The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference

"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"

Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

Process and Plant Design of a Dual-Feedstock Bioethanol Plant:

A Final-Year Chemical Engineering Design Project
Siosan, F.R., Junsay, R.J., Arenal, C.T., Baluyan, E.D., Tolosa, N.C., Espaldon, A.E.*
Chemical Engineering Department, College of Technology, University of San Agustin,
Iloilo City, Philippines

*Corresponding author: Email: aespaldon@usa.edu.ph

Abstract - Current problem affecting production of
ethanol for sugar cane distilleries in the Philippines is
due to fluctuations in cane harvesting which affects
supply to milling, mash availability to fermentation
and downstream flowrate. This undergraduate
chemical engineering design project addresses this
constraint by designing a dual-feedstock plant utilizing
molasses and sugar cane juice for a total production of
100m3 of anhydrous ethanol per day. Fed-batch
fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was
simulated to produce a 7-11% v/v ethyl alcohol for
three 500m3 nominal capacity fermenters. Downstream
operations simulation was achieved involving the Beer
Column, the Rectifier and the Dehydration operations
following a Soave-Redlich-Kwong thermodynamic
equation of state to achieve a minimum of 99.7% v/v
ethanol strength. Aside from the main process, utilities
such as the Water Treatment facility with Reverse
Osmosis (RO) plant was also simulated producing a
total process water flow of 840m3 per day and boiler
water of 438m3 per day. Furthermore, this design
project demonstrates the use of educational and free
open source software (FOSS). Lastly, this plant design
project provides process engineering tools and
assessments such as construction of Piping and
Instrumentation diagrams (P&ID) and Hazard and
Operability Studies (HAZOP). The design project
accomplishes a final-year chemical engineering process
and plant design exercise as well as providing solutions
to productivity in semi-continuous distillery plants.
Keywords: Chemical Engineering Plant Design,
Bioethanol, Distillery, Free open-source software
(FOSS), Process simulation.
I. INTRODUCTION
The bioethanol industry in the Philippines is a growing
Php30 billion industry and is considered as one of the most
important renewable energy source in the country1.
Through the Biofuels Law or Republic Act 9367, the
Philippines became the first Southeast Asian country to
have biofuels legislation implemented2. The producers in
the Philippines are concentrated in Western Visayas, a
region in the central part of the country, which contribute
to 36.91% of the total registered capacity produced by the
country in the ethanol production3. The usual design of
distilleries in the Philippines is mostly sugar mills which
are converted into Distilleries.
However, most harvesting methods of sugar
plantations in the Philippines are still conducted manually
which leads to issues such as cane supply inconsistency6.
This technological limitation yields to series of production
problems starting with fluctuating mash volume for
fermentation. Subsequently, production suffers from a low
distillation flow rate, hence, low daily ethanol production
volume. In extreme cases, plant shutdown is necessary
since there is also low supply of bagasse to provide fuel
for boiler operation.
One solution is to incorporate molasses as an
alternative feedstock along with sugar cane in a semi-
continuous operation to maximize productivity. Multiple
feedstock is not uncommon in the industry while it is an
attractive option to increase productivity even during off-
season maintenance and repairs7. When there is a need to
reduce duration of off-season, distilleries can run
production with a different feedstock to increase
productivity.
II. METHODOLOGY
A. Design Team
The design exercise is conducted by a team composed
of senior chemical engineering students from the Chemical
Engineering Plant Design Course in the University of San
Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines. The unit operations and
processes involved in the design project cover
fermentation, distillation, dehydration, water treatment/
RO. This design project is a demonstration of aligning our
course with the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE)
teaching and learning activities of the College to satisfy
beyond-the-classroom activities and real-life applications8.
Each student works on the basic material and energy
balances of assigned unit, design calculations of main
process and auxiliary equipment such as pumps and heat
exchangers, mathematical modeling (fermentation),
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

