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Does anyone have any information on the feasibility of using spent grains from a microbrewery as biomass for making biodiesel? Would this type of biomass be more easily used for biodiesel or ethanol?
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Hi all
Neither, feed it to the cows, there is a reason they are called spent grains Since all of the fermantable starches which have been converted into alcohol (read ethanol) via the conversion of amylose to maltose to alcohol they are "spent"
The soluble proteins as well as the insoluble ones as well as fibre in the grain are intact, therefore good cow or sheep fodderCheers
Chris
Never give up :) -
Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Well you could heat them up in an inert atmosphere, say nitrogen and collect the hot gas you get off the distiller's grains. Mind you its going to be at least 350-500 Centigrade (Celsius or whatever you like to call it) before you get much useful stuff off it so cooling and handling could be pretty tricky.
You could then cool the gas to give you somethint a bit like crude oil or react it with water while its hot to give you producer gas or something like that which you can then process into either ethanol or diesel. But its pretty pricy and you'd need decent equipment.
Why not just burn the grain and use the carbohydrate that way
?
pip pip
biofuel simonComment
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Thanks guys, ya i was think that might be the case and speculating on making fuel pellets out of it.Comment
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Hi SimonOriginally posted by Biofuelsimon View PostWell you could heat them up in an inert atmosphere, say nitrogen and collect the hot gas you get off the distiller's grains. Mind you its going to be at least 350-500 Centigrade (Celsius or whatever you like to call it) before you get much useful stuff off it so cooling and handling could be pretty tricky.
You could then cool the gas to give you somethint a bit like crude oil or react it with water while its hot to give you producer gas or something like that which you can then process into either ethanol or diesel. But its pretty pricy and you'd need decent equipment. Why not just burn the grain and use the carbohydrate that way ?
pip pip
biofuel simon
There is a process funded by Mitsubishi in Japan which does convert all sorts of biomass into Bio methanol in a similar process as coal gasification
It is called "Norin 1" by a doctor Sakata Do a search you will find it
They do have a pilot plant running as well as some data to the process
using really low quality waste biomass
Now if you are to get down to the hard realities of life about $35-40 per tonne for your feed stock is the price point which makes the process viable at an equivalent price of $60-65 per barrel of dino crude
At the present spent grains, dried, are trading at about $340 per tonne or about $150 per tonne wet
Therefore,
Spent grains are much more valuable in terms of stock feed value
They are added to low protein feed such as hay when hay is used to feed stock or fed to them add libitum
Dairy cows seem to do well on the stuff as well as beef cattle
Now I don't know about you guys over there in Britain, but here, down under, we do still enjoy a nice bit of steak as well as a good piece of cheeseCheers
Chris
Never give up :)Comment
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
I'll be tucking into some beef, a little bioethanol (from grape) and stilton on Xmas day if all goes to plan!Comment
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Hi there SimonOriginally posted by Biofuelsimon View Post
What is you address? Do you welcome people that just drop in? Thought I'd askCheers
Chris
Never give up :)Comment
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Stragely enough, half of my family come from Melbourne (Derbyshire)...
but I live in the big smoke now... Bring your own brewery grains and you can come whenever you like.
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Re: Biodiesel from spent brewery grains
Thanks for that
Had a look at the link you posted what a fascinating little place
Enjoy your break have a good Christmas May even see you some timeCheers
Chris
Never give up :)Comment
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