Training Support
The basics
• What is fermentation?
• Fermentation for fuel ethanol production.
• The role of yeast in fuel ethanol production.
• Comparison of yeast and bacteria-
• Yeasts used in fuel ethanol production.
Overview of processes used in fuel ethanol production
• Batch
• Continuous (emphasis will be placed on continuous process)
Pre-fermentation
• Milling
• Cooking
• Enzyme addition/ conversion and associated problems
• Propagation (focus will be on continuous applications)
Fundamentals of Fermentation
• Understanding anaerobic respiration and yeast
• Optimizing conditions for fermentation
• HPLC as a tool for trouble shooting and as an indicator of problems
• Interpreting HPLC results
• Trouble shooting fermentation problems
• Methods for detecting problems in fermentation
• Options for fixing fermentation problems
• Fermentation problems that can occur due to processes outside the fermenters
• Do’s and do not’s of fermentation
• Influence of backset
• Effective cleaning requirements for controlling contamination
• Effective maintenance programs for controlling contamination
• Understanding where bacteria can be found in fuel ethanol processes
Bacterial Contamination
• Signs of bacterial contamination (methods for detection)
• Types of bacteria found in fuel ethanol plants
• Sources of bacterial contamination
• Options for prevention and control
• Underlying problems that contribute to bacterial contamination
• Getting to the “root cause” of bacterial contamination
• Problems resulting from overuse of antibiotics
• Concerns associated with antibiotic use
• Antibiotic resistance
• Bacteria isolation and identification
Distillation and process flow
- Distillation overview
- Products of distillation
- Ethanol vs fusels
- Contamination problems in distillation
- How distillation can affect front end processes including fermentation