ICM and MHI Team Up to Advance Ethanol Dehydration Efficiency
ACE member ICM, Inc. (ICM) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have entered a strategic alliance to accelerate innovation in ethanol dehydration. The collaboration focuses on integrating MHI’s Mitsubishi Membrane Dehydration System (MMDS™) with ICM’s bioethanol process design.
Ethanol dehydration is one of the most energy-intensive steps in bioethanol production. By replacing the traditional Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) method with a molecular sieve separation method, MMDS™ enables high-efficiency manufacturing while significantly reducing energy use and operational costs, according to the companies. Because MMDS™ enables separation in the liquid phase, the system can also be designed more compactly, reducing the equipment footprint and simplifying installation.
“Through this collaboration with MHI, we’re exploring new approaches to ethanol dehydration that can further improve efficiency and reliability in ethanol production,” said Shaun Hubler, Director of Technology Commercialization at ICM, Inc. “The pilot results are very promising, and we look forward to building on them as we move toward full commercial deployment.”
IFF Introduces OPTIMASH BOOST to Maximize DCO Recovery
IFF launched OPTIMASH BOOST to further increase distillers corn oil (DCO) recovery at fuel ethanol plants. OPTIMASH BOOST is a second-generation, clarified cellulase and xylanase enzyme mix, replacing the first-generation product, OPTIMASH F200.
“The launch of OPTIMASH BOOST demonstrates our commitment to rapid, customer-focused innovation," said Dawn Overby, North America marketing director, grain processing, IFF. "We listened to the industry's need for greater efficiency in DCO recovery and developed a second-generation enzyme that delivers on that necessity.”
The efficacy of OPTIMASH BOOST has been validated in plant trials. In a direct head-to-head comparison, the new enzyme increased corn oil yield by 11% over its first-generation predecessor and by 23% over the plant’s baseline—lifting yield from 0.95 to 1.17 pounds per bushel. Additional data confirm this higher yield is a result of decreasing the wet cake fat content, while simultaneously improving dewatering of the cake, reducing energy consumption at the plant dryers and reducing the plant’s carbon intensity.
Fluid Quip Technologies to Implement DCO Technology at E Energy Adams
ACE member Fluid Quip Technologies is installing FQT’s DCO Technology™ and Overdrive™ systems to increase corn oil recovery and improve process efficiencies at E Energy Adams in Adams, Nebraska. According to the company, the DCO Technology™ washes more oil to thin stillage while also clarifying the stream, reducing evaporator fouling, improving heat transfer, and clarifying backset resulting in improved process efficiencies. The Overdrive™ system conditions the oil centrifuge feed stream improving recovery and reducing the need for chemicals. Together, these systems help boost corn oil yield, strengthen operational reliability, and reduce ongoing operating costs, FQT said.