Patents by Inventor Stephan Blum
Stephan Blum has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240140893Abstract: The present disclosure provides high-grade ethanol production systems and methods that increase energy efficiency as compared to typical systems and methods by minimizing undesired acetal formation. The provided ethanol production method may include a low boilers removal distillation column and/or a stripper column constructed to simultaneously remove at least a portion of the acetaldehyde and at least a portion of the acetal from a feed stream in the presence of water. In some aspects, a low boilers removal process may be followed by a water removal process, which may be followed by a high boilers removal process. Acidity (e.g., carbon dioxide) may also be removed from a feed stream prior to or during the low boilers removal process. By minimizing acetal production, the provided method minimizes the amount of energy that is required to remove acetal when producing high-grade ethanol.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 7, 2023Publication date: May 2, 2024Applicant: Whitefox Technologies LimitedInventors: Virginia Andrade, Stephan Blum, Thiago Righi, Jin Ming Zhou
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Publication number: 20230322652Abstract: The present disclosure provides for organic solvent production via distillation and dehydration by: directing portions of a feed stream to a first and second distillation columns operating at a different pressures from each other, wherein the organic solvent is preferably an alcohol and more preferably ethanol; generating, in the first distillation column, a vaporous first overhead stream; directing the vaporous first overhead stream directly to a rectification system; generating, in the second distillation column, a vaporous second overhead stream; forming a condensed second overhead stream from the vaporous second overhead stream; directing, at least a portion of the condensed second overhead stream to the rectification system; generating, via the rectification system, a third overhead stream; directing at least a portion of the third overhead stream to a separation system; and generating, in the separation system, an enriched solvent stream.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2023Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Thiago Righi, Chenxu Shi, Virginia Andrade, Stephan Blum
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Patent number: 11697630Abstract: The present disclosure provides high-grade ethanol production systems and methods that increase energy efficiency as compared to typical systems and methods by minimizing undesired acetal formation. The provided ethanol production method may include a low boilers removal distillation column and/or a stripper column constructed to simultaneously remove at least a portion of the acetaldehyde and at least a portion of the acetal from a feed stream in the presence of water. In some aspects, a low boilers removal process may be followed by a water removal process, which may be followed by a high boilers removal process. Acidity (e.g., carbon dioxide) may also be removed from a feed stream prior to or during the low boilers removal process. By minimizing acetal production, the provided method minimizes the amount of energy that is required to remove acetal when producing high-grade ethanol.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2021Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Stephan Blum, Thiago Righi, Zhou Jin Ming
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Publication number: 20230123549Abstract: A distillation and dehydration system is provided that produces an anhydrous organic solvent. The provided system includes vapor recompression (e.g., a mechanical or thermal vapor recompression unit) to recover heat from a rectification-distillation section (e.g., a rectifier/stripper column). The addition of vapor recompression enables further heat recovery within a stream by increasing the condensation temperature and pressure of that stream and later using its latent heat by condensing it.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2022Publication date: April 20, 2023Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Jin Ming ZHOU, Thiago Righi, Chenxu Shi, Stephan BLUM, Virginia Andrade
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Publication number: 20230010850Abstract: The present disclosure provides for organic solvent production via distillation and dehydration by: directing portions of a feed stream to a first and second distillation columns operating at a different pressures from each other, wherein the organic solvent is preferably an alcohol and more preferably ethanol; generating, in the first distillation column, a vaporous first overhead stream; directing the vaporous first overhead stream directly to a rectification system; generating, in the second distillation column, a vaporous second overhead stream; forming a condensed second overhead stream from the vaporous second overhead stream; directing, at least a portion of the condensed second overhead stream to the rectification system; generating, via the rectification system, a third overhead stream; directing at least a portion of the third overhead stream to a separation system; and generating, in the separation system, an enriched solvent stream.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2022Publication date: January 12, 2023Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Thiago Righi, Chenxu Shi, Virginia Andrade, Stephan BLUM
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Publication number: 20220048841Abstract: The present disclosure provides high-grade ethanol production systems and methods that increase energy efficiency as compared to typical systems and methods by minimizing undesired acetal formation. The provided ethanol production method may include a low boilers removal distillation column and/or a stripper column constructed to simultaneously remove at least a portion of the acetaldehyde and at least a portion of the acetal from a feed stream in the presence of water. In some aspects, a low boilers removal process may be followed by a water removal process, which may be followed by a high boilers removal process. Acidity (e.g., carbon dioxide) may also be removed from a feed stream prior to or during the low boilers removal process. By minimizing acetal production, the provided method minimizes the amount of energy that is required to remove acetal when producing high-grade ethanol.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2021Publication date: February 17, 2022Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Stephan Blum, Thiago Righi, Zhou Jin Ming
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Publication number: 20070131533Abstract: Disclosed is a method for distilling, e.g. ethanol from a mash or must. According to said method, a fluid (1) that is fed to a first distillation column (stripper, 13) and a distillate (4) of the first distillation column (13) are delivered to a second distillation column (rectification column, 14). The fed fluid (1) and/or a distillate (7) of the second distillation column (14) is/are purified in a first and/or last step of the inventive method by means of a membrane separation process.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2004Publication date: June 14, 2007Inventors: Stephan Blum, Bernhard Kaiser
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Patent number: 5427687Abstract: Process for carrying out an equilibrium reaction in which one or more products are separated off by vapor permeation comprising the steps of:A) forming a reaction mixture comprising the reactants to be reacted in at least one reaction zone at a reaction temperature and reaction pressure selected so as to provide a reaction temperature above the boiling temperature of at least the product or products to be removed, wherein at least the product or products to be removed enters the resulting vapor phase in vapor form;B) passing the vapor phase containing the product or products to be removed to a zone remote from the reaction zone, which remote zone contains a semi-permeable membrane permeable to the product or products to be removed;C) carrying out vapor permeation in said remote zone to remove at least a portion of the product or products to be removed from said vapor phase; andD) returning the resulting vapor retentate from step C) to a reaction zone in step A).Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1992Date of Patent: June 27, 1995Assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf AktienInventors: Stephan Blum, Bernhard Gutsche, Lutz Jeromin, Levent Yueksel