Shredding Corn Silage Could Produce More Ethanol At Less Cost
Hydrocarbon Online:
A Purdue University researcher has found a way to get more bang for fewer bucks when it comes to processing cellulosic material to make ethanol.
By shredding corn stover instead of chopping, as is commonly done, about 40 percent less energy is needed to gain access to more of the material stored in the plant. Dennis Buckmaster, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, said that by shredding corn stover there is better access to cellulose, which is the main part of plant cell walls necessary to make ethanol.
“You can’t just use a big chunk of cellulosic material. You need small particles,” Buckmaster said. “What we want is access to what’s in there.”
Using a technique employed in food processing and other industries to measure cell damage, Buckmaster put chopped and shredded corn stalks in water and compared the amount of leachates in each solution. A leachate is any plant substance that is dissolved out of a plant or soil when it is placed in water. Read more.
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