160

4368056

PATENT ABSTRACTS

4365974

DIESEL FUEL BY FERMENTATION OF WASTES

Sammy M. Pierce, Morri Wayman

An improved diesel fuel which is entirely capable of preparation from renewable resources. The fuel comprises a blend of fermentation produced butanol and fermen- tation produced glycerides. The substrates useful for the butanol fermentation are conventional industrial waste products, such as cheese whey and low value carbo- hydrate containing waste materials such as corn cobs, wood chips, etc. Similar sub- strate materials are used in the fermentation or growth culture of glyceride producing microbes.

4366247

PROCESS FOR PREPARING TYLACTONE

Richard H. Baltz, Eugene Seno. assigned to Eli Lilly and Company

A process for preparing tylactone (ZU- dihydro-20, 23-dideoxyt}~lonolide). which has the formula: by submerged aerobic fer- mentation of Streptomyces fradiae NRRL 12188 or a tylactone-producing mutant or recombinant thereof is provided.

APPARATUS FOR SOLUBILIZINC AND OXIDIZING OF PEAT

Carl L. Elmore, Ervvin D. Funk. Ted M. Poulin, assigned to Kamyr Inc

Methane is produced from peat by solubiliz- in8 the phenolic polymers therein, and oxid- izing the solute to produce short chain moiecules. The short chain molecules are fermented to produce a gas that this scrubbed to remove CO2 to produce methane. Solu- bilizing takes place in a vertically oriented pressurized vessel that is circular in cross-

section and divided into a number of regular vertically elongated compartments, each comprising a circular sector in cross-section. and extending the majority the height of the vessel. Slurried peat is fed into the top of one compartment while another compart- ment is being emptied from the bottom. the compartment being filled or emptied being progressively changed in response to rota- tion of a central shaft in the vessel. Oxida- tion of solubilized peat takes place in a structure that transports the solubilized peat in a substantially vertical wave path from an inlet to an outlet with oxygen being intro- duced at the bottoms of segments of the wave path, and CO2 being withdrawn from the tops of segments of the wave path wthile

PATENT ABS’IXACTS 161

the solubihzed peat is maintained at a pres- sure above atmospheric. Coolant is circu- lated around the wave path to remove the exothermic heat of reaction, and the cooIant is flashed into steam used elsewhere in the process.

4359534

CONVERSION OF D-XYLOSE TO ETHANOL BY THE YEAST

PACHYSOLEN TANNOPHILUS

Cletus P. Kurtzman, Rodney J. Bothast. James E. VanCauwenberge. assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture

A method is disclosed for converting D- xylose to ethanol relying on the uniyueabil- ity of the yeast Pachysalen tannophihrs to ferment this five-carbon sugar without the use of added enzymes. This process will be particularly useful in the production of ethanolic fuel from plant biomass.

4359533

FER~~~NTATIVE ALCOHOL PRODUCTION

Charles R. Wilke. Brian L. Maiorella. Harvey Blanch. Gerald R. Cysewski. assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy

An improved fermentation process for pro-

ducing alcohol which includes the combina- tion of vacuum fermentation and vacuum distillation. Preferably. the vacuum distilla- tion is carried out in two phases, one a fer- mentor proper operated at atmospheric pressure and a flash phase operated at reduced pressure with recycle of fermenta- tion brew having a reduced alcohol content to the fermentor, using vapor recompression heating of the flash-pot recycle stream to heat the flash-pot or the distillation step, and using water load balancing (i.e.. the molar ratio of water in the fermentor feed is the same as the molar ratio or water in the distillation overhead).

4358537

IN SITU BIOLOGICAL BENEFICIATION OF PEAT IN THE

PRODUCTION OF HYDROCARBON FUELS

David P. Chynoweth, assigned to Institute of Gas Technology

This invention relates to a process for in situ biological beneficiation of peat and hydrau- lic harvesting of organic carbonaceous material from a peat deposit. The process is particularly suitable for production of hydro- carbon fuel from peat wherein peat is con- tact in situ in a peat deposit with an aqueous solution of hydrolysis promoting agent hydro- lyzing organic carbonaceous components of the peat to produce hydrolysis products. passing the hydrolysis products to an active fermentation zone in situ in the peat deposit to produce fermentation products, passing the fermentation products, remaining hydro- lysis prOdUCts and organic carbonaceous materials leached from the peat by the aqueous solution to a biological or chemical process for conversion to hydrocarbon fuel. This process provides peat deposit man- agement while providing beneficiation of the carbonaceous material for improved conversion efficiency by chemical or biolog- ical conversion to hydrocarbon liquid or gaseous fuels.

4358536

PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL

Conny R. Thomson, Indrek Viira. Jarfalla. Sweden, assigned to Alfa-Lava1 AB