Comparison of wet and dry fractionation on Generation 1.5™ ethanol Technology

ICM has developed a commercial bolt-on process for the conversion of corn kernel fiber to Generation 1.5™ ethanol by integrating the hydrolysis and fermentation of both C5 and C6 cellulosic sugars with the fermentation of C6 starch sugars.  As part of the development of this process, ICM encountered a number of challenges related to effective fractionation of corn kernel fiber, pretreatment of the fiber, efficient fermentation of sugars to ethanol, and integration of the Generation 1.5™ technology into an existing corn ethanol plant.  As part of the lessons learned, and as part of ongoing development, ICM presents pilot and commercial data from fully integrated runs processing in excess of 10 dry tons of corn kernel fiber per day that show the impact of wet fractionation vs. dry fractionation of corn kernel fiber in the overall process.  Further, the data compare the impacts of these two fractionation methods on fiber pretreatment and the efficient conversion of cellulosic corn kernel fiber into fermentable sugars and ethanol.  Finally, the data from fully integrated operations at both the pilot and commercial scales show the overall increases in ethanol yield per bushel of corn processed in a fully integrated operation producing fuel ethanol and Distillers Dried Grains and Solubles (DDGS).