2008 IPG Ethanol Method
Illinois Seed News Article – July-September 2008. DuPont announced in June it has received an external independent validation from the Illinois Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) which shows that its Ethanol Yield Potential (EYP) near infrared (NIR) calibration reliably predicts the ethanol output of whole corn grain.
The calibration, developed by DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, allows ethanol plants to rapidly and consistently evaluate incoming grain, helping both plant managers and growers determine which corn hybrids and management practices can improve ethanol production. It provides a measurement of the gallons of EYP per bushel of corn.
“Rapid determination of EYP of corn can be a valuable step in improving ethanol plant efficiency,” said Dennis Thompson, ICIA chief executive officer. “ICIA recognizes the need for rapid measurement tools based on standardized reference lab methods. Our initial validation procedures have shown a strong correlation between the Pioneer EYP calibration and our laboratory method.”
The ICIA laboratory fermentation method uses the procedure developed by Dr. Kent Rausch and others at the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering to evaluate ethanol yield potential in the conventional dry-grind ethanol process. Further collaboration to evaluate and compare the ICIA and Pioneer laboratory methods is planned.
The technology allows ethanol producers to use analytical data to manage the corn grain feeding for their ethanol production process through rapid analysis and grading at the point of grain receiving.
Farmers will be able to take this information and combine it with their on-farm agronomic performance data to tailor the corn hybrids they plant and apply management practices to maximize the ethanol yield on every acre.
Source -July-September 2008 edition of Illinois Seed News.