Production of Ethanol

Farm Blog Finals Week

Corn biomass is the primary source to produce corn ethanol. The process of corn ethanol production consists of two stages: fermentation of ethanol and its distillation. Corn ethanol is one of the major sources of ethanol fuel in the U.S. since about 40.5% of American croplands seeded with corn are utilized for ethanol production. Corn ethanol can be produced in two ways that differ from each other based on the initial method of treating grain and co-products: wet milling and dry milling.

            (Bevill,K.)

Wet milling suggests the separation of the corn grain into components by drenching or steeping it in the diluted sulfuric acid for up to 48 hours. After that, the mix goes through several grinders to ensure effective separation of the corn germ. Then, segregation of starch, gluten, and fiber is completed with the application of centrifugal and hydrochloric separators and screen. The remainders of starch and water are fermented into ethanol by adding yeast to make carbon dioxide and ethanol from the fermented sugars. Then, the starch is dried and processed to produce corn syrup or sold in the market as modified corn starch. The livestock industry purchases another byproduct of wet milling – a corn gluten meal, which is a dried combination of the steeping liquor and gluten protein. Such byproducts as corn oil and heavy steep water are also sold.

Dry milling is the major technique of corn ethanol production in the U.S., reaching up to 805 of all manufacturing. The process of dry milling suggests grounding the whole corn kernel into mash (flour). Then, some water is added to ensure slurring. The starch is hydrolyzed by enriching the mash with enzymes. The pH and yeast are controlled by the added ammonia, after what that combination undergoes a procedure for bacteria level reduction – the high-temperature processing. Fermentation and cooling of the mash is completed by adding yeast for the promotion of yeast activity for next 50 hours. Fuel ethanol is obtained after purification through dehydration and distillation.

  (EIA)

Bevill, K. (2011, April 15). [Production of Ethanol]. Retrieved April 23, 2019, from http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/7680/commercial-conversion

“U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis.” U.S. Fuel Ethanol Production Continues to Grow in 2017 - Today in Energy - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA),

www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=32152.