In a method and a system for decolorizing and deodorizing a polyhydric alcohol according to embodiments of the present invention, a mixture liquid containing a first polyhydric alcohol obtained by a separation process is prepared. The mixture liquid is subjected to a distillation treatment to preliminarily remove substances with different colors and odors to generate a pre-treatment liquid. The pre-treatment liquid is subjected to an adsorption treatment. Through a combination of the distillation treatment and the adsorption treatment, the removing efficiency of the substances with different colors and odors can be increased.

Systems and methods in accordance with the present invention provide for the efficient distillation of ethanol in an ethanol plant including a beer column. Heat is captured in the distillation process and utilized to drive operations in the ethanol plant.

A process of isolating 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDO) from a fermentation broth includes separating a liquid fraction enriched in 1,4-BDO from a solid fraction comprising cells, removing water from said liquid fraction, removing salts from said liquid fraction, and purifying 1,4-BDO. A process for producing 1,4-BDO includes culturing a 1,4-BDO-producing microorganism in a fermentor for a sufficient period of time to produce 1,4-BDO. The 1,4-BDO-producing microorganism includes a microorganism having a 1,4-BDO pathway having one or more exogenous genes encoding a 1,4-BDO pathway enzyme and/or one or more gene disruptions. The process for producing 1,4-BDO further includes isolating 1,4-BDO.

Biogas production from the anaerobic digestion of juice in an ethanol production plant is maximized by mixing a juice containing thin stillage and/or water with a concentrated syrup prior to the anaerobic digestion. The juice then can be mixed with a biomass such as corn meal and enzymes to form a slurry suitable for fermentation. Sufficient syrup is mixed into the juice to provide a BOD concentration in the juice between 100,000 and 150,000 ppm. Enough biogas can be produced to supply enough energy to meet all of the boiler steam production/distillation energy/electrical generation demands for the ethanal production plant with some excess biogas left over for other uses.

The invention is directed to a device and associated method for recovering at least one product from a fermentation broth. The invention relates to the use of a vacuum distillation vessel to recover products, such as ethanol, from a fermentation broth, where the fermentation broth comprises viable microbial biomass, and where the recovery of the product is completed in such a manner to ensure the viability of the microbial biomass. The invention provides for product recovery at an effective rate so as to prevent the accumulation of product in the fermentation broth. To ensure the viability of the microbial biomass, the invention is designed to reduce the amount of stress on the microbial biomass. By ensuring the viability of the microbial biomass, the microbial biomass may be recycled and reused in the fermentation process, which may result in an increased efficiency of the fermentation process.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microorganism comprising one or more gene disruptions, the one or more gene disruptions occurring in genes encoding an enzyme obligatory to coupling 1,4-butanediol production to growth of the microorganism when the gene disruption reduces an activity of the enzyme, whereby theone or more gene disruptions confers stable growth-coupled production of 1,4-butanediol onto the non-naturally occurring microorganism. The microorganism can further comprise a gene encoding an enzyme in a 1,4-butanediol (BDO) biosynthetic pathway. The invention additionally relates to methods of using microorganisms to produce BDO.

Described are compositions and methods relating the use of -glucosidase to increase the production of ethanol from a corn fiber product in a starch hydrolysis process.

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.

A method for recovering a composition enriched in 3-hydroxypropionic acid by providing the fermentation broth, acidifying the fermentation broth; reducing the total sulfate ion and phosphate ion concentration of the resulting gaqueous solution to produce a reduced ion aqueous solution; distilling the resulting reduced ion aqueous solution and recovering the resulting aqueous distillation product comprising 3-hydroxypropioriic acid

A method for recovering a composition enriched in 3-hydroxypropionic acid from a fermentation broth comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof comprises the steps of: (a) providing the fermentation broth having a pH of from about 2 to about 8 comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof (b) acidifying the fermentation broth; (c) reducing the total sulfate ion and phosphate ion (d) distilling the resulting reduced ion aqueous solution and (e) recovering the product.