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using a continuous flow system to distill the alcohol are not using copper as
the metal in contact with the heat source.
This affects the efficiency of distillation.
Oil companies are promoting oil from algae.
The competitors in the game are yeast, bacteria, and algae.
If algae are left to rot in the oil extraction process, then bacteria
will eat it. This is the reason
origin oil invented a more efficient way to extract oil from algae. The process
combines ultrasound and an electromagnetic pulse to break the algal cell walls.
Then the algae solution is force-fed carbon dioxide, which lowers its pH,
separating the biomass from the oil.
However, this method is expensive.
Nova now just did a special on gas from Algae and mentioned that it costs
about $8.00 a gallon using solvent methods.
Solvents prevent the bacteria from eating the oil; however they prevent
the liquid from being easily recycled.
The efficiency of ethanol production concerns the theoretical yield compared to the actual yield. This varies with the type of food used. For example, it takes about 26 pounds of raw corn to produce one gallon of ethanol. Corn is not a good food source for yeast, because it is a vegetable and does not contain high amounts of sugar. Raw sugar sold in Mexico for ~ 4 cents a pound has a molar mass twice that of glucose at 180grams. This means that theoretically 10 pounds of raw table sugar will produce 1 gallon of ethanol. This invention is designed to have a high percent yield. Keeping the yeast alive and working for longer periods of time promotes efficiency and greater alcohol production. This is important, since the longer yeast live they will naturally select to live in higher alcohol concentration. Samuel Adams has produced ninja yeast that can survive in alcohol concentration of 25%. This is important to the alcohol producer, because alcohol can be distilled with less energy when the concentrations are higher. The objective of this system is to use less energy to produce a gallon of ethanol and this increases the energy yield of the product. The system is designed around keeping the yeast alive for longer periods, thus promoting greater ethanol production. This is difficult to do with large 80,000 gallon fermentation containers, not because of the size but do to the way the alcohol is taken out of the container. Yeast make ethanol for two reasons, as a storage food and for defense. This system is designed not to fight why yeast make alcohol. The yeast must be given food and water in order to maintain the conditions necessary to promote efficiency in material costs, and yeast life expectancy in the overall fermentation vessel. Great wealth is obtained little by little, thus this system is designed to produce ethanol in great amounts little by little.
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