Web exclusive posted April 7, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. CST

The Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council, along with the Agriculture Utilization and Research Institute of Minnesota, have each invested $50,000 to determine the value and viability of corn cobs as biomass energy feedstock.

The effort, which is being led by Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company, will be conducted during the 2008 harvest season when corn cobs from approximately 5,000 acres will be collected.

CVEC Coordinator, Gene Fynboh said the willingness of the organizations to financially support the exploration of using corn cobs has been crucial to getting the project underway.

"Having an alterative energy source that is economical and lower in carbon emissions could make ethanol production more efficient, and corn farming more profitable," said Jerry Larson, chair of the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council.

CVEC and its technology partner, Frontline BioEnergy of Ames, Iowa, are installing a new biomass gasification system at CVEC's 47 Benson, Minn.'s 47 MMgy corn dry mill ethanol facility, which will be capable of converting biomass materials into thermal energy that can displace the plant's natural gas energy inputs. The plant, which presently uses wood biomass, could be converted to use corn cobs.

"Corn cob biomass has superior material handling properties and much lower ash content than corn stover, making it a better thermal energy source for ethanol plants," said Bill Lee, general manager of CVEC. Lee said the corn cobs could potentially become the primary source of fuel at the plant. "The cobs collected from the same acres that supply corn to the ethanol plant can provide about 75 percent of the plant's gas energy needs," he said.

Other members of the project team include the University of Minnesota, Morris, and the West Central Research and Outreach Center located in Morris, MN. The WCROC staff will provide coordination, testing and data collection and analysis for the project.