THE CES OXYNOL PROCESS AT WORK

OxyNol Solutions' core CES OxyNol waste-to-ethanol process was proven at industrial scale during World War II.  Four years of testing with the Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”) demonstrated the process’ viability and flexibility.  

Twenty-first century updates use off-the-shelf equipment to minimize risk.  Key process systems and hardware are in daily operation in similar applications and have been thoroughly tested at a large-scaleTVA demonstration plant.

OxyNol Solutions and its core process have successfully “passed” substantial due diligence by numerous third parties, including: (1) environmental regulatory agencies, (2) U.S., U.K., and Swiss engineering firms, (3) bond underwriters, (4) engineering, procurement, and construction (“EPC”) contractors, (5) major equipment vendors, and (6) potential insurance providers.  

With a team of world-class professionals, risk mitigation experts, professional EPC management and oversight, and strategic business alliance partners, OxyNol Solutions is well-positioned to deploy its-waste-to-fuel technology around the globe.

The CES OxyNol process involves five steps whereby the cellulose in municipal wastes, in the form of hydrocarbons, is converted into sugar (primarily glucose).  The sugar is subsequently fermented into alcohol, which is denatured to produce fuel-grade ethanol.

STEP 1: FEEDSTOCK PREPARATION

The facility is designed to remove non-cellulosic material from the waste stream. This creates the cellulosic rich feedstock needed for the chemical reaction during hydrolysis.

STEP 2: HYDROLYZATION AND CELLULOSE CONVERSION

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction that breaks down the cellulose into a slurry containing sugars, sulfuric acid, lignin and non-hydrolyzed materials. In the hydrolysis phase, the feedstock is treated with concentrated sulfuric acid which acts as a catalyst converting the cellulose and hemicellulose to glucose and mannose.

STEP 3: ACID RECOVERY

A critical element of the OxyNol Process is the recovery of the sulfuric acid utilized in the hydrolyzation. The sulfuric acid/sugar solution from the hydrolysis phase is fed into an ion exclusion acid/sugar separation unit to separate the acid and sugar solutions. The dilute acid solution is re-concentrated through evaporation and is reused in the Process. The sugar solution is transferred to the fermentation area.

STEP 4: FERMENTATION

The process design incorporates a traditional batch fermentation process to convert the sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide. During fermentation, the sugar solution recovered from the separation phase is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide using the biological action of yeast. The carbon dioxide is collected and processed to commercial standards for resale in an on-site unit.

STEP 5: DISTILLATION

Distillation separates the ethanol from fermented mash and water to produce pure ethanol. The fermented mash is distilled in a two-phase process. In the first phase, the ethanol is dehydrated by distillation to approximately 90% concentration (180 proof). In the second phase, the ethanol is further dehydrated to 100% concentration (200 proof) by using a molecular sieve. After the ethanol is transferred to a storage tank, it is denatured with gasoline, converting it to fuel grade ethanol. The denatured product is stored until shipment.