dynamic and steady-state process simulations, Piping and
Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID), materials of
construction including performance of Hazard and
Operability studies (HAZOP) to draft and revise the P&ID
in a cyclic review process. Various educational, free trial
and free-open source software are used such as MATLAB,
Polymath, MathCAD, COCO (Cape-Open-to-Cape-Open),
MS Visio to deliver process design and engineering
requirements12.
B. Process Description and Battery Limit
The battery limit of the design is limited to water
treatment/ RO, feedstock storage, fermentation and the
entire downstream processing from the Beer column, the
Rectifier to the Dehydration operation as shown in Figure
1. Feedstock tanks are provided for molasses and cane
juice which are assigned to a particular fermenter. To
ensure continuous operation and supply of yeast, two (2)
yeast cultivation tanks are installed aside from the
commercial dry yeast supply. Water treatment and RO
units produce the entire process/ cooling water and boiler
water supply of the plant. After fermentation, the mash is
pumped directly to the Beer tank and then to the Beer
Column while the yeast may be recycled for
centrifugation. Ethanol-water condensate from the Beer
Column is purified in the Rectifier Column to produce the
rectified spirit. Finally, the dehydration unit succeeds the
distillation operation to purify the rectified spirit to an
anhydrous ethanol product.
Water Treatment/
RO Beer Tank
produce a 7-11%v/v ethanol while having an acceptable
residual substrate of 5 g/L or less. Dynamic simulation of
the fermentation is achieved using MATLAB and
Polymath educational versions software. Following a
modified Monod kinetic model with substrate and product
inhibition, parameters used are um = 2.3/hr, Ks = 1.0
kg/m3, K2 = 1.0 kg/m3, Yx/s = 0.5 g/g, Yx/p = 0.15 g/g , with
volumetric feeding flowrates of process water, F1 = 11
m3/hr, sugar cane juice, F2 = 0.15.exp(0.02.t) and finally
the yeast cell mass, F3 = 5 m3/hr. The cane juice flowrate is
an exponential function with time which increases the
0
Brix of the mash during the fermentation mixing14.
MATLAB simulation was achieved using ode45 function
solving via the Runge-Kutta method.
Simultaneous biochemical reactions taking place
during ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
are;
Sucrose Hydrolysis:
𝐶12 𝐻22 𝑂12 + 𝐻2 𝑂 → 𝐶6 𝐻12 𝑂6+ 𝐶6 𝐻12 𝑂6
Ethanol fermentation:
𝐶6 𝐻12 𝑂6 → 2𝐶2 𝐻5 𝑂𝐻 + 2𝐶𝑂2
Material Balance:
Unsteady-state mass balances for the fed-batch
fermentation are derived for the modeling and simulation
specifically for the cell mass, substrate glucose, ethanol
product and volume of fermenter. The fermentation mixing
is modeled with three (3) input streams consisting of
process water, cane juice mash and yeast cell mass while
ensuring gradual ramping of fermenter level (Figure 2).
F2
Cane Juice

F3
F1
Molasses Tank
Beer Column Cell Mass
Fermenter 1 Process Water
(Molasses)

Yeast
Rectifier
Cultivation
Vessel 1
Fermenter 2 Fermenter PHE
Yeast (cane juice)
Cultivation Ethanol
Vessel 2 Dehydration

Cane Juice Syrup Fermenter 3 99.8%v/v

Tank (cane juice) Anhydrous
Ethanol
Recirculation pump

Figure 1: Process Flow Diagram (PFD) of the Plant Figure 2: Fed-Batch Fermentation Flow Process

C. Fermentation Derivations of unsteady-state mass balance equations are

Fed-batch fermentation is chosen as the mode of as follows5;
operation using the yeast Saccahromyces cerevisiae. Yeast Cell growth rate:
𝑑𝑋 𝐹3 . 𝑋0 (1)
supply is sourced from Safdistil C-70, a commercial = (𝜇 − 𝑘𝑑 ). 𝑋 −
activated dry yeast, which is suitable both for molasses- 𝑑𝑡 𝑉
kg
based and sugar cane juice fermentation as well as in- 𝑋0 = 20 3
m
house cultivation9. A retention time of 24 hours is set to
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

