METHOD OF CONVERTING A FERMENTATION BYPRODUCT INTO OXYGEN AND BIOMASS AND RELATED SYSTEMS
In one aspect, the invention relates to a method of converting byproducts of a fermentation process into oxygen and biomass. Related methods, systems, and other aspects are also described.
1 . A method of creating oxygen and biomass, comprising:
fermenting corn to produce ethanol and a gaseous byproduct;
recovering the gaseous byproduct; and
using the gaseous byproduct to generate the oxygen and biomass.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gaseous byproduct comprises CO 2 .
3 . The method of claim 1 , further including using the biomass created to produce the gaseous byproduct.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further including fermenting the biomass.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further including extracting oil from the biomass.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further including hydrolyzing the biomass.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further including milling corn, and wherein the fermenting step uses the milled corn.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the dry milling step includes cooking the milled corn using a boiler, and the method further includes using the boiler exhaust to generate the biomass.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein using the gaseous byproduct to generate the biomass includes delivering the gas to a bioreactor including a biological agent for promoting biomass growth.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the biological agent comprises cyanobacteria or algae.
11 . The method of claim 9 , further including the step of harvesting at least some of the biomass from the bioreactor.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fermentation process produces ethanol and stillage, and the method further includes recovering oil from the stillage.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further including the step of using the oil as fuel.
14 . A method of creating biomass, comprising:
producing substantially pure CO 2 using a fermentation process;
recovering the CO 2 from the fermentation process; and
using the CO 2 to generate the biomass.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further including the step of using the biomass in the fermentation process.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the fermentation process is a first fermentation process, and further including the step of using the biomass in a second fermentation process.
17 . A method for producing ethanol, biomass, and oxygen from ground corn, comprising:
cooking the ground corn;
fermenting the ground cooked corn to produce ethanol and CO 2 ; and
using the CO 2 to create biomass and oxygen.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further including the step of fermenting the biomass.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the step of fermenting the ground cooked corn and fermenting the biomass are performed simultaneously.
20 . The method of claim 18 , further including the step of using the CO 2 from the step of fermenting the biomass to create additional biomass and oxygen.
21 . The method of claim 17 , further including the step of recovering oil from the biomass.
22 . A method of recycling CO 2 resulting from fermentation, comprising:
fermenting a first biomass to produce CO 2 ;
using the CO 2 to produce a second biomass; and
fermenting the second biomass to produce CO 2 .
23 . The method of claim 22 , further including the step of fermenting the first and second biomass together.
24 . A system for generating biomass, comprising:
a fermenter for producing alcohol and CO 2 ; and
a bioreactor operatively connected to the fermenter and including a biological agent capable of processing the CO 2 received from the fermenter to create the biomass.
25 . The system of claim 24 , wherein the fermenter receives cooked ground corn and the alcohol comprises ethanol.
26 . The system of claim 24 , further including a boiler for cooking the ground corn and creating an exhaust gas, and a delivery line for delivering the exhaust gas to the bioreactor.
27 . A system for generating biomass, comprising:
means for producing alcohol and CO 2 ; and
means for creating the biomass and oxygen from the CO 2 .