Patent ID: 8026087
Filing Date: 2011-09-27
Classification: C12P,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of continuously producing ethanol and electricity from a sustainable, renewable biomass feedstock in a processing plant comprising: a) harvesting a bagasse containing biomass grown year round from a substantially contiguous acreage of at least 25,000 acres and transporting the biomass to the processing plant; b) extracting a sugar juice from the harvested biomass while producing moist bagasse; c) either directly burning the bagasse or gasifying the bagasse then burning the resulting gas to boil water to make steam and an exhaust gas; d) using the steam to drive a turbine to produce all the electricity necessary for the processing plant and an excess which is sold; e) recycling the exhaust gas from the bagasse gasification or combustion to dry the bagasse after step b); f) fermenting the sugar juice to produce a fermentate and distilling the fermentate to produce ethanol.