Substrate consumption: and cooling in distillation/ dehydration and fermentation,

𝑑𝑆 𝐹2 . 𝑆0 𝜇 𝐹3 . 𝑋0 (2) respectively. On the other hand, boiler water is determined
= − −
𝑑𝑡 𝑉 𝑌𝑋⁄𝑆 𝑉. 𝑌𝑋⁄𝑆 based on steam requirements18. Simulation was achieved
Where: 𝑆0 = 200
kg
, using WinFlows – a membrane system design software
m3
developed by General Electric Co19.
Ethanol formation:
𝑑𝑃 𝑋 𝐹3 . 𝑋0 F. Piping and instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) and
(3)
= (𝜇 − 𝑘𝑑 ). + Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Studies
𝑑𝑡 𝑌𝑋⁄𝑃 𝑉. 𝑌𝑋⁄𝑃
As part of ensuring safety and operability of the plant,
Dynamic Fermenter Volume, V: process engineering tools such as Piping and
𝑑𝑉 (4) Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) and Hazard and
= 𝐹1 + 𝐹2 + 𝐹3
𝑑𝑡 Operability (HAZOP) Studies are provided. P&ID
Cell growth model is assumed to obey a combined ethanol construction is done by educational version of Microsoft
product and substrate inhibition kinetics24,25. Visio 201612. In order to simulate real process engineering
design exercise, the P&ID is revised in a cyclic review and
Cell Growth Model: revision procedure during HAZOP meetings involving the
𝑃 𝛽 (5) entire design team. The HAZOP was used for training of
𝜇𝑚 . (1 − ( ) ) . 𝑋. 𝑆
𝑃𝑚 the students to run and execute process recipes, get
𝜇=
𝑆2 awareness of usual process problems, provide tested
(𝑘𝑠 + 𝑆 + )
𝑘2 solutions to technical problems as well as to learn how to
Where 𝛽 = 0.52 operate the equipment and plant.

D. Distillation and Dehydration III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Downstream processing involves producing initially a
minimum 96.5% v/v rectified spirit using the Beer Column A. Feedstock Tank Design
and the Rectifier and eventually, the dehydration process Molasses storage will supply a continuous material
to yield a minimum of 99.7% anhydrous ethanol. Both during off-season for 2 months or more depending on
processes are simulated using the COCO (Cape-Open to production and supply needs (See Table 1).
Cape-Open) Process Simulation software on a Soave-
Redlich Kwong equation of state thermodynamic Table 1: Summary of Feedstock Tank Design10,14
assumption13. Process components consist of ethanol and Molasses Sugar Juice
water only. Energy is conserved in the waste slops or Tank Tank
Capacity 1000 m3 300 m3
stillage via heat exchange with feed fermented mash to the
Beer Column. Five (5) heat exchangers are installed in the Vessel Cylindrical, Cylindrical,
process consisting of feed pre-heater, the Beer Column Specification vertical, flat- vertical, flat-
sloping sloping
reboiler, Beer Column condenser, Rectifier Condenser and
bottom type bottom type
Rectifier reboiler15. (Fig. 5) Tank Materials of Mild steel Mild steel
Dehydration of rectified spirit is simulated in the same Construction
software using an azeotropic distillation unit instead due to Pump recirculation 50 kW 37 kW
the absence of adsorption process unit. Although pressure- power
swing adsorption (PSA) process will be used in actual Transfer pump Gear-type/ Centrifugal
design and operation, the azeotropic distillation method is Rotary
performed to determine the material and energy Transfer pump, Body – CI Body – CI
MOC Wetted parts- Wetted parts-
requirements of the process16. For a 30A zeolite adsorbent, SS-304 SS-304
breakthrough curve simulation is also generated using
dimensionless parameters to predict time for adsorption B. Fermentation Fed-Batch Dynamic Simulation
and desorption (Fig.7). Figure 3 shows the MATLAB simulation for the cell
mass, substrate and product concentration. Simulation
E. Water Treatment/ Reverse Osmosis (RO) results show that ethanol product concentration was
Plant water supply will be from ground water which is achieved at 84.7 kg/m3or 10.73% v/v ethanol while the
a common source of supply in most distilleries17. Process substrate concentration has been significantly reduced to 5
water requirements are calculated based on fed-batch kg/m3 or less. This translates into a high percent
fermentation operation, heating/ re-boiling/ condensing attenuation of about 97.5% with high cell mass
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

