Shimadzu and Groton Biosystems Collaborate on High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) System for Ethanol Analysis

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (Columbia, Maryland) and Groton Biosystems (Boxborough, Massachusetts) recently announced a collaboration effort to interface Groton’s online sampling monitors with Shimadzu’s high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system to form a closed-loop solution for online analysis. Manufacturers will be able to quickly and efficiently optimize enzyme levels in mash by incorporating this system into the bio-ethanol production process.

With this automated HPLC ethanol monitoring system, manufacturers can determine the appropriate times to add enzymes with only a few key strokes. Optimized enzymes yield more product and limit the formation of useless by-products.

“Our collaboration with Shimadzu gives ethanol manufacturers more control over the fermentation process,” said Bill Dinardo, CEO of Groton Biosystems. “Now they can sample product automatically, monitor enzyme levels, and get the reliable data needed for fermentation trend analysis.”

Groton Biosystems provides the biofuel industry a sterile sampling system able to function in the high-solids/high-viscosity environment found in both corn and biomass fermentations. The ARS system provides automated and real-time online sampling to commercial fuel ethanol plants, enabling the monitoring of both enzyme activity and ethanol production from corn starch.

Shimadzu has been working with biofuel manufacturers from the outset, providing a range of HPLC instrumentation to meet specific needs. Today, Shimadzu supports both bioethanol and biodiesel, working with central commercial labs, R&D and academic facilities engaged in biofuels research, and, of course, biofuel plant labs.

“U.S. manufacturers of bioethanol and biodiesel are struggling to keep up with dramatically increasing demand for alternative fuels,” said Curtis Campbell, Ph.D., HPLC business manager with Shimadzu. “Groton shares our vision to provide manufacturers with the analysis tools they need to increase their yield to help satisfy our national needs.”