Distiller's Syrup Solution: Pulse Combustion Spray Drying of Ethanol Plant CDS (Condensed Distillers Solubles, aka "Syrup") Featured in Ethanol Producer Magazine
Payson, AZ, August 19, 2009. James A. Rehkopf, Manager and CEO of J. Jireh Holdings LLC, announced today that Ethanol Producer Magazine has published a very positive article about the Company's ability to dry Condensed Distillers Solubles (CDS), aka "Distiller's Syrup," one of the three major byproducts of corn ethanol production.
"We are excited about this article," said Rehkopf, "because CDS is a very difficult product to dry, and until now, ethanol plant operators have been forced to dispose of their CDS in low-value outlets. By being able to pulse-dry the CDS into Dried Distiller's Solubles (DDS®), a shelf-stable powder, we have created a mid-value feed product and two high-value non-feed outlets for the CDS. Now that the development work is finished and our patents are filed, we are looking for an ethanol industry partner for the commercialization step. We hope that the article will help us find that partner."
While DDS® is a superior animal feed with high metabolic energy content and high nutrient bioavailability, the magazine article cites Jireh's Dr. Jeffrey Tate, Exec. V.P. for Product Development, who describes two value-added products based on Dried Distiller's Solubles (DDS®) that have been developed: DDS® Sustained Release Carrier System for pest control delivery, and DDS® BioComposite, a biorenewable thermoplastic processing additive.
From the article:
Tate also found that by using DDS® as a sustained release carrier system, one could take advantage of the material and chemical properties of the DDS®. "When subjected to a little heat and pressure, the dried distillers solubles will polymerize and form a hard durable pellet that's still biodegradable and breaks down [over] time," Tate says. . . . "We've developed sample products using this technology for control of slugs, snails, ants and mosquitoes. We're also working with a couple of companies in the area of nuisance animal repellent." The sustained release system can also work well to attract animals, such as deer.
J. Jireh Holdings has also worked with a partner to develop DDS® BioComposite, a biorenewable additive that can be added to thermoplastics and thermoplastic processing and can act as an effective filler. "We have put it in extrusion applications at rates of up to 50 percent, so 50 percent DDS® BioComposite and 50 percent some other kind of thermoplastic, and we get some very interesting results. I'm not sure if they are commercially viable but we've gotten some very interesting results at those high inclusion rates," Tate says. . . . "We also found that under the right conditions this material will produce a microcellular foam," Tate says. "It reduces the amount of material required to fill a mold and is extremely compatible with a broad-range of thermoplastics."
"We have good intellectual property on all of this and have a trademark registered for DDS®," Tate says. "We have a facility in Payson, Ariz., where we have the capacity to produce up to eight tons [of DDS®] per week."
"Depending on what is put into the feed tanks", Tate says, "one can get a variety of products - from a custom-formulated feed, a sustained-release pest control product or a biorenewable thermoplastics processing aid. I don't have to set up a separate factory to make each one of those things because of the way our pulse combustion dryer is capable of handling a variety of feeds. And, that's significantly different than what goes on at most ethanol plants."
The full September 2009 Ethanol Producer Magazine article can be viewed online at: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=5905
For more information contact:
James Rehkopf, Manager & CEO
415-457-6500
jrehkopf@jjirehholdings.com
OR
Jeffrey Tate, Ph.D., Exec. V.P. for Product Development
651-260-2876
jtate@jjirehholdings.com
