Web exclusive posted Jan. 9, 2008, at 12:45 p.m. CST
Quad County Corn Processors , a 30 MMgy corn ethanol plant in Galva, Iowa, has partnered with
FCStone Carbon LLC to test and scale up a patented ultrasonic process technology for ethanol production. According to a press release put out by FCStone Carbon on Jan. 8, the novel process could increase the long-term sustainability of ethanol production.
In this first scale-up effort, "sonication" will be applied to Quad County's cooked corn slurry. According to FCStone Carbon, research indicates that sonication results in a more efficient breakdown of corn starch, resulting in more starch exposure and ultimately higher conversion yields. According to Mike Kinley, vice president of technology at FCStone Carbon, the company has also demonstrated that sonication leads to more efficient enzymatic activity in the corn slurry.
"We are confident our new ultrasonic technology will prove as successful in production as it has in research," Kinley said. "With Quad County as an enthusiastic partner in the full-scale testing we look forward to bringing the ethanol industry another tool to reduce costs and increase efficiency."
Quad County Corn Processors General Manger Mike Jerke said the plant's management team is pleased to be a test facility for applying sonication to real world ethanol production conditions. "This technology offers the potential for us to get more ethanol out of a bushel of corn, or even reduce the amount of corn and enzyme required to make a gallon of ethanol," explained Jerke. "We look forward to assisting in the commercial scale-up of this technological breakthrough."
FCStone Carbon, a wholly owned subsidiary of risk management firm FCStone Group Inc., reportedly has additional patents pending on this technology, as well as a patent pending on use of ultrasonic technology in cellulosic ethanol production.