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Cellulosic Ethanol from Corn Fiber: Technology,
Challenges and Future Improvements
Mark Yancey, CTO
D3MAX LLCCell: (303) 906-6234
www.d3maxllc.com
Agenda
• Introduction to D3MAX
• D3MAX technology
• Ace Ethanol project update
• Lessons learned
• Areas for improvement
Introduction
• D3MAX owns and licenses technology to convert corn fiber and residual
starch in a corn dry mill ethanol plant to cellulosic ethanol
• BBI International developed the technology while working with the Coors
Brewery in Golden, Colorado from 2007-2008.
• Our first license was sold to Ace Ethanol in Stanley, WI in 2018
• Construction of the Ace D3MAX plant started October 1, 2018; startup is
scheduled to begin October 2019
• Our business model is to license our technology to ethanol plants; we
charge a one-time license fee; no on-going royalties to use the D3MAX
technology
D3MAX Timeline
2015
Create D3MAX
July 2015
D3MAX, LLC
formation
Develop PPM and
start equity raise
2016
Equity Raise
Complete equity
raise
Design and
fabricate pilot
plant
2017
Pilot Testing
Development
Agreement with
Ace Ethanol
Pilot testing
March-Nov 2017
Start FEL 3
design for
D3MAX at Ace
2018
Engineering
Complete FEL 3
Capital cost
estimate by Fagen
Project approval
April 24, 2018
Oct 1 start
construction at
Ace Ethanol
2019
Construction
Engineering,
procurement and
construction by
Fagen
Startup Oct 2019
2015
Create D3MAX
July 2015
D3MAX, LLC
formation
Develop PPM and
start equity raise
2016
Equity Raise
Complete equity
raise
Design and
fabricate pilot
plant
2017
Pilot Testing
Development
Agreement with
Ace Ethanol
Pilot testing
March-Nov 2017
Start FEL 3
design for
D3MAX at Ace
2018
Engineering
Complete FEL 3
Capital cost
estimate by Fagen
Project approval
April 24, 2018
Oct 1 start
construction at
Ace Ethanol
2019
Construction
Engineering,
procurement and
construction by
Fagen
Startup Oct 2019
Typical Cellulosic Ethanol Process using Dilute Acid
Pretreatment, Enzymatic Hydrolysis & Fermentation
Feedstock harvest, transportation and
storagePretreatment
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Feedstock Preprocessing
Fermentation
Distillation
Ethanol
Residual Solids Dewatering
Water Treatment
Biomass Boiler
Electricity (internal use and
to grid)
Process Steam
Water Recycle/ Discharge
D3MAX Cellulosic Ethanol Process using Dilute Acid
Pretreatment, Enzymatic Hydrolysis & Fermentation
Feedstock harvest, transportation and
storagePretreatment
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Feedstock Preprocessing
Fermentation
Distillation
Ethanol
Residual Solids Dewatering
Water Treatment
Biomass Boiler
Electricity (internal use and
to grid)
Process Steam
Water Recycle/ Discharge
2.9 gal/bu undenatured
Wet cake
Thin stillageto evaps
Distillation System
Ethanol StorageBeer Well
Fermenters
Liquefaction
Cook Tank
Slurry TankHammer Mill
Whole Stillage
Decanters
SyrupDDGS
14 lb/bu30% protein
Dryers
Distillers Corn Oil (DCO)
0.7 lb/bu
Corn
Mole Sieves
Evaporators
Dry Mill Ethanol Plant without D3MAX
D3MAX feedstock
steam
Wet cake
Thin stillageto evaps
Thin stillageto evaps
Wet Cake Tank
Reactor
Hydrolysis/Fermentation Tanks Beer Column
New decanters
Flash Tank
Beer Well
Distillation System
Whitefox ethanol recovery
Ethanol StorageBeer Well
Fermenters
Liquefaction
Cook Tank
Slurry TankHammer Mill
Whole StillageExisting Decanters
acid
3.1 gal/bu undenatured
Existing Dryers DDGS
10.5 lb/bu~50% crude protein
Syrup
Plant
Corn
DCO
1.2 lb/bu
Mole Sieves
NO INCREASE IN ENERGY USE
D3MAX Process - Dry Mill with D3MAX
D3MAX Block Flow Diagram
Milling FermentationSaccharificationLiquefaction
Evaporation Centrifuge
Ethanol Storage
Distillation/ Dehydration
Dryer
Yeast CO2
Corn 10% Grind Increase
Steam Enzymes Enzymes
Pretreatment
Hydrolysis
Centrifuge Beer ColumnFermentation
Syrup
Thin Stillage
Steam
Acid
Steam
Whole Stillage
Wet cake CO2Yeast
Thin
Sti
llage
Ethanol17% increase
55% ProteinDDGS
Condensate
Steam
BC Overhead
Corn Oil1.2 lb/bu
EthanolWet cake
Beer
WhitefoxEthanol
Backset
Mole Sieve Regen and some 190 proof
Whole Stillage
Existing
D3MAX/ Whitefox
Products
Enzymes
Ammonia
D3MAX Technology
• There are three primary steps for the D3MAX process:
• Pretreatment – converts hemicellulose to monomeric sugars and oligomers
