GB578279A - Improvements in and relating to the separation of acetone and butanol from fermentation liquors containing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Acetone and butyl alcohol are obtained from the liquids in which they have been produced in dilute solution by a fermentation process, for example by the growth of clostridium butylobutyricum (Weizmann), clostridium butylobutyricum or clostridium saccharo aceto-butylicum, on carbohydrate mashes, by first separating the liquids from the solid residues, and then passing these liquids through a mass of activated charcoal during such time as the output liquid is free from acetone and butyl alcohol, and rejecting this liquid, continuing the passage of the fermentation liquids through the mass of activated charcoal until substantially the whole of the butyl alcohol is adsorbed while substantially the whole of the acetone content remains in solution. The dilute solution of acetone in water is then passed through another charcoal mass till substantially all the acetone is adsorbed by the charcoal. The solvents are then separately recovered from their separate masses of charcoal by circulating steam or an inert gas such as air at atmospheric pressure, or preferably by external heating of the charcoal mass together with the application of a moderate vacuum. The charcoal is then ready for re-use or it may be further activated by steam if desired. Examples are given which illustrate the effect of different rates of feed and different concentrations of feed solution on the efficiency of the method.