The corn ethanol process begins with corn receiving from rail cars and trucks. Upon receipt the corn is transferred to storage bins using conventional conveyors and bucket elevators.
- Following storage the corn is transferred to de-stoning and sifting to remove tramp metal and other contaminants. The corn is then milled to a coarse meal which is then slurried in water with an enzyme to break down the starch into sugar for fermentation.
- Following sugar conversion, the raw liquor is fermented to an ethanol rich beer containing about 14% ethanol.
- The ethanol is separated and purified by distillation and molecular sieves.
- Residual corn components are concentrated by evaporation and drying to yield a feed product suitable for animal feed.
Process Flow Diagram
Heartland Products Ethanol Plant in Winthrop, MN
Ethanol Package
A fully developed engineering package would include:
- Process flow sheets
- Mass and energy balances
- Piping and instrumentation diagrams showing all equipment, equipment identification numbers and instrumentation
- Equipment specifications
- Equipment list with utility demands if available
- Recommended suppliers and pricing and/or purchase orders with specifications*
- Architectural blueprints and schematics
- Engineering reports
- Environmental reports
- Operational information
- Other information, including adjustments to the package for the next two years
*Some equipment vendors provide site specific engineering for their
equipment, which would not be duplicated in this package.
Benefits
- Proven dry mill ethanol technology
- TEAM OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS covering design, construction and operations
- Access to operating facility for "hands on" feel