Processes Improvement Engineering

At LucasE³, we believe the ethanol industry can and will grow, with additional collaboration and innovation. We have spent so long working in and designing ethanol plants that we have developed our own ideas and look forward to contributing to make ethanol a viable energy source for years to come.

What You Can Expect

We specialize in process improvements that can:

1. Increase profitability and improve operations efficiencies
2. Reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint
3. Expand ethanol production rate
4. Optimize co-products and feed product revenue stream

If you are curious how our innovative ideas can help your plant improve, consider having a Project Opportunity Assessment (POA).

1. Utilities
   Utilities

   Typically, water discharge from the plant and chemical cost can be reduced significantly with a relatively low capital investment. Adding a balanced amount of filtration and recirculation equipment can reduce discharge by up to 75% and significantly reduce chemical cost.
2. Mashing
   Mashing

   Beer Mash-Exchanger

   This project provides reduction in plant steam usage and cooling tower load. It also eliminates any current bottleneck in the fermentation feed header such that fermenters can be filled completely without the necessity to reduce feed rate.
3. Fermenting
   Fermentation Cooling

   Electrical peak-load experienced by plants when using the chiller represents high costs. This project enables significant reduction in chiller use during summer months, thereby significantly reducing electrical costs.
4. Distillation
   Regen Vent Scrubber

   Typical ethanol losses of approximately .25 gpm have been experienced by many unmodified plants, and the loss can be much higher. This project, when implemented, can significantly reduce or eliminate ethanol loss.
5. Dehydration
   Sieve MVR

   This project focuses on reducing steam usage and cooling tower load on the boiler. Typically, implementing this project will allow a 120MM GPY facility to expand to 160MM GPY without boiler or cooling tower modifications.
6. Evaporation
   Heavy Syrup Evap

   Implementing this project will significantly reduce heat from stack gases and reduce energy required in the drying process.
7. Centrifuge
   Thin Stillage

   This project allows the plant to take advantage of certain specialty feed markets by producing a higher value protein product. Through filtered separation of solids from thin stillage, up to 4 lbs/bu of higher value feed product can be produced and sold for a $0.10/lb premium over current DDG price.