Ethanol Blog

An Idaho ethanol plant will use new milling technology that will increase ethanol yield, according to an article by the Twin Falls Times-News (http://bit.ly/…).

Pacific Ethanol's plant in Burley, Idaho will use ICM Inc.'s Selective Milling Technology. The company's grinding equipment will increase exposure of corn starches, resulting in improved yield and performance. The technology also reduces viscosity and increases oil recovery.

Capturing corn oil from either corn during ethanol production or from the resulting distillers grains has been a booming trend in U.S. ethanol plants that began to increase profit margins and provide an additional revenue stream when corn prices are high. An estimated 80% of all U.S. ethanol plants now extract corn oil.

Pacific Ethanol's plant currently produces more than 60 million gallons of ethanol a year, as well as 500,000 tons of wet distillers grain and 12 million gallons of oil, both used as animal feed. The WDG is sold to local dairies and feedlots, while the oil is sold to feedlots and poultry operations, though most of the oil is used for biodiesel production.

Cheryl Anderson can be reached at Cheryl.anderson@dtn.com

(ES)

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