Use of corn fiber could increase ethanol production

AgriNewsOnline.com

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

By Nat Williams


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Removing fiber from DDGS results in superior product for swine

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Holly Jessen February 27, 2012

Removing fiber from dried distillers grains with solubles using the elusieve process results in an enhanced product with greater nutritional value for growing and finishing pigs, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

The elusieve process separates fiber from DDGS by blowing air through DDGS that has been separated by particle size. “[It’s] similar to separating chaff from wheat,” according to a website about the process. Not yet being used at commercial scale, the elusieve process is being researched at pilot scale at Mississippi State University, which has the equipment to separate fiber from one ton of DDGS an hour, according to Radhakrishnan Srinivasan, assistant research professor at MSU’s department of agricultural and biological engineering. Srinivasan studied the process at the University of Illinois while completing his doctorate and now works at MSU.

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NDSU begins BioEPIC journey

Biomass Magazine - April 2008
By Jerry W. Kram

From seed to harvest to factory to final product, all phases of the biomass industry are fair game for study at the Bio Energy and Product Innovation Center, part of North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. BioEPIC offers a focus on research, education and technology for the biomass industry, said center Codirector Ken Hellevang, a professor in NDSU’s Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering Department.

The program is looking at more than just biofuels. One set of projects is looking at composites of biomass-based resins and fibers, which can replace fiberglass and plastics in a multitude of applications. One project is focusing on making tiny cellulose fibers called “nanowhiskers” from wheat straw. Preliminary work indicates that manufacturing nanowhiskers could add as much as $770,000 to the bottom line of a cellulosic ethanol plant using wheat straw as a feedstock.

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