Lignins are natural polymers that give the cell walls of plants their strength, have been called some nasty names: an “ugly, unwieldy molecule,” ornery, tough, and uncooperative. But lignin experts say the unloved, but abundant, substance,…
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Heat Transfer Issues in Mechanically Agitated Fermenters
Heat Transfer Issues in Mechanically Agitated Fermenters? Aerobic fermentation generates a significant amount of heat, which must be removed to maintain a constant temperature. The main heat sources are metabolic heat generation, agitator power input,…
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Biodiesel Environmental Expert
What does a biodiesel plant environmental expert do? First, let’s discuss biodiesel production. As people search for alternative energy resources, the popularity of biodiesel fuel continues to increase. Biodiesel is diesel fuel derived from non-petroleum-based sources…
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Biochar for Wastewater Treatment
Biochar for wastewater treatment, both municipal and industrial, is a good alternative as such multistage process accommodates a constantly changing influent. One of the most critical steps in the process is the aeration basin in…
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Technical Readiness Assessment
As part of a technical due diligence effort, the team is often requested to perform a Technical Readiness Assessment. This will assign a score to the technology, known as the Technical Readiness Level (TRL). Originally…
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Industrial Fermentation: Selecting the Host Strain
When developing an industrial fermentation process, the choice of the production organism dictates much of the large-scale fermentation characteristics in addition to the nature of research and development and process development. Well characterized strains with…
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Third Generation Biofuels
Third-generation biofuels are currently those related to algal biomass or linked to utilization of CO2 as feedstock. Unlike first-generation biofuels which were virtually all related to editable biomass, or second-generation biofuels produced from a wide…
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Biogas
Biogas is a gas mixture developed from naturally occurring processes in nature. Basically, bacteria that exist in our world digest organic material, and the by-product of their digestion is biogas. Biogas is a mixture mainly…
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Ethanol Proteins – Advanced Process Monitoring
Ethanol plants achieve the best quality ethanol proteins through advanced process monitoring and control. That means starting with consistent control of corn grinding, cook and liquefaction and fermentation so that each fermentation batch is very…
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Ethanol Protein – Importance of Co-Product Quality
Why is the importance of ethanol protein co-product quality? At least eight ethanol plants have recently installed new process technology that separates higher value corn fermentation protein from whole stillage. This ethanol protein is a…
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