Semi solid ethanol based fuel

A solid or semi-solid fuel produced entirely from vegetable products having an approximate formulation of 86.1% ethanol, 2.2% water and 11.7% sodium salts of fatty acids produced by virtually any commercially available process for producing ethanol from vegetable crops such as cane sugar, beet sugar, wheat, pineapple, corn and the like which also produces "sweetwater" which contains fatty acids, sugar water and fibrous plant material in which the sweetwater is mixed with the ethanol in a reactor which heats the mixture to a temperature of 110-140 degrees fahrenheit wherein the mixing is performed in two stages by two reactors in which the first reactor rotates at between 750-1800 r.p.m. for from five to seven minutes and the second reactor rotates at between 2200-3100 r.p.m. for about five to seven minutes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the invention of a semi-solid fuel based 
on alcohols produced from vegetable products such as corn, wheat, sugar 
cane and others which can be fermented to produce an alcohol. The 
invention also relates to the process for producing the inventive 
products. 
There are many patents which teach inventions relating to solid or 
semi-solid hydro-carbon fuels. Some related patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 
1,581,001, 1,844,754, and 3,964,880. None of these patents teach either 
the product or the process of the present invention or anything 
particularly close to the present inventive product or process in 
structure or function 
Products currently available range from Sterno (a registered trademark of 
Colgate Co.) to napalm which is used by military forces around the world. 
While these products are useful in one way or another, they all have 
serious defects. Sterno, for example, is too volatile for safe use in many 
environments. The nation's largest scouting organizations either prohibit 
or restrict the use of Sterno as a cooking fuel on scout outings. In 
addition, sterno has a relatively short shelf-life because of its high 
volatility. Sterno tends to burn with a colorless flame which leads to 
potentially dangerous situations. 
Other solid or semi-solid fuels are well known as starters for charcoal 
fires or as wood fire-place fire starters. These products generally burn 
with some unpleasant residue and, once started, are difficult. if not 
impossible to extinguish and then re-use. 
The general public, the scouting world and the military, among others, have 
long sought a solid or semi-solid fuel which is non-volatile, 
environmentally safe having no hazardous residual wastes, has long 
shelf-life, can be easily started and safely stopped and which burns with 
a visible color and essentially no residue. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present inventive product relates to a novel solid or semi-solid fuel 
produced entirely from vegetable product. The present inventive products 
is a semi-solid alcohol based fuel having an approximate formulation of 
86.1% ethanol, 2.2% water and 11.7% sodium salts of fatty acids. 
The inventive process for producing the inventive product utilizes 
virtually any commercially available process for producing ethanol from 
vegetable crops such as cane sugar, beet sugar, wheat, pineapple, corn and 
the like. The commercially available processes all produce a by-product 
known as "sweetwater" which contains fatty acids, sugar water and fibrous 
plant material. The sweetwater is mixed with the ethanol in a reactor 
which heats the mixture to a temperature of between 110-140 degrees 
fahrenheit. The mixing is performed in two stages by two reactors. The 
first reactor rotates at between 750-1800 r.p.m. for from five to seven 
minutes. The second reactor rotates at between 2220-3100 r.p.m. for about 
five to seven minutes.

DESCRIPTION 
The present inventive processes and products are most easily understood by 
referring to FIG. 4 which is a flow chart showing the basic inventive 
steps for producing the inventive product. 
Step 1, shown by block 1, is to produce ethanol from any well-known 
agricultural product such as wheat, corn, cane sugar, beet sugar, rice and 
the like by any commercially available process. Such process will be shown 
in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. The equipment necessary to perform the 
process steps shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 3 is shown in two lists attached to 
this application as Appendix "A" and Appendix "B". Appendices "A" and "B" 
show commercially available equipment which can be used to perform the 
specific functions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively. 
The ethanol producing process now in use all produce a by-product known as 
"sweetwater" which contains fatty acids, sugar water and fibrous plant 
material. The production of sweetwater is shown by blocks 128 and 228 in 
FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively. 
Step 2, shown in block 2, is to mix the ethanol with the sweetwater in a 
volume ratio of 6 to 1 at a temperature of between 110-140 degrees 
fahrenheit for between five to seven minutes in a first centrifugal mixing 
chamber rotating at between 750-1800 r.p.m. 
Step 3, shown in block 3, is to mix the ethanol with the sweetwater in a 
volume ratio of 6 to 1 at a temperature of between 110-140 degrees 
fahrenheit for a time of about five to seven minutes in a second 
centrifugal mixing chamber rotating at between 2200-3100 r.p.m. 
Step 4, shown in block 4, is to remove the mixture to a heater for from one 
to three minutes to raise its temperature to 160 degrees fahrenheit and 
then draw the mixed ethanol and sweet water off to its containers where it 
will solidify upon cooling. 
The product thus produced contains only vegetable material and comprises a 
semi-solid alcohol based fuel having an approximate formulation of 85.1% 
ethanol, 2.2% water and 11.7% sodium salt of fatty acids. The pH of the 
product in deionized water is 11.5 which is lower than that requiring a 
hazardous warning label. 
