Yields have been edging up towards 3 gallons per bushel for years (Figure 1). But for many plants, such a milestone must seem a pretty challenging target.&nbsp;So, what will it take to raise your yields that high? The efficiency of your fermentation process is probably top of the list.But fermentation can be difficult to control – certainly once the process has started, and particularly after the 15-hour mark. Many ethanol plants face issues like bacterial contamination or stressed-out yeast, and sometimes it is as simple as someone forgetting to add glucoamylase (hey, it happens!). But with the right tools, you can spot problems like these early on and intervene to save both time and money.&nbsp;That is where an advanced new monitoring system like the IRmadillo comes in, providing a continuous stream of real-time data to catch problems before they start to spiral.The Problem with Traditional Monitoring&nbsp; The old way to monitor fermentation, via HPLC analysis, is not exactly foolproof. Most plants take about seven samples throughout a batch, which is like trying to understand what is going on in a movie by only looking at a few snapshots. You are bound to miss the key moments.&nbsp;For instance, consider a lactobacillus infection kicking in around the 10-hour mark, but the next sample is not until hour 20. Any remedial action taken, the addition of antibiotics or hops acid, this late after the initial spike is not likely to be as effective, if at all. &nbsp;Or, say yeast health takes a nosedive because of high glycerol production or insufficient nitrogen availability. Small adjustments made in time can prevent a lot of hassle.With continuous monitoring, your operators get instant feedback on what is really going on inside the fermentation tanks, giving them a chance to respond in real time.A New Way to Monitor Processes&nbsp; The IRmadillo does not just give snapshots; it continuously tracks everything, from the different types of sugars and their levels to organic acids, ethanol and glycerol concentrations.&nbsp;It’s so robust, you can place it in-line almost anywhere in your production process. And it captures subtle shifts early on, letting operators jump in with the right response.&nbsp;Continuous data from the IRmadillo also opens up new opportunities for fine-tuning. When trying new yeast strains or tweaking enzyme doses, you get instant feedback, so there is no more guesswork. Over time, this means more efficient batches, healthier margins, and higher yields. Suddenly, that 3 gallons per bushel seems achievable.The ongoing developments on designing and implementing simple graphical interfaces will be capable of signaling deviations from “ideal” batch profiles, providing live alerts, end of batch reports and retrospective batch data visualization tools to help troubleshoot substandard runs. This is a great deal of information for ethanol producers, allowing them to delve deeper into understanding how to achieve the optimal fermentation every time.Real-Life Results: Case Study with United Wisconsin Grain Producers (UWGP)&nbsp; UWGP runs a robust fermentation process that consistently delivers high yields. The plant recently tested the IRmadillo and saw the value of real-time monitoring for themselves. They installed one unit on the recirculation line of one of their fermenters to track sugar consumption, glycerol, and organic acids:&nbsp;• Sugars (DP1, DP2, DP3, DP4+): These species allow UWGP to track how fermentation is progressing, and they are critical to optimize enzyme dosing.• Glycerol: High levels are a symptom of unhealthy yeast (due to excessive glucose) and can lead to loss of ethanol yield.• Lactic and acetic acids: These are key species to identify bacterial contaminations early on.• Ethanol: The main event! Monitoring ethanol concentration helps ensure optimal conversion and shows overall fermentation performance.Since installation, the IRmadillo has proven to be an impressive tool for process monitoring at UWGP – they can see changes early, which gives them a head start on fixing issues before they hit hard.&nbsp;While full operational integration is still in progress, the early results are promising. UWGP is currently developing an interface that will allow operators to interact more easily with the real-time data provided by the IRmadillo. They expect even greater operational feedback and benefits in terms of yield optimization and fermentation infection detection!Beyond Fermentation&nbsp; The IRmadillo usefulness is not limited to fermentation. It can improve efficiency across many other parts of the plant, including:• Distillation: the IRmadillo can track ethanol levels in beer bottoms to control the balance between overdriving the column and sustaining a certain ethanol loss, to minimize energy usage and reduce risk.• Propagation: the IRmadillo monitors sugars, nitrogen and ethanol, to keep yeast in tip-top shape and optimize cell growth.• Liquefaction: the IRmadillo allows you to fine-tune enzyme and nitrogen levels to maintain quality without overdosing.All in all, real-time insights from the IRmadillo have the potential to boost ethanol yield like never before, all while cutting down on waste and improving overall efficiency.About the IRmadillo&nbsp; The IRmadillo is a robust real-time monitoring device that uses FTIR spectroscopy. It has no moving parts and can withstand vibrations, impacts and general movement, so it can be installed into any manufacturing line. But the results it produces are laboratory grade, giving you continuous and accurate measurements of the concentrations of a huge range of chemical substances.The device and the unique technology within it were actually developed for use on Mars, as part of the UK’s contribution to the Mars space program. But the IRmadillo seems to have found an even more perfect niche in industrial ethanol production! Author: Keit Industrial Analytics&nbsp; info@IRmadillo.com

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Get Ahead of the Fermentation Game: Unlock the Power of Real-Time Monitoring

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Get Ahead of the Fermentation Game: Unlock the Power of Real-Time Monitoring