concentration achieved to 32.4 kg/m3.

The fermentation mixing simulation was done using Table 2: Summary of the Fermenter Design10
another software such as the PolyMath for the dynamic Vessel Fermenter Process Value
volume and Brix of fermentation. The degree Brix of the Specification Equipment Parameter
mash will increase from 5 0Brix over the 24-hour s
fermentation time towards a maximum of about 14 – 18 Height, m. 18 Temp.0C 32 - 36
0
0
Brix, preferably at 17 0Brix (see Fig. 4). Fermenter Diameter, m. 6 Brix 15-18
volume increases over the 24-hour fermentation mixing Aspect Ratio 3:1 pH 4-6
with F1, F2 and F3 added simultaneously, with the sugar Nominal 500 Recirculation 50
Volume, m3 pump power,
juice flowrate added following an exponential increase to
kW
adjust degree Brix.
Working 425 Surface 400
Volume, m3 Roughness,
Grit No.
Materials of CS w/ Pipe 8
Construction, Epoxy/ recirculation
Main vessel AISI304 diameter, in.
Pipe 40
recirculation
Sch.No.

Nutrient supply is sourced from readily available

nutrients normally used in bioethanol plants and distilleries
such as urea, diammonium phosphate and magnesium
sulphate (see Table 3). FAN is calculated at 10% higher
than the minimum 120 ppm to prevent excessive depletion
Figure 3: MATLAB output for Cell Mass, Substrate and during contamination. To arrest progression of
Product Concentration contamination, antibiotic is added for up to 5ppm to 8ppm,
in the form of penicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline,
One of the advantages of a fed-batch fermentation monensin, virginiamycin, and adding chemical agents such
process is that it can allow the fermentation to start with a as stabilized chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium
low degree Brix mash to prevent a crab-tree effect which is metabisulfite etc.20
a metabolic regulation of the yeast cells wherein synthesis
of the respiratory enzymes is inhibited11. In this way, yeast Table 3: Nutrient Formulation Summary *
cells can still grow rapidly and ferment simultaneously to Nutrient Molasses Sugar Juice
maximize the substrate conversion into ethanol. Fermentation Fermentation
Urea, kg. 150 kg. (3 sacks) 200 kg. (2 sacks)
Diammonium 100 kg. (1 sack) 200 kg. (2 sacks)
Phosphate, kg.
Magnesium 25 kg. (1 sack) 25 kg. (1 sack)
Sulfate, kg.
FAN, mg/L 132
Antibiotic 5 – 8ppm
*-calculated based on FAN of NLT 132ppm

C. Distillation Process Simulation

Figure 4: Polymath Output on Dynamic Volume and
Degree Brix of Fermentation
Fermented mash from the fermenters is pumped
towards the Beer tank and eventually to the Beer Column
to remove the stillage and vaporizing the ethanol with
water. The 60% ethanol-water vapor is condensed to the
rectifier feed tank.
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

