Corn harvest kicks off massive cob storage project

Idaho National Lab
By Nicole Stricker, INL Communications & Governmental Affairs

The 2009 corn harvest may be over, but for biomass researchers at Idaho National Laboratory, the interesting part is just beginning. Corn cobs that once had limited uses are becoming a valuable precursor to renewable fuels, and INL researchers are helping develop the logistical know-how to get cobs from fields to the biorefinery.

In partnership with the Department of Energy’s Office of the Biomass Program (DOE-OBP), a consortium that includes several equipment manufacturers, farmers, ethanol producer POET and INL have worked together to establish the largest corn cob storage study of its kind. Cobs collected during this season's harvest are being stored on Iowa and South Dakota farms and studied by INL researchers to develop recommended best practices for loose cob storage, cob baling and baled cob storage.

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