www.nebraskacorn.org/ An important use for corn is ethanol -- which is a fuel for our vehicles. To make this renewable fuel, you need to understand that each corn kernel is made of protein, starch, fiber and oil. Ethanol plants use just the corn starch part. The corn starch is converted to sugar and then fermented into ethanol. The rest of the kernel, including the protein and fiber, is saved by the ethanol plant and sold as feed for livestock and poultry. This is the distillers grains and it's really nutritious for animals. It's why corn farmers always say that from every bushel of corn you get fuel and feed! Ethanol plants are almost always located in small towns, which is really important because small towns need good jobs for the people who want to live there. There are a couple of ways to making ethanol, we're going to focus on what is known as dry milling because it's the most common. To begin the process of making ethanol, corn is delivered to the ethanol plant by a truck or train. The corn is ground up and conveyed to a cooking system. Click on Chapter 3 to learn more about the cooking system.

Be the first to comment