Figure 5: Beer Column and Rectifier Units COCO Flowsheet

The 60% v/v ethanol concentration from the beer D. Dehydration Operation
column is fed to the second column called the Rectifier. Initially, the simulation of the dehydration operation
The rectifier further concentrates the ethanol concentration that produces anhydrous ethanol was achieved using
to a minimum of 96.5% v/v rectified spirit, producing a Azeotropic Distillation Process using COCO (Cape-Open-
total of 84.61 m3/hr for molasses fermented mash while to-Cape-Open) Process Simulator. To overcome the
68.15 m3/hr for sugar juice fermented mash. limitation of the software in simulating an adsorption
Lastly, the downstream simulation enables predicting process, a calculation is demonstrated instead using
changes in plant process conditions coming from educational versions of MathCAD which uses 3Å
unexpected perturbations. As a means to integrate process molecular sieve zeolite as the adsorbent. Specifically, the
engineering tools, this information is used in drafting and process will apply pressure swing adsorption (PSA) as the
reviewing the hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies. most economical operation having low-energy
requirements as well as short cycle-time operation23.
Table 4: Summary of Distillation Process, Tray and The process has two beds that operate at different
Column Specification13 pressures for dehydration. The first bed adsorbs the water
Feedstock Molasses Sugar Juice at high pressure while the other is regenerated at a lower
Feed Composition, %v/v 9 10 pressure. At higher pressure, more water molecules are
Temperature, ˚C 32 32
adsorbed leaving the purified ethanol at achieving the
Reflux Ratio 6 7.8
targeted product specification of 99.7% v/v anhydrous
Heat Capacity, Cp, kJ/kg.K 4.70 4.72 ethanol15. The process performs a simultaneous adsorption
Density, kg/m3 1199.3 1205.2 and regeneration or desorption of the bed which enables a
Viscosity, cP 0.464 0.464 continuous operation.
Volume Produced, m3/day 84.61 68.15
Tray & Column Specifications
Beer Rectifier
Column
Column Internal Sieve Tray Sieve Tray
Downcomer Area, m2 0.56 0.68
Net Area, m2 0.84 1.02
Hole Diameter, mm 8.0 8.0
Weir Height, mm 50 50
Weir Length, m 0.65 0.75
No. of Theoretical Stages 9 15
MOC AISI 304 AISI 304
Column Diameter 1.3 m 1.5 m
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

Figure 6: COCO Flowsheet of the Dehydration Operation

Table 5: Summary of Adsorbent and Adsorbent Bed Breakthrough Curve Simulation

Specification40
z = 2 m.
z = 3 m.
1
Dimensionless Concentration

z = 3.5 m.
Adsorbent Specification z = 5 m.
Adsorbent Zeolite ccf1

Shape Beads ccf2

Pore size 30A ccf3

0.5
ccf4
Diameter 2.59 mm
Bulk Density 800 kg/m3
Water Adsorption 21wt%
Capacity Surface Area 800 m2/g 0 100 200

Volume of Adsorbent 35.343 m3
Void Volume of Zeolite 12.3 m3 Dimensionless Time

Surface-to-volume Ratio 0.01 m3 Figure 7: Dimensionless Plot of Adsorption Breakthrough

Adsorption Bed Specification Curve at Varying Bed Lengths Using MathCAD
Diameter 3.0 m
Height 5.0 m Table 6: Summary of Breakthrough Time (tb) at Different
Bed Porosity 0.41 Bed Length
Bed Length 3.5 m
Bed Length tb, min.
Adsorber Capacity 5.94x103 kg 2 4
AISI 304; ASTM
Material of Construction 3 5
36 Steel Vessel
3.5 6
E. Breakthrough Curve Simulation 5 7.5

