Processes, systems and equipment are for treating a digestate resulting from the thin stillage of a bioethanol plant. They can include a decarbonizer system to reduce the carbon and water footprint in an ethanol plant and associated biogas plant by treating a digestate stream resulting from a thin stillage digester. The treatment includes heating the digestate stream to decompose ammonia bicarbonate contained in the digestate stream into ammonium and bicarbonate; and contacting the heated digestate stream with air so that a first portion of the ammonia is desorbed from the heated stream to mix with the air.

A stillage clarification process and related system include using hydrocyclones and high recovery disc centrifuges for fractionation of stillage from a grain ethanol plant and splitting the stillage into fractions with mass and compositional assays per bushel of grain processed. The fractions include a first fraction comprising 45% to 70% protein and 3% to 8% fat, a second fraction comprising distillers corn oil, a third fraction comprising a fiber having made up of approximately 22% to 28% protein and less than 8% fat, and a fourth fraction comprising at least 30% soluble protein and less than 3% fat.

A stillage clarification process and related system include using hydrocyclones and high recovery disc centrifuges for fractionation of stillage from a grain ethanol plant and splitting the stillage into fractions with mass and compositional assays per bushel of grain processed. The fractions include a first fraction comprising 45% to 70% protein and 3% to 8% fat, a second fraction comprising distillers corn oil, a third fraction comprising a fiber having made up of approximately 22% to 28% protein and less than 8% fat, and a fourth fraction comprising at least 30% soluble protein and less than 3% fat.

The present disclosure provides a two-step liquefication (e.g., using a high (>23 Be) and a low Be (<5 Be) liquid media) process in a dry milling process/plant. The dry milling process comprises liquifying starch from milled corns making a liquefied starch slurry in a first liquefication tank having a slurry >23 Be, performing a first solid/liquid separation using a first paddle screen after the liquifying starch, soaking, cooking, or degrading protein in a second liquefication tank with a slurry <5 Be, and performing a second solid/liquid separation using a second paddle screen after the soaking, cooking, or degrading protein in a second liquefication tank.

The present invention relates generally to corn dry-milling, and more specifically, to methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol and a system therefore. In one embodiment, a method for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct includes, in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol, separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a thin stillage portion. The thin stillage portion is separated into a protein portion and a water soluble solids portion. Next, the protein portion is dewatered then dried to define a high protein corn meal that includes at least 40 wt % protein on a dry basis.

The present invention relates generally to corn dry-milling, and more specifically, to methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol and a system therefore. In one embodiment, a method for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct includes, in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol, separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a thin stillage portion. The thin stillage portion is separated into a protein portion and a water soluble solids portion. Next, the protein portion is dewatered then dried to define a high protein corn meal that includes at least 40 wt % protein on a dry basis.

A process is provided for forming a fuel or a fuel intermediate from two fermentations that includes feeding an aqueous solution comprising a fermentation product from a first bioreactor to a second bioreactor and/or a stage upstream of the second bioreactor, which also produces the fermentation product. The aqueous solution may be added at any stage of the second fermentation and/or processing steps upstream from the second bioreactor that would otherwise require the addition of water. Accordingly, the product yield is increased while fresh/treated water usage is decreased.

A process is provided for forming a fuel or a fuel intermediate from two fermentations that includes feeding an aqueous solution comprising a fermentation product from a first bioreactor to a second bioreactor and/or a stage upstream of the second bioreactor, which also produces the fermentation product. The aqueous solution may be added at any stage of the second fermentation and/or processing steps upstream from the second bioreactor that would otherwise require the addition of water. Accordingly, the product yield is increased while fresh/treated water usage is decreased.

The present invention relates generally to corn dry-milling, and more specifically, to methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol and a system therefore. In one embodiment, a method for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct includes, in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol, separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a thin stillage portion. The thin stillage portion is separated into a protein portion and a water soluble solids portion. Next, the protein portion is dewatered then dried to define a high protein corn meal that includes at least 40 wt % protein on a dry basis.

The present invention relates generally to corn dry-milling, and more specifically, to methods for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct produced in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol and a system therefore. In one embodiment, a method for producing a high protein corn meal from a whole stillage byproduct includes, in a corn dry-milling process for making ethanol, separating the whole stillage byproduct into an insoluble solids portion and a thin stillage portion. The thin stillage portion is separated into a protein portion and a water soluble solids portion. Next, the protein portion is dewatered then dried to define a high protein corn meal that includes at least 40 wt % protein on a dry basis.