Larox meets the filtration targets of the Biofuel Industry: Maximum Sugar Recovery, Minimum Water Usage, Maximum Dry Solids

One of the most critical steps of the biofuel production process is the
solid-liquid separation as this can have a huge influence on how competitive a
particular technology will be. 

Biofuels market is a hot topic and evolving very fast. The need for alternative
transportation fuel sources increases, and the biofuel industry moves from food
to non-food based biomass feed stocks. The industry is now facing new
challenges to develop environmentally friendly processes which produce cost
efficient commercially viable fuel alternatives. 

Larox is working closely with many of the Biofuel industry leaders to help
optimize their filtration needs. With a broad product portfolio, testing and
process consultation capabilities Larox has proven to be a viable solid-liquid
separation partner to the Biofuel Industry worldwide. “Maximum sugar recovery,
minimum water usage and maximum dry solids - these are the benefits achieved
thanks to Larox filtration solutions”, says Mr. Kevin Schraden, Larox Business
Manager. 


Filtration for 2nd and 3rd Generation Feedstocks

 “As the biofuels industry is moving away from food based raw materials because
of economic and political pressures, we have also focused our efforts on
processes which use 2nd and 3rd generation raw materials such as wood chips,
straw, grasses and other plant and agricultural wastes”, explains Mr. Kevin
Schraden. “These other wastes including corn stover and cobs and pulp mill
waste such as lignin are becoming more and more important, and with these raw
materials we have also had very good filtration results.” 

Larox has successfully sold filters for biofuels demo plants in Japan, Finland
and Canada, but due to the ongoing development, most of these projects are
highly confidential. 

No Standard Processes, No Standard Solutions

Whether the feed stock is wood chips, grass clippings, corn stover, rice straw
or some other bio-waste material, each process has its own unique challenges. 

“Each biofuel process or variation within the same process changes the
filtration characteristics of the slurry due to the variations in the
feedstock, pretreatment used, feed particle size, particle size reduction due
to shear pumps, residence time prior to filtration, solids content in slurry,
slurry temperature, amount of washing required, etc. In biofuels, we can take
advantage of the long experience and test data Larox has accumulated during 30
years, but we treat each filtration case as unique”, describes Mr. Joe Skafar,
Larox Sales Manager. 

Larox is well positioned as biofuel industry's filtration partner thanks to the
vast product portfolio and experiences. “Biofuel is a demanding application
that requires flexibility in the process equipment. We have the ability to
choose from several filtration products to determine which filter will best
meet the objectives and can often handle multiple streams in the process as a
result”, Mr. Skafar says. “We can offer filtration solutions for the most
difficult process conditions including most forms of lingo-cellulosic
conversion: enzymatic pretreatment, acid hydrolysis, solvent based
de-lignification, fermentation processes and gypsum neutralization.” 

“Larox's broad product portfolio enables to find the right filter for each
specific process. The highly performant Larox Pressure Filter (PF), for
example, is an excellent choice for a maximum recovery of valuable sugars and
dry solids, whereas our Gas Tight options with the RT/GT and the DS Filter are
well suitable for solvent applications. Our ability to adjust our materials of
construction for the specific requirements of these harsh applications is also
a significant benefit”, he continues. 

Active Participation in Industry Research

In Finland, Larox participates in SugarTech project which is a cooperation
project between VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, University of
Helsinki and several industrial companies. In this three year project spruce,
forest residue, birch and sugar cane bagasse are being studied as a raw
material for production of sugars to be processed further to ethanol and other
chemicals. “The project progresses in four, so-called, work packages including
raw materials and feasibility, development of pretreatment methods, development
of hydrolysis process and enhancing enzyme production. We follow the 
results very closely and try to learn as much as possible through this
cooperation”, says Mrs. Leena Tanttu, Senior Engineer, Process Services, and
Larox's representative in the SugarTech project. 


Contacts

Filtration solutions for biofuels, please contact the nearest Larox office,
contacts at www.larox.com, or Mr. Kevin Schaden, Business Manager, phone +1 301
543 1226. 

Press contacts: Ms. Inka Pöllänen, mobile +358 (0)207 687 200.


Larox in Brief

Larox develops, designs and manufactures industrial filters and is a leading
technology company in its field. Larox is a full service solution provider in
filtration for separating solids from liquids. It supplies comprehensive
aftermarket services throughout the lifespan of the Larox solution. Companies
world-wide in mining and metallurgy, chemical processing and related industries
benefit from the Larox technologies. Larox operates in over 40 countries and
has over 600 employees. Larox has production facilities in Finland and in
China, and the Group is headquartered in Lappeenranta, Finland. Net sales in
2009 totaled 150.2 million euros, of which more than 93 % were generated by
exports and the company's foreign operations. Larox is a subsidiary of Outotec.