Abstract
The rapid growth of corn-based dry grind ethanol plants over the past decade in the US has resulted in a great increase in production of the coproduct DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles). Since some physical properties like low bulk density and poor flowability can impact the market potential of DDGS, pelleting of DDGS can be one of the easiest ways to improve this situation. Pellet quality is the focus of this project. The pelleting process was conducted with three initial DDGS moisture contents and two different dies; a total of six runs were completed to produce DDGS pellets. The physical qualities of pelleted DDGS were determined by measuring durability, bulk density, angle of repose, and color of the pellets. The results showed that the durability ranged from 42% to 89%, the highest pellet durability occurred when the moisture content was 20% db and the die diameter was 1/8 in. The bulk density increased when the DDGS moisture content decreased, and the highest bulk density was observed when the moisture content was 10% db and the die diameter was 1/8 in.
Highlights
The cost of non-renewable fossil fuels has significantly fluctuated in last several decades, due to the potential decline in overall fossil fuel supply in coming years, as well as a variety of other international factors
The results showed that the durability ranged from 42% to 89%, the highest pellet durability occurred when the moisture content was 20% db and the die diameter was 1/8 in
It was determined that the die size had no significant influence on the final DDGS pellet moisture content, while the initial DDGS moisture level had a significant effect on the final DDGS pellet moisture content
Summary
The cost of non-renewable fossil fuels has significantly fluctuated in last several decades, due to the potential decline in overall fossil fuel supply in coming years, as well as a variety of other international factors. There are two solutions to this problem: using alternative energy sources and becoming more independent on energy sources (RFA, 2008). A renewable source of energy, is an alternative to fossil fuels. Various biomass materials can be used to produce biofuels. Corn is the primary material utilized to produce biofuels in U.S The corn ethanol industry has been well developed and the cost of using corn is much lower compared to other biomass sources. The fuel ethanol industry has grown rapidly in recent years. In the past few years, ethanol has been established at 10 percent of the U.S gasoline supply (RFA, 2014)
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