When it comes to distillers corn oil (DCO) generated as a coproduct of ethanol production, every drop adds to the overall profitability of the operation. That’s why the initial stillage separation and subsequent oil recovery process is so important.At Ace Ethanol’s 52 MMgy plant in Stanley, Wisconsin, they are extracting up to 1.38 pounds of DCO per bushel of corn. This is considerably higher than the average 1.0 lbs./bu. typical in most operations. So how do they do it?“It all starts with our GEA CB 505’s and CF 4000 stillage decanters, and then oil is recovered by a GEA RSE 220 disk separator,” notes Joe Fischer, plant manager at Ace, who has been at the Wisconsin facility for 18 years. “On its own, the centrifuge has an excellent ability to reliably recover oil. With the additional bolt-on processes of D3MAX and DCO+ freeing even more oil, we are regularly achieving yields of over 1.35 pounds per bushel of quality product.”Ace Ethanol installed the RSE 220 separator in 2008 and the company is still using the original unit. It was one of the first separators installed for this application. “We were very pleased with its performance and the overall economies achieved, so we installed a second unit in 2019,” continues Fischer.Factoring in Energy and Maintenance&nbsp; Records from the Ace Ethanol plant show the costs associated with operating the disk centrifuge equipment. The average energy consumption for each machine is approximately 40 kW. In terms of maintenance, costs during a typical year are about $40,000 per machine, and all the work can be completed on site. There is also a rental bowl exchange program to keep production running during repairs. “From our standpoint, the machines have been relatively easy to operate and maintain,” Fischer says.More than 160 RSE 220 disk separators are in use throughout North America for DCO production, according to GEA records. Ethanol producers see the value in quicker and better separation compared with three-phase decanter centrifuges, which can also be used for DCO extraction. Significant savings in energy consumption using a disk type versus a decanter centrifuge are also a major advantage, with decanters requiring upwards of 75 kw compared with the 40 kw observed at Ace Ethanol.Other significant differences between the two centrifuge options include upfront costs of purchase and installation, as well as maintenance. Compared to decanters, the purchase and installation costs for a disk machine are lower. Further, many decanters require costly off-site balancing and repair. This leads to long production delays and sometimes unplanned downtime.Carbon Intensity Reduction Consideration&nbsp; All ethanol plants are looking to reduce their carbon intensity going forward. For Ace Ethanol, using the RSE 220 for DCO recovery puts them in a good position. Assuming the plant operates 24/7 for 49 weeks per year (8,232 hours) with a power draw of 40 kw for a disk centrifuge, CO2 emissions (at .818 lb CO2 e/kw) have been calculated to be at 269,000 pounds annually. The same calculation for a decanter at a draw of 75 kw is 505,000 pounds annually. By using the disk centrifuge, there is an avoidance of 236,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.“With the technology we have on hand, we feel well positioned for the future. Our plant delivers the max in terms of ethanol and coproduct production, and we do it in a way that minimizes impact on the environment,” says Neal Kemmet, president and general manager at Ace. “We have been particularly pleased with the performance of our DCO separators. They have played an important part in delivering positive results to the bottom line.” Author: Kathy Weitze&nbsp; GEA North America&nbsp; kathy.weitze@gea.com&nbsp; (845) 384-9200

2024-05-07 - Taking DCO Extraction to the Max: How Ace Ethanol Manages the Task (Ethanol Producer Magazine)

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When it comes to distillers corn oil (DCO) generated as a coproduct of ethanol production, every drop adds to the overall profitability of the operation.

Taking DCO Extraction to the Max: How Ace Ethanol Manages the Task

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