Processing Brewers’ Spent Grains:

creating protein rich animal feed from brewing waste

Samuel Elizondo Villarreal, Lucy Epshteyn, Zhicheng Xu, Ryan Mitchell, Advisor: Haibo Huang, Ph.D.

Project Background Ethanol Design Process Economic Comparison

• BSG is the leftover waste Protein Recovery
from barley grain kernel Payback Time
used in brewing industry
Ethanol
• contains viable proteins, fats, Alcohol
and fiber for daily nutrition
• Approximately 40 million
tonnes of BSG produced
globally every year Alcalase
• Currently utilized as low Protein
value cattle feed, landfilled,
or composted https://www.craftbeer.com/breweries/find-a-us-brewery

• Due to high moisture content United States Brewery Locations Economic Analysis: Ethanol Process 16.00% 16.50% 17.00% 17.50% 18.00% 18.50% 19.00% Alcohol Experimental Alcohol Theoretical

Total Capital Investment $45,311,000 Percent Protein Recovered from Initial Concentration Enzyme Experimental Enzyme Theoretical
(70-80%), BSG spoils quickly Operating Cost/Year $28,077,000
Experimental Analysis: Payback Period (years):
Revenues $44,470,000

Problem Statement Unit Production Cost/kg

Unit Production
Revenue/kg
Return on Investment
• Design an experiment to solubilize protein in BSG using either Payback Time (years)
ethanol or Alcalase, and filter solution to concentrate protein Net Present Value
and reduce high fiber content
Economic Evaluations:
• Based on experimental results, design SuperPro process to determined by final product
$6.00
• on average, approximately 18.75% of initial
protein recovered from alcohol process
• Ethanol Experimental:43.7
• Ethanol Theoretical:3.2
$9.50 • 17% protein recovered from Alcalase
30.30% processes • Alcalase Experimental:42.5
3.2 • Alcalase Theoretical:3.2
$4,908,300 Process Revenue per Year
$40,000,000
Process Comparison:

Operation Cost /year

Gant Chart: equipment scheduling, showing
$35,000,000

• Operating costs of both

$33,796,000
price of $9.50 based on
$33,180,000
create large scale, mass production process for extracting process run time of 36 hours, with the reactor processes in close range
similar animal feed costs
$30,000,000

protein and filtering fiber from BSG V-101 being the rate limiting step $28,077,000
• Alcalase process requires high
and protein concentrations $25,957,000
• Determine economic viability of experimental results and
$25,000,000
capital investment, but returns
determine required throughput of BSG to create a profitable greatest revenue per year
Alcalase Design Process
$20,000,000

• Alcalase process proves more

process to develop high protein animal feed/substitutes $15,000,000
$20,000,000 $40,000,000 $60,000,000 $80,000,000 $100,000,000 $120,000,000
profitable than alcohol process
for processing BSG
Constraints & Criteria
Total Capital Investment

Alcohol Experimental Alcohol Theoretical

• High water content causes
rapid spoilage of BSG from
microbial activity
• Determine location of facility
and cost of transportation
• Digestion issues from high fiber • Final product will be a pure
content: lignin, hemicellulose,
cellulose
Enzyme Experimental Enzyme Theoretical
• Create protein feed approved
by FDA guidelines Final Conclusions
• Theoretical Protein recovery of 30% produces economically viable
• Processing facility located at
process designs for alcohol and ethanol designs, however 17.02%
brewery location
and 18.75% respectively do not
• Alcalase process has greater economic returns, but also
contributes higher total capital investment and operational costs
Economic Analysis: Alcalase Process
• Continual improvement required in designing experiments to
protein concentrate from BSG Total Capital Investment $65,911,000
increase experimental protein recovery
Operating Cost/Year $25,957,000

Design Improvements
Revenues $49,803,000
• Minimize unit operations and • Reduce fiber content to 40% Unit Production Cost/kg $4.90

costs to improve efficiency and soluble and 5% insoluble fiber Unit Production Revenue/kg $9.50

profitability Return on Investment 30.50% • Test more experimental trials using varying amounts of
Payback Time (years) 3.2 ethanol/water v/v and Alcalase to dry BSG v/mass for protein
recovery
Standards
Net Present Value $70,680,000

Economic Evaluations: Alcalase process Gant Chart: equipment scheduling, showing • Reduce the water content of BSG to less than 66%
GMP Good Manufacturing Process: FDA regulations require all breweries to have GMP proved more economically valuable despite process run time of 38 hours, with the reactor • Improve protein capture yields from both systems
program in place higher Capital Investment/Operating Cost V-101 being the rate limiting step • Experiment with additional filter sizes (20 kD- 100 kD) to increase
protein filtration rate
AFSS Animal Feed Safety System: manufacturing, labeling, storage, distribution, and use
of animal food Experimental Process Design • Experiment with upgraded SuperPro or Aspen software to improve
FDAAA Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act: requires FDA to establish warning BSG was removed from simulation accuracy
system about unsafe pet food, improve pet food labeling, and create standards for
pet food ingredients
freezer, thawed, and milled
in a wet grinding mill.
Acknowledgments
FSMA Food Safety Modernization Act: prevention of food safety issues, gives FDA power to Samples were put into 16
The team would like to thank Dr. Haibo Huang for his time,
require science-based preventive control across food supply, including animal feed separate beakers, 8 using
ethanol and 8 using patience, and guidance. We would like to acknowledge and thank
PHSBPRA Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act:
registration required for all domestic/foreign human food and animal feed facilities Alcalase for solubilizing Dr. Senger for his time and direction with SuperPro design
proteins. Samples were software that elevated the team’s understanding of modeling the
HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point: assess food safety through
filtered using 10 and 100
control/analysis of physical, chemical, and biological hazards from raw material design process. We would also like to thank Dr. Hession for
nm filters, and cakes were
production
oven dried for protein assisting in the ordering of materials, guidance throughout the
AAFCO Association of American Feed Control Officials: regulate distribution and sale of
analysis. entire project, and for providing constructive feedback.
animal feeds/animal drug remedies