GB869059A - The treatment of distillery wastes - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0869059/III/1> Solids, which may be used as an animal feeding stuff, are recovered from distillery effluents discharged from a distillation process which involves mashing and distillation stages by a process in which the effluents are concentrated to high solids content by evaporation in a multiple effect evaporator, the first effect of which is heated by using normal process steam and subsequent effects by at least part of the steam generated in preceding effects, the concentrated effluent being dried, and steam generated during the evaporation not utilised in the distillation being used in the mashing stages. Final concentration of the effluent immediately prior to drying may be effected under reduced pressure and the final drying is effected by a vacuum drying treatment or on a roller drum drier. Solids in suspension may be filtered off from the effluent and either treated separately or incorporated with the evaporated solution. The effluents may be spent wash, steep water, spent lees or pot ale. In a typical Example (3) applied to the operation of a distillery manufacturing alcohol from grain, fermented wash is fed through line 2 to an analysing column 1 where alcohol is stripped. Spent wash passes through line 3 and to evaporator 4 which is heated by live steam and then successively through evaporators 5 and 6 which are heated by vapour generated in the preceding effects. The final concentrate leaving stage 6 is fed to a dryer 9. Vapour generated in evaporator 5 is divided into 2 streams one is used to heat evaporator 6 and the other to heat water in surface condenser 7. A small extra supply of steam is obtained by flashing condensate in tanks 13 and 14. Vapour liquid separators 10, 11 and 12 remove entrained liquid.