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 method for processing a flowable product using a centrifuge includes pretreating the flowable product so that particles in the flowable product are increasingly attracted by electrically charged components, feeding the flowable product into the disc stack, generating an electric charge on the discs of the disc stack, and separating the charged particles from the flowable product within the disc stack under the influence of electrostatic attractive forces and a centrifugal field.

A method for processing a flowable product using a centrifuge includes pretreating the flowable product so that particles in the flowable product are increasingly attracted by electrically charged components, feeding the flowable product into the disc stack, generating an electric charge on the discs of the disc stack, and separating the charged particles from the flowable product within the disc stack under the influence of electrostatic attractive forces and a centrifugal field.

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.

Apparatus is providing featuring a synthetic bead having a solid-phase body with a surface, and being configured with a predetermined electric charge so as to respond to a corresponding predetermined electric field; and a plurality of molecules attached to at least part of the surface, the molecules comprising a functional group selected for attracting and attaching one or more mineral particles of interest to the molecules. Some combination of the solid-phase body or the surface may be configured from a polymer. The polymer may be polyethylenimine. The polyethylenimine may be engineered or configured to be highly charged so as to be used to collect the mineral particles of interest and then manipulated through and by the corresponding predetermined electric field.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a centrifugal smearing device and a sealed rotating container in which liquid components do not leak to an outside of the sealed rotating container. To solve this problem, in a centrifugal smearing device (30) including a sealed rotating container (34) that houses a chamber (10) with a slide glass removably attached for holding the liquid sample to smear cells in the liquid sample with a centrifugal force onto the slide glass, and a base (31) housing the sealed rotating container (34) and including rotational driving means (32) for rotating the sealed rotating container (34), the sealed rotating container (34) includes a main body (40) capable of housing the chamber (10) and a lid (42) for closing an upper surface opening portion of the main body (40), and has a storage section (46) for storing liquid scattered from the chamber (10) during being centrifuged, formed on an inside face of the main body (40).

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a centrifugal smearing device and a sealed rotating container in which liquid components do not leak to an outside of the sealed rotating container. To solve this problem, in a centrifugal smearing device (30) including a sealed rotating container (34) that houses a chamber (10) with a slide glass removably attached for holding the liquid sample to smear cells in the liquid sample with a centrifugal force onto the slide glass, and a base (31) housing the sealed rotating container (34) and including rotational driving means (32) for rotating the sealed rotating container (34), the sealed rotating container (34) includes a main body (40) capable of housing the chamber (10) and a lid (42) for closing an upper surface opening portion of the main body (40), and has a storage section (46) for storing liquid scattered from the chamber (10) during being centrifuged, formed on an inside face of the main body (40).

The invention relates to a system, comprising: a) a sample processing unit, comprising an input port and an output port coupled to a rotating container having at least one sample chamber, the sample processing unit configured provide a first processing step to a sample or to rotate the container so as to apply a centrifugal force to a sample deposited in the chamber and separate at least a first component and a second component of the deposited sample; and b) a sample separation unit coupled to the output port of the sample processing unit, the cell separation unit comprising separation column holder (42), a pump (64) and a plurality of valves (1-11) configured to at least partially control fluid flow through a fluid circuitry and a separation column (40) positioned in the holder, the separation column configured to separate labeled and unlabeled components of sample flowed through the column.

The invention relates to a system, comprising: a) a sample processing unit, comprising an input port and an output port coupled to a rotating container having at least one sample chamber, the sample processing unit configured provide a first processing step to a sample or to rotate the container so as to apply a centrifugal force to a sample deposited in the chamber and separate at least a first component and a second component of the deposited sample; and b) a sample separation unit coupled to the output port of the sample processing unit, the cell separation unit comprising separation column holder (42), a pump (64) and a plurality of valves (1-11) configured to at least partially control fluid flow through a fluid circuitry and a separation column (40) positioned in the holder, the separation column configured to separate labeled and unlabeled components of sample flowed through the column.