PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOR OBTAINING ETHANOL BY THE CONTINUOUS ACID HYDROLYSIS OF CELLULOSIC MATERIALS

摘要

A B S T R A C TInvention Patent for a "PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOROBTAINING ETHANOL BY THE CONTINUOUS ACID HYDROLYSISOF CELLULOSIC MATERIALS", such process comprising thestages of: providing an homogenized aqueous pulp ofcellulosic material having about 3 to 30% in weightof solids; pumping the cellulosic material pulp, ina substantially continuous way, to the interior ofthe inlet end of a tubular reactor and restrictingits outlet opposite end to maintain a given internalpressure inside the same; heating the pressurizedcellulosic material pulp up to the temperature ofabout 160 to 250°C before its introduction into thereactor; adding, in a substantially continuous way,a given dose of a concentrated acid to the pressurizedand heated cellulosic material pulp, which will becontinuously diluted in the reactor, to provide thehydrolysis reaction of said pulp, the acid additionbeing made inside the reactor at a point longitudinallyadjustable from the inlet end of the reactor; dischargingin a substantially continuous way through the outletend of the reactor a given load of hydrolyzed cellulosicmaterial, said discharge being regulated in conjunctionwith the longitudinal positioning of the point ofaddition of the acid, thus fixing the reaction timeadequate for the cellulosic material pulp; subjectingthe hydrolyzed cellulosic material pulp to an abruptpressure drop and cooling immediately after it leavesthe reactor; neutralizing and fermenting the resultingaqueous solution to obtain ethanol; and recovering theresulting byproducts which are methanol, furfural, aceticacid and lignin.