• Enzymatic Hydrolysis – converts cellulose to glucose and oligomers to monomers
• Fermentation – ferments glucose, xylose, arabinose and other sugars to ethanol
• Followed by traditional ethanol distillation, membrane dehydration, and
whole stillage processing
Pretreatment Whole StillageProcessing
Distillation &Dehydration
Hydrolysis &Fermentation
Step 1: PretreatmentWet cake (35% solids) Wet cake + water (25% solids)
Pretreatment Reactor:
Acid + heat + time
Pretreated wet cake
Sugar Yields in Pretreatment
• Hemicellulose in the wet cake is hydrolyzed by dilute acid to monomeric
and oligomeric sugars
• Xylan is the most difficult carbohydrate to convert to monomeric xylose
Average Soluble Sugar Yields
Xylose 92%
Arabinose 90%
Galactose 89%
Mannose 77%
Fermentation Inhibitors
HMF 0.3 g/l
Furfural 0.9 g/l
Acetic Acid 2.5 g/l
R² = 0.9412
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Mo
no
me
ric
Xy
lose
(%)
Retention Time (min)
Monomeric Xylose vs. Retention Time
Pretreatment Reactor Temp vs Pressure
0
50
100
150
200
250
0 50 100 150 200 250
Pre
ssu
re (
psi
g)
Temperature (deg C)
Saturated Steam - P vs. T
Low pretreatment temperature results in lower capex and opex, and lower corrosion rates when using an acid catalyst
D3MAX operating range <40 psi
Pretreatment Reactor installed at Ace Ethanol
Step 2: Enzymatic Hydrolysisc) Add enzymesb) Raise pHa) Lower temperature
Start of Enzymatic Hydrolysis
(video)
Enzymatic Hydrolysis + 6 hours
(video)
Sugar Yields in Enzymatic Hydrolysis
SU
GA
R C
ON
CE
NT
RA
TIO
N (
G/L
)
HYDROLYSIS TIME
Glucose
Xylose
Arabinose
Galactose
Mannose
Step 3: Fermentationc) Pitch yeastb) Adjust pHa) Lower temperature
Sugar Consumption in Fermentation
SU
GA
R &
ET
HA
NO
L C
ON
CE
NT
RA
TIO
N
FERMENTATION TIME
Sugar Consumption and Ethanol Yield
Glucose Xylose Galactose Arabinose Mannose Ethanol
D3MAX Pilot Plant
Yeast
Wet Cake Fermenter
Water 300 gal
Vent Condenser
Flash Steam
Feed Tank Flash Tank
800 gal. 120 gal
Ammonia
50 ton/day @ 25% solids Enzymes
(12.5 dry ton/day)
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis and fermentation are batch Tank 600 gal
to waste
removable hose
transfer hydrolysate to fermenter
∞
Pretreatment Reactor
Beer
Fermenter Pump
DiaphragmPump
Feed Pump
Steam/acid
Ace Ethanol D3MAX Project Update
• The Ace D3MAX project will be a full-scale, commercial D3MAX plant - all
of the Ace wet cake (without syrup) will be processed by the D3MAX plant
• The D3MAX plant will process 225 dry ton/day of wet cake or 750 wet
tons at 30% solids and produce approximately 3.5 million gal/year of
undenatured cellulosic ethanol
• Ace’s overall ethanol yield will increase from 2.9 to 3.1 gal/bu
• DDGS protein will increase from 30% to >50%
• DDGS volume will decrease by ~25%
• Ace’s overall energy use will not increase after D3MAX and Whitefox
systems are operational
D3MAX
Project Site
Ace Ethanol – Stanley, WI
D3MAX corn fiber
to ethanol plant
Ace Ethanol - D3MAX Plant Layout
Start of Construction – Oct 1, 2018
November 2018
November 2018
December 2018
January 2019
February 2019
March 2019
April 2019
May 2019
June 2019 - Pretreatment Reactor Shipped
July 2019
July 2019
July 2019
July 2019
August 2019
August 2019
August 2019
August 2019
August 2019
August 2019
Lessons Learned
• Wet cake is very abrasive
• Material selection is important!
• Until the viscosity break in enzymatic hydrolysis, wet cake at 25-30%
solids is a very thick slurry (>10,000 cp)
• Equipment, valves, piping, and instrumentation must all be properly designed for the
process conditions
• Removing fiber and creating more syrup creates a difficult material to dry
• pH control is critical to prevent Maillard reactions
• Maillard reactions reduce ethanol yield, consume amino acids, and darken the high
protein DDGS
Areas for Improvement
1. Reduce the cost of monomeric sugar production from corn fiber
a) Reduce the amount of acid used in pretreatment; this will automatically reduce the
amount of base needed to neutralize the acid
b) Reduce the cost of enzymes and increase their efficiency; customize the enzyme
cocktail for corn fiber hydrolysate
c) Reduce capital costs related to sugar production
2. Improve high protein DDGS drying (if necessary)
a) Ethanol plants without dryers?
3. Minimize Maillard reactions
Thank you!
For more information please contact
Mark Yancey
cell: 303-906-6234
