Sodium Levels are the Problem,
PureMash Can be the Solution
Well recognized in ethanol production is that high sodium levels are bad for business. It has been documented that sodium in the presence of other yeast inhibitors are synergistic to reducing ethanol yield. What are the common sources of sodium in an ethanol plant? You cannot really identify corn as the problem; containing up to .15% sodium, but on average .03%. The real culprit lies in the streams ethanol plants feed into their processes.
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CIP - Use of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) to remove protein and disinfect equipment is a large contributor of sodium.
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Cooling Towers - Use of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is a contributor of sodium - especially during the heat of the summer when more bleach is added for biocidal control
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BioMethanator - Sodium seems to pass thru the methanator unchallenged; further concentrating the sodium
Combine these sodium levels with other yeast inhibitors such as lactic acid, acetic acid or sulfites and you have a cocktail to slow your yeast performance. All in all, sodium and its synergistic inhibitors will cause yeast metabolism to drop, yeast cell kills to increase, cell count to drop, with a resulting increase in sugar bleeding to the beer well. None of this spells bonus to the plant manager . What can PureMash do for you?Nothing short of providing some simple solutions. First, replace your cooling tower biocide with chlorine dioxide. Our automated chlorine dioxide generators will deliver a stream of biocide that is 3X to 7X more effective than bleach. If a 100MGY facility is using 600gal/week of bleach, expect to equivalently use no more than 200gal/week of chlorine dioxide; that will drop your sodium and this should not cost you more than your bleach application. Further, while caustic soda is great at removing protein, but is not as effective as other disinfectants that do not generate sodium (chlorine dioxide). PureMash recommends running chlorine dioxide through your CIP system for disinfection. Why chlorine dioxide? - Chlorine Dioxide is a more effective sanitizer than caustic
- Chlorine Dioxide will not add to your sodium stream
- Chlorine Dioxide is considerably more effective than caustic at lower temperatures
- Because Chlorine Dioxide is always a gas (even in a solution), the off gassing will kill areas that are not "wetted"
- Equipment that is not "CIPed" will form biofilms that will be more effectively removed by Chlorine Dioxide
- You will save on sodium hydroxide cost and employ a much more effective disinfectant.
The biomethanator is a subject of much discussion. Many plants have simply turned it off. Finally, those little synergistic inhibitors, lactic acid, acetic acid are all controllable with the use of PureMash. Controlling bacteria in the fermentation process is what makes PureMash superior to other solutions.
Bob Sullivan
bobsullivan1019@comcast.net
PureMash
www.PureMash.com312-725-4029 |
