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Oral Presentation 1-01 Strategies for Enhanced Ethanol Yield from Corn
R. J. Bothast,
L. B. Iten, and B. S. Dien USDA-ARS-NCAUR, 1815 N. University Street, Peoria,
IL 61604 E-mail:
ebenermm@ncaur.usda.gov
Last year over 1.8 billion
gallons of fuel ethanol were produced from nearly 700 million bushels of
corn. Ethanol demand is expected to
more than double in the next few years with the phase-out of MTBE (methyl
tertiary butyl ether) as a fuel oxygenate.
In order to improve the yield of fuel ethanol from a bushel of corn, our
research program on biofuels is focused in the short term on identifying higher
yielding hybrids, conversion of corn hulls/fiber/bran in the grain, and
generating higher value coproducts. The
seed corn industry has suggested development of grains with tailored traits,
e.g., corn with higher and more fermentable starch content. Our research has shown that the availability
(digestibility) of starch is more important than the actual starch
content. In addition, our collaborative
research with industry and academia has shown that conversion of corn fiber can
enhance ethanol yield from a bushel of corn by 10%. Utilization of the starch, cellulose, and hemicellulose present
in corn hulls/fiber/bran for ethanol has the potential to yield a higher
protein coproduct from grain fermentations than the products (corn gluten feed
and distillers dried grains plus solubles) on the market today.
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