F. Water Treatment/ Reverse Osmosis Process

Breakthrough curve simulation was achieved to
Simulation was achieved using WinFlows, a membrane
determine the maximum adsorption column capacity of the
system design software by General Electric Co. (Figure 8).
adsorbent and the adsorption time of the unit15. The time at
The process includes pre-treatment and filtration by RO
which a 99.7% v/v ethanol is reached during the 6th minute
membranes21.The RO system uses thin film composite
adsorption time. Figure 7 shows the breakthrough curve at
(TFC) semi-permeable membrane to purify raw water
different bed lengths.
needed in bioethanol production21. The simulation yielded
to a desired permeate flow rate is 813.75m3/day for
process/ cooling water and 438.75 m3/day for boiler feed
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

water (BFW).
Table 6 shows specifications for raw, process/ cooling
and boiler water. Significant removal of TDS is achieved
in the simulation of RO unit with 97% salt rejection in
process/ cooling water and 98.33 % in boiler feed water,
each having a recovery of 75%19. A high quality process
water is needed during fermentation to prevent any kind of
contamination. Moreover, a supplementary treatment for
boiler water is necessary to ensure an efficient process and
quality steam generation22. This procedure helps the
facility avoid costly plant downtime, expensive
maintenance fees, and boiler failure as a result of scaling,
corrosion, and fouling of the boiler and downstream
equipment23.
G. Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID)
P&ID construction was simultaneously generated with
the HAZOP studies. Critical instruments to be installed in
the fermenter are real-time, in-situ refractometer, foam
detection unit and real-time pH meter. These devices are
necessary for monitoring process specifications to achieve
selective growth conditions for yeast fermentation to
control contamination. Other necessary devices installed
are temperature and level indicators, valves etc. Usual
design of fluid transfer indicates a 2-pump system to
ensure continuous operation in the event of pump failure
(Fig. 9).

Table 7: Summary of Raw and Product Water PL-11

PL-10

PL-09
V-06

Specification17 PL-14

Ions Raw Water Process/ Boiler

Cooling Feed S-01

Water Water P-51

PL-08
CWS-01

Cations
Calcium 668.8 11.7 0.07 P-8 F-01 E-01

PL-07
Magnesium 207.6 1.6 0.01 E-02
P-47
CWR-02

Sodium 879.7 17.3 0.27 P-20 TI-01

P-18

Potassium 66.4 1.1 0.03 P-43

V-11 V-12 PI-01
P-26
PL-06

Ammonia 16.6 3.1 0.46 TI-02

V-10
P-32 LI-01
E-9
E-13

Anions LI-02
P-19
E-3
V-05

PL-05
V-02 V-03

P-35 PL=17 PL-04

Chloride 1741.7 33.8 0.29 PL-20
V-09
PL-16
V-04
PL-03

Bicarbonate 1125.7 27.7 0.91 DL-02

PL-19
PL-15
V-01

P-01
PL-02

P-55

Sulfate 1079.9 8.1 0.04 V-07 V-08 PL-18

P-03
PL-01

P-02
Silica 41.5 0.6 0.01 DL-03
DL-01

Carbonate 36.7 0.2 0.03 P-04

Parameters P-34
P-11

TDS 6000 ppm 180 ppm 100 ppm T-01 PL-13

Alkalinity 995.9 ppm 40.5 ppm 30.5 ppm

Figure 9: Sample P&ID of one Fermenter
Permeate Type: Process/ Cooling Water
Demand: 809.592 m3/day
H. Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP)

To demonstrate HAZOP study capability,

fermentation operation was used as an example along with
all the other units such as distillation, dehydration and RO
(not shown). Significant problems encountered in
fermentation (Table 8) are failure in cooling leading to
elevation of fermentation temperature, bacterial and wild-
yeast contamination and nutrient depletion. This HAZOP
Figure 8: Process/ Cooling Water Flowsheet17
allows training, troubleshooting, problem-solving in
distillery unit operations as well achieving robust process
and design.
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019

