Apparatus for producing alcohol from grains of starch materials

摘要

A new and improved process and apparatus for producing alcohol from cereal grains or starch materials is disclosed. The process involves cooking or mashing very rapidly by electric means to prevent any form of hydrolysis of the starch prior to enzymatic hydrolysis by malt. Specific over-all process steps include milling of the grain in a manner to improve the wetting of the grain; electric cooking or mashing; malting of the mash; fermentation and recovery by distillation. The apparatus principally comprises an electric cooking or mashing unit having a central electrode positioned within an electrically conductive outer wall with a suitable electric power source being provided across the central electrode and conductive wall. In accordance with the invention the mash is heated to a predetermined temperature in a matter of seconds without the addition of condensate. The cooking operation in this manner comprises a continuous flow system with the gelled mash being discharged at a continuous and predetermined rate. The process and apparatus of the invention overcome substantial difficulties of known industrial processes including an increase of normally accepted yields to yields near the theoretical.