US 11,884,568 B2
Recycling of sodium sulfate in starch processing
Carlos Eduardo Hurtado Gonzalez, Bridgewater, NJ (US)
Assigned to Corn Products Development, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ (US)
Appl. No. 17/260,470
Filed by CORN PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT, INC., Westchester, IL (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 13, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/046354
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/036960, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 20, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/CN2018/100350 (WO), filed on Aug. 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0269345 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. C02F 9/02 (2006.01); C02F 9/00 (2023.01); C01D 5/16 (2006.01); C02F 1/00 (2023.01); C02F 1/28 (2023.01); C02F 1/32 (2023.01); C02F 1/42 (2023.01); C02F 1/44 (2023.01); C02F 3/12 (2023.01); C02F 101/10 (2006.01); C02F 103/32 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 9/00 (2013.01) [C01D 5/16 (2013.01); C02F 1/004 (2013.01); C02F 1/283 (2013.01); C02F 1/32 (2013.01); C02F 1/42 (2013.01); C02F 1/441 (2013.01); C02F 1/442 (2013.01); C02F 3/1268 (2013.01); C02F 2001/425 (2013.01); C02F 2101/101 (2013.01); C02F 2103/32 (2013.01); C02F 2209/08 (2013.01); C02F 2301/066 (2013.01); C02F 2301/08 (2013.01); C02F 2303/18 (2013.01); C02F 2303/24 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
(a) a membrane bioreactor unit configured to treat process water, the process water comprising sodium sulfate, being from a starch process and having a chemical oxygen content at least 1000 mg(O2/L), the membrane bioreactor by being configured to reduce the chemical oxygen content of the process to less than 250 mg(O2)/L;
(b) a cationic ion exchange unit configured to receive the permeate from the membrane bioreactor unit; and
(c) a high pressure filtration unit configured to: i) receive the permeate from the cationic ion exchange unit, ii) concentrate sodium sulfate in the permeate from the cationic ion exchange unit to obtain a concentrated sodium sulfate solution having at least 100,000 mg/L sodium sulfate; and iii) recycle the concentrated sodium sulfate solution to the starch process
wherein the high pressure filtration unit has a molecular weight cut off of less than 200 Da.