Table 8: Summary of Hazard and Operability Studies

(HAZOP) Line/ Equipment: Fermenter, F1, F2, F3
Line/ Equipment: Fermenter, F1, F2, F3 Process Parameter: Yeast Cell Count
Process Parameter: Mash/ Fermentation Temperature Deviation Possible Possible Actions
Deviation Possible Causes Possible Actions Causes Consequences
Consequences Low High Low alcohol Add ADY;
temperature yield maintain 3x103
Higher than Contamination Low Add
exposure of Longer cells/ml count
Process Scaling in PHE fermentation antibiotics
cell mass; fermentation Supply more
Specification efficiency CIP
low/ absence and retention nutrients during
Reduced cell cleaning
of nutrient time leading to growth phase
count, longer of PHE/
dosing in low production Maintain FAN >
fermentation backwash
cultivation for that day 132ppm
time, low with
production NaOH
volume solution
Low than Environment Slower Reduce IV. CONCLUSION
Process fermentation flow valve This design project accomplishes a final-year chemical
Specification opening of engineering process and plant design exercise, exploring
cooling to
30% new design ideas to enhance productivity in semi-
continuous distillery plants while achieving academic
Line/ Equipment: Fermenter, F1, F2, F3 design exercises using basic process engineering tools.
Process Parameter: 0Brix
Deviation Possible Possible Actions NOMENCLATURE
Causes Consequences
Higher than Sudden spike Increase in Increase flow of
Symbol Unit Definition
Process in Brix of osmolarity of process water to
Specification juice to > 350 mash leading achieve correct 𝜇 1/hr Specific cell growth rate
Brix to cell death Brix for 𝜇𝑚 1/hr Maximum specific cell growth rate
mixing;
Ks kg/m3 Saturation constant
install online,
in-situ Kd 1/hr Death cell coefficient
refractomer for K2 kg/m3 Inhibition constant
Brix kg/m3
𝑋0 , 𝑋 Feed/ Cell mass concentration
measurement
Low than Heat Low alcohol Decrease 𝑆0 , 𝑆 kg/m3 Feed/ Substrate concentration
target exchange produced process water 𝑃0 , 𝑃 kg/m3 Feed/ Product concentration
mixing problem in flow kg/m3
𝑃𝑚 Maximum product concentration
formula evaporator Target 0Brix
specified 𝛽* None Constant
𝑌𝑋⁄𝑆 kg/kg Cell mass yield coefficient based
Line/ Equipment: Fermenter, F1, F2, F3 on substrate
Process Parameter: Alcohol content/ concentration 𝑌𝑋⁄𝑃 kg/kg Yield factor of the ethanol
Deviation Possible Causes Possible Actions based on cell growth
Consequences
tb min. Breakthrough time
Low Low yeast count No/ reduced Maintain
Low FAN amt. of FAN > 132 F1 m3/hr Process water flowrate
Contamination nutrients ppm F2 m3/hr Exponential sugar cane juice
Low production flowrate
rate Set to the
optimized F3 m3/hr Cell mass flowrate
temp, pH * - dimensionless
ABBREVIATIONS
Add ADY – activated dry yeast
antibiotics
MOC – materials of construction
Add mash and
ADY to PHE – plate heat exchanger
produce more PSA – pressure-swing adsorption
alcohol TDS – total dissolved solids
foaming and Loss of product Install foam
overflow and yield detector,
TFC – thin-film composite
floaters and RO – reverse osmosis
cameras for OBE – Outcomes-Based Education
detection
The 1st Thailand Biorefinery Conference
"The Future of Biorefinery for Thailand 4.0"
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, July 25-26, 2019
BFW – boiler feed water
ppm – parts per million
P&ID – piping & instrumentation diagram
PFD – process flow diagram
FAN – free-amino nitrogen
HAZOP – Hazard and Operability Studies
ppm - parts per million
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(S)
The student authors are part of the design team who are
final-year chemical engineering students of University of
San Agustin College of Technology, Batch 2019. The
authors also would like to thank the other students who
made significant contributions. Likewise, the project was
supported by the University of San Austin Office of
Research and Global Relations-Student Research fund, Dr.
Felicidad N. Altalaguire, Dean of the College of
Technology and Dr. Jonel P. Saludes, Associate Vice-
President of Office of Research and Global Relations,
University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines.
REFERENCES
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