Title: Unit 3 Readings and Lecture
Course: BFM 201 Ethanol Production > Section: BFM 201 Ethanol Production

Unit 3 Readings and Lecture

To Do:
Read Textbook: Ethanol Process Fundamentals – Chapter 3 pages 3.1 – 3.8
Corn kernels have high starch content and the protein level in the kernel makes corn a high value feedstock. Corn yields are high in the Midwest and the farmers have a lot of experience raising corn. There is a well-established infrastructure for producing and transporting corn grain making corn the primary feedstock for dry mill ethanol production.

Starch is about 70 wt.-% of the corn kernel (found in the endosperm). Starch is the storage mechanism for carbohydrates (sugars).  Starch consists of long chains of glucose molecules. Yeast in the fermentation process can only eat short chains of glucose; therefore the long chains need to be broken down. The first process in breaking the long chains into smaller chains is mechanical grinding to liberate starch granules so the enzymes can work on them.

There are a lot of logistics involved in receiving corn grain at the ethanol facility. It is not unusual for a facility capable of producing 110 million gallons annually to consume 39 million bushels of corn. The facility may receive 250 – 300 truckloads of grain daily. It is vital the quality of the grain is measured for each load. Chapter three does a nice job of explaining the various grain qualities necessary. Chapter 3 will also introduce you to the mechanical grinding process and types of grinding mills in operation.
References:

Blume, D., Fuller, R. B., & Winks, M. (2007). Chapter 7. In David Blume's Alcohol can be a gas!: Fueling an ethanol revolution for the 21st century. Santa Cruz, CA: International Institute for Ecological Agriculture.

Chapter 3. (2006). In Ethanol process fundamentals: An introduction to ethanol processing. Granite Falls, MN: Minnesota Energy Enterprise Center.

Brown, R. C. (2003). Biorenewable resources: Engineering new products from agriculture (pp. 161-165). Ames, IA: Blackwell Pub.