Ceramic Membrane Basics and a Specific Application Treating Stillage from Bioethanol Production

Atech is manufacturer of ceramic membrane, which provides unique advantages over polymeric membranes, such as greater mechanical strength and higher chemical and thermal resistance. The two main membrane types – tubular and flat sheet – each have their own advantages: typically, tubular membranes are more accessible and flat sheet membranes treat higher solids. Both types are suited for handling difficult-to-treat process streams. One example of this is the treatment of digester and thin stillage effluent using ceramic membranes The production of bioethanol provides alcohol as well as a fermentation rest that is called thin stillage. To treat this rest, evaporation is a very common technology to reduce the volume and use this for feeding animals. Because evaporation requires a lot of energy, ceramic membranes can be used to treat this thin stillage instead. The remaining rest, called concentrate, can be further treated to extract additional valuable components (proteins, fats, minerals) to make the whole process even more economically attractive. The treatment of remaining rests from biogas production (digestion) works in a similar way, with the purpose to reduce volume and increase efficiency for transportation.

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