Spectographic analysis of the ash produced from burning a sample of the 
product made from sugar cane shows that sodium is the largest element 
present at about 1.24% by weight. Potassium is present at about 15 parts 
per million. Aluminum is present at about 210 parts per million. Present 
in lesser amounts are silicon, lithium, nickel, lead, tin and traces of 
iron and magnesium. 
Analysis indicates that the inventive product contains some hydroxide and 
some carbonate and bicarbonate or only bicarbonate ions. 
Ethanol and fatty acids of the type contained in the inventive product are 
normally not a compatible mixture. The mechanism which produces the stable 
mixture is not understood at the time of making this application. 
Equally unclear is what is the nature of the combustion obtained. Is it the 
ethanol or the fatty acid salts which are burning? Are the fatty acid 
salts an efficient thixatrope? The answers to these questions are 
presently unknown. 
FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting the basic process steps for making ethanol 
and also showing the inventive modifications necessary to produce the 
inventive fuel. 
The number 100 shows the basic process in which sugar cane is received, 
102, ground and processed at 104, and then turned into a pulp, 106. 
Molasses is produced from the pulp 108. The pulp is turned into raw sugar, 
110, and the molasses into syrups and sweetwater, 116, and both products 
are fed to a fermentation tank, 122, and then to distillation towers, 124. 
The ethanol and sweetwater produced by the distillation towers are then 
sent to two separate storage tanks, 126 and 128. The sweetwater is then 
filtered to remove the fibrous residue and then sent along with the 
ethanol from the storage tank to a mixer-reactor unit 132 described in 
more detail in connection with the description of FIG. 3. The inventive 
product is the output of the mixer-reactor 132. 
The number 200 shows the basic process in which corn is received, 202, 
processed at 204, and then turned to a degermer, 206. The degermed corn is 
then steeped 208. From the steeping tanks, the processed corn is passed to 
a glutenizer-starch unit, 210, and then fed to a fermentation tank, 222, 
and then to distillation towers, 224. The ethanol and sweetwater produced 
by the distillation towers are then sent to two separate storage tanks, 
226 and 228. The sweetwater is then filtered to remove the fibrous residue 
and then sent along with the ethanol from the storage tank to a 
mixer-reactor unit 232 described in more detail in connection with the 
description of FIG. 3. The inventive product is the output of the 
mixer-reactor 132. 
FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of the mixer-reactor shown in 
blocks 132 and 232 in FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively. The mixer-reactor shown 
generally by the number 300, has a frame 360 for supporting two rotating 
cones 320 and 330 which are supported for rotation by motors 322 and 332, 
respectively. Bearing members 326, 328, support the second cone for 
rotation. The motors' drive belts, 324, 334, drive the cones at speeds 
ranging from about 750 to about 3100 r.p.m. Pipe 310 brings the 
ethanol-sweetwater mixture to the first rotating cone and outlet 329 
permits the mixed solution to be transformed to the second rotating cone 
330. Outlet 339 permits the mixing fluid to flow to heater 340. The flow 
of the fluid is controlled by valves 321, 323, 331 and 351 in a 
conventional manner. Heater elements 361 and 363 control the temperature 
in mixer-reactors 320 and 330 respectively. 
It can be easily seen that the present inventive process and inventive 
product achieve all of the stated objective and many others, as well. 
While the present inventive process and product have been shown and 
described with reference to specific embodiments, the inventions are not 
limited to the embodiments shown and described. 
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APPENDIX A 
Equipment Manufacturers 
(Regarding FIG. 1) Equipment Identification 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
1. Inter-Cane Company 
(104) Grinding Unit, Wheel Press 
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 
2. WINBCO Company 
(124, 126) 
Distillation Towers, Ethanol 
Ottumwa, Iowa Storage Tanks 
3. Gist-Brocades (122) Fermentation Tanks 
Watertown, Minnesota 
4. Ferro-tech Industries 
(119) Pelletizing Equipment, 
Wyandotis, Michigan Bagging Equipment 
5. John L. Bigger Company 
(130) Filter Unit 
Longmont, Colorado 
6. The Conal Corporation 
(134) Canning Machine 
Denver, Colorado 
7. Marketex Trading, Inc. 
(128, 132) 
Sweet Water Separator 
Greeley, Colorado Reactor Unit 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
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APPENDIX B 
Equipment Manufacturers 
(Regarding FIG. 2) Equipment Identification 
______________________________________ 
1. Butler Building Systems 
Grain Handling Equipment 
Kansas City, Missouri 
(202, 204) 
2. Buhler-Miag Company 
Degerming Equipment, 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 
Glutenizer Unit 
(206, 210) 
3. WINBCO Company Steeping Tanks, Distillation 
Ottumwa, Iowa (208, 224, 226) 
Towers, Ethanol Storage 
Tanks, Beer Tanks 
4. Gist-Brocades Fermentation Tanks 
Watertown, Minnesota (222) 
5. Ferro-tech Industries 
Pelletizing Equipment, 
Wyandotis, Michigan (218) 
Bagging Equipment 
6. John L. Bigger Company 
Filter Units 
Longmont, Colorado (230) 
7. The Conal Corporation 
Canning Machine 
Denver, Colorado (234) 
8. Marketex Trading, Inc. 
Sweet Water Separator 
Greeley, Colorado (228, 232) 
Reactor Unit 
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