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Collection, Commercial Processing, and Utilization of Corn Stover.

DE2008917000

Publication Date	2007
Personal Author	Aristidou, A.; Kean, R.
Page Count	116
Abstract	The two main objectives of this project were: (1) to develop and test technologies to harvest, transport, store, and separate corn stover to supply a clean raw material to the bioproducts industry, and (2) engineer fermentation systems to meet performance targets for lactic acid and ethanol manufacturers. Significant progress was made in testing methods to harvest corn stover in a single pass harvest mode (collect corn grain and stover at the same time). This is technically feasible on small scale, but additional equipment refinements will be needed to facilitate cost effective harvest on a larger scale. Transportation models were developed, which indicate that at a corn stover yield of 2.8 tons/acre and purchase price of $35/ton stover, it would be unprofitable to transport stover more than about 25 miles; thus suggesting the development of many regional collection centers. Therefore, collection centers should be located within about 30 miles of the farm, to keep transportation costs to an acceptable level. These collection centers could then potentially do some preprocessing (to fractionate or increase bulk density) and/or ship the biomass by rail or barge to the final customers. Wet storage of stover via ensilage was tested, but no clear economic advantages were evident. Wet storage eliminates fire risk, but increases the complexity of component separation and may result in a small loss of carbohydrate content (fermentation potential).
Keywords	Biomass Fuels Agricultural wastes Bulk density Carbohydrates Commercialization Economics Ethanol Fermentation Lactic acid Maize Optimization Raw materials Saccharides Targets Testing Toxins Transport Viability Wet storage Corn stover
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	NatureWorks LLC., Minnetonka, MN.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200816
Contract Number	DE-FC36-031D14216

Collection, Commercial Processing, and Utilization of Corn Stover.

Collection, Commercial Processing, and Utilization of Corn Stover.
DE2008917000

Publication Date	2007
Personal Author	Aristidou, A.; Kean, R.
Page Count	116
Abstract	The two main objectives of this project were: (1) to develop and test technologies to harvest, transport, store, and separate corn stover to supply a clean raw material to the bioproducts industry, and (2) engineer fermentation systems to meet performance targets for lactic acid and ethanol manufacturers. Significant progress was made in testing methods to harvest corn stover in a single pass harvest mode (collect corn grain and stover at the same time). This is technically feasible on small scale, but additional equipment refinements will be needed to facilitate cost effective harvest on a larger scale. Transportation models were developed, which indicate that at a corn stover yield of 2.8 tons/acre and purchase price of $35/ton stover, it would be unprofitable to transport stover more than about 25 miles; thus suggesting the development of many regional collection centers. Therefore, collection centers should be located within about 30 miles of the farm, to keep transportation costs to an acceptable level. These collection centers could then potentially do some preprocessing (to fractionate or increase bulk density) and/or ship the biomass by rail or barge to the final customers. Wet storage of stover via ensilage was tested, but no clear economic advantages were evident. Wet storage eliminates fire risk, but increases the complexity of component separation and may result in a small loss of carbohydrate content (fermentation potential).
Keywords	Biomass Fuels Agricultural wastes Bulk density Carbohydrates Commercialization Economics Ethanol Fermentation Lactic acid Maize Optimization Raw materials Saccharides Targets Testing Toxins Transport Viability Wet storage Corn stover
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	NatureWorks LLC., Minnetonka, MN.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200816
Contract Number	DE-FC36-031D14216