Membrane-based production of high ethanol content solutions

1. A method for producing an ethanol solution from a starting liquid having an ethanol component, the method comprising:

obtaining, from the starting liquid, a liquid feed having less than 0.5% by weight of constituents selected from the group consisting of proteins, pectins, starches, sugars, and combinations thereof, and having 3% to 25% by weight of ethanol, by deriving the liquid feed as a permeate resulting from at least one pass of a filtration process selected from the group consisting of reverse osmosis filtration, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and combinations thereof, each pass of the filtration process having a molecular weight cutoff to remove, from the permeate, constituents within a range between about 100 and 30,000 grams per mole;

supplying the liquid feed to a feed stream inlet of a reverse osmosis separation system, the reverse osmosis separation system having at least a first pass, wherein (i) each pass of the reverse osmosis separation system has at least one reverse osmosis membrane filtration unit, each membrane filtration unit having an ethanol rejection percentage of between about 50% to 99%, and (ii) each pass has the feed stream inlet for a feed stream, a permeate stream outlet for a permeate stream, and a retentate stream outlet for a retentate stream; and

operating the reverse osmosis separation system to maintain pressure in at least one of the membrane filtration units in a range of about 1,200 to about 4,000 psi;

obtaining retentate, from the retentate stream outlet of the first pass of the reverse osmosis separation system, that is enriched with ethanol, wherein the retentate differs from the starting liquid by absence of the removed constituents; and using the retentate to make the ethanol solution without adding back any of the removed constituents.

2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising distilling the retentate from the retentate stream outlet of the first pass, so as to form an ethanol distillate.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the ethanol distillate is between about 80 and 195 proof ethanol.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein processes of supplying the liquid feed to the feed stream inlet of the first pass of the reverse osmosis separation system and of obtaining the retentate are carried out while maintaining a temperature of liquid in the at least one reverse osmosis membrane filtration unit in a range between a freezing point of the liquid feed and 10° C.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein deriving the liquid feed as the permeate resulting from the at least one pass includes operating the at least one pass at a temperature in a range between about 15 and 35° C.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein deriving the liquid feed includes operating the first pass of the filtration process at a pressure in a range of about 100 psi to 1,200 psi.

7. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the filtration process is selected from the group consisting of nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and combinations thereof, and deriving the liquid feed includes operating the first pass of the filtration process in a range of about 200 psi to 800 psi.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the reverse osmosis separation system has at least first and second passes, and the feed stream of the second pass is coupled to the first pass permeate stream outlet, the method further comprising:

recycling the retentate from the retentate stream outlet of the second pass to the feed stream inlet of the first pass.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the second pass of the reverse osmosis separation system yields a permeate having ethanol in a range of about 0.01% to 10% by weight.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the second pass of the reverse osmosis separation system yields a permeate having ethanol in a range of about 0.01% to 1% by weight.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein supplying the liquid feed includes supplying the liquid feed to the feed stream inlet of the reverse osmosis separation system having a second pass, in which the permeate of the first pass is fed to the second pass and each pass yields a retentate, the method further comprising:

combining the retentate of the first pass with the retentate of the second pass to yield a non-alcoholic beverage concentrate.

12. A method according to claim 11 , further comprising combining the permeate stream of the reverse osmosis separation system with the non-alcoholic beverage concentrate to form a non-alcoholic beverage.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein supplying the liquid feed includes supplying the liquid feed to the feed stream inlet of the reverse osmosis separation system having a second pass configured to operate at a pressure in a range of about 400 psi to 1,500 psi.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the second pass is configured to operate at a pressure in a range of about 800 psi to 1,200 psi.

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the starting liquid is an alcoholic beverage.

16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the starting liquid includes ethanol in a range of about 1% to 40% by weight.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the starting liquid includes ethanol in a range of about 3% to 25% by weight.

18. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the retentate from the first pass of the reverse osmosis separation system has an ethanol concentration in a range of about 10% to 60% by weight.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the retentate from the first pass of the reverse osmosis separation system has the ethanol concentration in a range of about 20% to 40% by weight.