Raw materials containing starch:
Grain like,

• Wheat,
• corn,
• millet,
• barley or
• Rye

as well as starchy tuberous plants such as,

• Potatoes,
• sweet potatoes or
• Cassava

are first ground before being further processed. Starch or other starch-containing by-products do not require any further mechanical pretreatment before being fed directly to the mash plant for liquefaction.

Raw materials containing sugar:

• Sugar beet,
• ugar cane or
• Sugar millet

are first crushed and pretreated before being further processed.

• Molasses,
• Thick,
• thin or
•  raw juice and
• other sugar syrups

usually do not require any further thermal or mechanical treatment. These are mixed with water to an optimum sugar content, acidified and fed to the fermentation area. For mashes containing large amounts of fermentation-impairing (inhibiting) substance groups, pasteurization and subsequent flashing with separation of volatile substances may be necessary. Sludge separation is usually not economical and can hardly be carried out without sugar losses and is therefore necessary in the rarest of cases.

Grinding:
Design variants
Depending on the requirements, wet or dry grinding with subsequent mixing equipment is possible. Both processes have their advantages depending on the application..

• In wet grinding, the water and enzymes are added in the grinding chamber. Zoning according to ATEX is not required.
• With dry grinding, smaller particle sizes are possible with the same electrical power, or a smaller electrical power is required for the same particle size than with wet grinding. The water and enzymes are added in a downstream mixing unit. Zoning according to ATEX is required.

For more detailed descriptions and information please contact us directly - we are looking forward to your call or mail.

Mashing:
Design variants

Depending on the type of raw material and pretreatment, different process designs are possible. Both processes have their advantages depending on the application.

•     Starch is treated by liquefaction and saccharification to obtain glucose as fermentable sugar. The partially saccharified mash is cooled and fed to the fermentation unit.
• ?    Problematic sugary mash, after dilution and maceration, is treated by pasteurization followed by flashing. The mash is cooled and fed to the fermentation unit.

The mashing or pasteurization units operate continuously and are designed to be energy-optimized.

For more detailed descriptions and information please contact us directly - we are looking forward to your call or mail.

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Fermentation and yeast cultivation

In the fermentation unit, yeast converts monosaccharides into alcohol.
In addition, the final conversion of starch into glucose takes place simultaneously in the fermentation tank.
 

Design variants
Die fermentation units can be used as:

• Batch-process

oder

• continiously

be executed.

Batch systems are preferred for difficult-to-process, solids-containing mostly starchy mashes or molasses mashes of inferior quality.
Continuous systems are generally cheaper and easier to operate but more susceptible to starchy mashes or low quality molasses.
Our standard is batch fermentation, high yield, high alcohol content even with non-optimal raw materials.
The heat generated during fermentation is transferred by jacket cooling or via external heat exchangers.
The alcohol-saturated CO2 produced during fermentation is passed through a scrubber as waste gas from the fermenters to recover alcohol.
The fully fermented mash is passed through a mash buffer to distillation.
To optimize process control, the required yeast is obtained by means of special yeast guidance.
To ensure the necessary hygienic conditions, the pipelines and containers are sterilized by means of a CIP system.
The fermentation process is partially automated and requires manual intervention by the operator.

For more detailed descriptions and information please contact us directly - we are looking forward to your call or mail.

Bioethanol:

Definition:

Bioethanol is ethanol produced from sugar-containing (e.g. sugar beet, sugar millet, sugar cane), starch-containing (e.g. corn, grain, potato) or cellulosic (e.g. wood, straw) plant parts.
The requirements for ethanol for use as a blending component in gasoline are specified in the DIN EN 15376 standard.

Distillation – Rectification:

Ethanol recovery by means of energetically coupled distillation and rectification column without additional purification columns.
Bioethanol does not have to meet any special requirements in terms of taste neutrality.
Therefore, a combination of distillation and rectification column is sufficient. Minor components are separated without much technical effort in order to achieve the analytical parameters.

Design variants
Depending on the nature of the mash (solids, starch, or sugar), the required energy efficiency, and the equipment used, there are various alternatives for process execution:

• integrated or stand-alone,
• with or without a heat network,
• with or without coupling to ethanol drying.

For more detailed descriptions and information, please contact us directly. We look forward to receiving your call or email.

Neutral alcohol as a base for alcoholic beverages, for technical or pharmaceutical use:

Definition:

Neutral alcohol in the sense of the spirits ordinance refers to ethanols which are produced from distillates of agricultural origin 2)
The requirements for ethanol for use in alcoholic beverages are specified in the
REGULATION (EU) 2019/787 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17. April 2019.

Distillation – Rectification:

Ethanol recovery by means of energetically coupled distillation and rectification column with additional purification columns.
Neutral alcohol must meet special requirements with regard to organoleptics.
Therefore, a combination of distillation and rectification column alone is not sufficient. Minor components are separated with extended technical and energetic effort in order to achieve the analytical parameters.

Design variants
Depending on the nature of the mash (solids, starch, or sugar), the required energy efficiency, and the equipment used, there are various alternatives for process execution:

• integrated or stand-alone,
• with or without a heat network,
• with or without coupling to ethanol drying.

For more detailed descriptions and information please contact us directly - we are looking forward to your call or mail.

Aroma distillate as a basis for alcoholic beverages and spirits:

Definition:
Aroma distillates within the meaning of the German Spirits Ordinance are ethanols which are produced from distillates of agricultural origin.
Typical aroma distillates are:

• Fruit brandy, fruit schnapps
• Fruit spirits
• Brandy
• Cognac
• Whisk

The requirements for ethanol for use in alcoholic beverages are specified in the
REGULATION (EU) 2019/787 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17. April 2019.

Aroma distillation:

Ethanol recovery using distillation equipment tailored to the process without additional purification steps.
The aroma distillate must meet special requirements regarding organoleptic properties. The organoleptic properties of the raw materials (fruits, berries) should be preserved and emphasized.
The parameters are achieved by gentle distillation of the mash at low temperatures in a vacuum.

Design variants
Depending on the nature of the mash, the required energy efficiency and the equipment used, there are various alternatives for the process execution:

• Vacuum distillation.
• Aroma recovery.
• Separation of fusel oils and aldehydes.
• Separation of flavour defects.
• Methanol separation.

For more detailed descriptions and information please contact us directly - we are looking forward to your call or mail.

Ethanol drying

Economical and easy to operate.

Molecular sieve - dehydration:

Ethanol drying by adsorption (molecular sieve, zeolite)
Water and ethanol form a so-called azeotrope. This determines how much water can be separated by thermal process control (distillation, rectification).
In the adsorption process, the water is separated by its accumulation on many ceramic solids containing pores. The water molecule, which is small compared to the alcohol molecule, can penetrate the pores, while the alcohol molecule continues to flow without accumulating and is concentrated. Separation in the gas phase has proved successful. The mixture of ethanol and water vapor flows through a bed of these solids, which become saturated with water and the alcohol is concentrated.
The product is an almost water-free ethanol. The water content can be adjusted to the intended use of the alcohol.

• Bioethanol with a water content of 0.5%.
• Ethanol for industrial applications with a water content of 0.01% or less.
• Ethanol for pharmaceutical applications with a water content of 0.01% or less.

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Design variants
Depending on the nature of the raw material (hydrous ethanol) and the equipment used, there are various alternatives for the process design: integrated or stand-alone, with or without a heat network, with or without intermediate condensation.

For more detailed descriptions and information, please contact us directly and we will be happy to receive your call or e-mail.