Obtaining superfine ethanol in a Cuban distillery

Abstract

This paper describes obtaining superfine ethanol in a Cuban distillery from molasses as base raw material. The operational characteristics of the main stages for obtaining superfine alcohol have been described, emphasising alcohol fermentation due to its complexity in achieving process continuity; a Gantt chart led to determining a 31-hour process time and 5-hour cycle time. The influence of fermentation yield on process profitability was determined through mass and energy balances, demonstrating that a 4ºGL degree of alcohol was feasible. The main water-consuming elements were also determined (98% in molasses dilution) as well as steam consumption (91% during distillation). A preliminary analysis was made of the opportunities provided by material and energy integration, mainly for distillation, contributing towards a positive environmental impact.

Optimal design of pre-fermentation and fermentation stages applying nonlinear programming

“…The stage configurations and unit sizes obtained by the proposed approach are very similar to that presented in the literature about Cuban distilleries [27,28,36]. However, in those works the total cost is near 10-20% increased compared with the total cost given by the presented work ($55-60 vs. $50 per hl of ethanol).…”

Preliminary design for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation stages for ethanol production from sugar cane bagasse

“…In this way, units duplication is considered for reducing the process cycletime and consequently the idle times. The details of distillation stage were previously reported by Albernas et al (2012).…”