Spent Grain Dewatering

grim

If you can go on-grain through your full process, and don't dewater until after distillation, you don't need sanitary separation equipment (obviously).

If you are trying to do this prior to fermentation, get ready to pony up big $$ - like Cotherman's example above.

The pig shit separators work, but they don't need to be easy to clean when you are separating pig shit all day long, covered in pig shit, walking through pig shit (I'm sure you get the point).

Unsensibel

What I don't fully understand is why someone with a jacketed still would be interested in de-watering when you can distill on the grain?
To me this only seems as an option for treatment before disposing into sewage in case the city has an issue.

On the element in pot distillers that looks like a great potential. I would try to de-water after fermentation though to have the most potential yield out of the grains.

CothermanDistilling

fermenting and distilling on the grain yields some/more methanol, correct?

FYI - I have all my product come in as 'lautered'.. just easier for my process, someday I want to do corn/wheat/rye/unmalted barley, but I do not want wet gain stinking to high heaven... so a solid separator and maybe a bit of drying or move to tightly sealed drums for farmer pickup..

I do not want stinky, as I am in the middle of downtown, and the guy across the parking lot with a 60gal brewery and no floor drains wash out their mash tun and the tiny amount of malt in puddles stinks to high heaven... I tried to get then to dig a hole where it collects most, and put a sump pump in it and a hose to the sewer, but apparently it is too much work for them....

Unsensibel

@CothermanDistilling said: fermenting and distilling on the grain yields some/more methanol, correct?

I thought methanol was only a concern in high pectin washes but not on grains.

jacksonbrown

That's what I though too. In any case that's what cuts are for.
I would want to stand next those sealed drums of moist, spent grain on a warm day either.

grim

Dewatering post distillation to get rid of the solids in the stillage. Liquid down the drain, solids go elsewhere.

We pack spent grains into sanitized HDPE lock top drums. They don't smell at all.

Unsensibel

@grim is that a requirement or do you do it on your own? Reason for me asking is 'cause around here, the distillers just dump everything down the sewers...

jacksonbrown

@grim said: We pack spent grains into sanitized HDPE lock top drums. They don't smell at all.

No issues with pressure build up?

FloridaCracker

@grim said: The pig shit separators work, but they don't need to be easy to clean when you are separating pig shit all day long, covered in pig shit, walking through pig shit (I'm sure you get the point).

Maybe someone can explain to me why someone would want to separate out pig shit. Damned if I can think of one good reason.

Smaug

Because watery pig shit is less desirable. Every one knows that!

dad

Dry pig shit can be composted, packaged and sold as fertilizer easier than wet pig shit.

Dry/composted can be stored and used later. Wet has to be spread today, like now.

FullySilenced

dried pig shit still smells like pig shit though.... just sayin

grim

No pressure build up at all, post distillation I've got to imagine it's pretty sterile, and with sanitized drums and a relatively clean process, we aren't introducing much in the way of microbes. Besides, as post-fermentation, there isn't much in the way of sugars remaining, and the pH/acidity has got to be inhibitory. It actually keeps well. You would have absolutely no idea at all that we generally hold 1000lbs of spent grain indoors at any time. Packing, dumping, and cleaning drums is a pain though. With drier grain, we could turn over faster, less work.

grim

@Unsensibel said: grim is that a requirement or do you do it on your own? Reason for me asking is 'cause around here, the distillers just dump everything down the sewers...

Bourbon mash into the sewer? I would have a hard time imagining that is legal anywhere.

jacksonbrown

Good to know, cheers

CothermanDistilling

@Unsensibel said: I thought methanol was only a concern in high pectin washes but not on grains.

Methanol is wood alcohol, I think(not sure 100%) the husks of grain count as wood if the yeasts ferment any of them... I do not ferment on the grain...

cuts are good at lots of things.. but you have to have the bad stuff in there to get it out, and like @grim said, a good fermentation has less crap... I can drink my wash and also hand a glass to friends when I explain why I distill the way I do and what a sour mash is... it tastes like beer with no hops and is dry like cider

dad

I've been two places recently where AG, distilled on the grain, waste went straight into the sewer in large commercial districts.

Knafs

How well would something like this work for drying grains?

Harvest Bounty Apple Cider Press with Stainless Basket, NIB, BIN @ eBay

richard

This system is still quite labour intensive. However our yield is high for sugars etc.

Below is our cider press.

bachman

Use a hydraulic press from harbor freight

HighSpirits

How did you guys get on with this? Currently searching for a solution to pressing grain post fermentation as I'm losing about 20% to the grain that could be in the still!

zymurgybob

@HighSpirits, what kind of grain are you talking about? 20% seems like a big loss for barley, but I can imaging it for corn-based grain bills.

HighSpirits

We are using triticale milled to grist