Greenbelt Resources Corporation has announced successful performance testing results from its automated distillation module. The module, available separately or as part of a complete sustainable energy production system, efficiently generated hydrous ethanol, distilled water and fertilizer from beer stock of 4 percent ethanol at a rate of 70,000 gpy (gallons per year) – or 10 gallons per hour. The test occurred in continuous operation under the control of a proprietary, fully-automated process control system. Greenbelt said efficiencies in process, output and energy consumption exceeded benchmarks set as baseline performance standards necessary for shipped systems.

According to Greenbelt, by applying automated controls, the distillation process operates continuously with only periodic operator attendance. Designed both for remote monitoring and remote adjustment and control, the system issues email and text alerts for conditions detected that are outside the customer-set limits or that require operator attention. With excessive water use a growing concern, the system is designed to distill with minimum use of cooling water. Through increased air cooling, the use of cooling water can be eliminated entirely.

“As national and global targets for commercial ethanol production increase, we believe that performance tests like this are crucial for proving that many distributed feedstocks available in limited local quantities are viable at a localized scale,” said Darren Eng, CEO of Greenbelt Resources Corporation. “Meeting these critical early benchmarks for automated distillation offers proof that our system is the best option out there for converting cellulosic and other biomass waste into ethanol for the masses with the smallest carbon footprint.”

The system will output at a higher rate of ethanol production when feedstock originates at a higher concentration of ethanol, but can produce fuel-grade ethanol with optimum energy efficiency from low-ethanol-concentration feeds according to the company. This condition is often encountered when producing ethanol from wastes and certain cellulosic feedstocks.

The module can be shipped as a complete, fully tested system to domestic or international locations and be ready to operate within five days of delivery.