Patent ID: 9670444
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: C12M

Claim:
1. An ethanol production facility for processing a plurality of fermentable feedstock materials into an ethanol end product through fermentation and distillation comprising a common fermenter for converting the plurality of fermentable feedstocks into an ethanol and water containing mixture, the fermenter including at least one of a cooker, blender, liquefaction tank, and fermentation tank, a distiller for distilling the low concentration alcohol mixture into an alcohol predominant distillate wherein the concentration of ethanol in the distillate is greater than in the ethanol and water containing mixture of the fermenting stage, the distiller including a distillation column a kernel feedstock processor for receiving and processing a kernel containing feedstock including a receiving station for receiving the kernel containing feedstock, a storage station for storing the kernel based feedstock, a mill for milling the kernel based feedstock into a milled feedstock, and a conveyor for conveying the milled feedstock to the fermenter, a flour feedstock processor, operable in parallel with the kernel feedstock processor for receiving and processing a flour predominant feedstock, the flour feedstock processor including a storage station for storing the flour predominant feedstock, and a pneumatic conveyor for conveying the flour predominant feedstock to the fermenter, and a low moisture feedstock processor, capable of receiving low moisture feedstock, contained within packaging, the low moisture feedstock processor including equipment for handling packaged low moisture content feedstock, the equipment including a shredder for removing the low moisture feedstock from the packaging in which it is contained and shredding the packaging that accompanies the low moisture feedstock, and a separator for separating shredded packaging from low moisture feedstock, wherein the low moisture feedstock has a moisture content of less than about fifteen percent, and a high moisture content feedstock processor for processing packaged high moisture content fermentable feedstock, wherein the high moisture content feedstock processor includes equipment for handling the packaged high moisture content fermentable feedstock for processing the packaging accompanying high moisture content fermentable feedstock, the equipment for handling packaged feedstock including a shredder for shredding any packaging accompanying the high moisture content fermentable feedstock, and a separator for separating the shredded packaging from the high moisture content, wherein the milled feedstock from the kernel feedstock processor, the flour predominant feedstock from the flour feedstock processor, the low moisture feedstock from the low moisture feedstock processor and the high moisture content fermentable feedstock from the high moisture feedstock processor are all fed into the common fermenter.