How to Gain Ethanol Conversion Efficiency Boosts

According to a group of experts led by the director of the Purdue University Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering, Michael Ladisch, it would appear that separating corn into its various components could be an easy way to boost the efficiency of ethanol conversion processes.

The plant is heavily used for the production of biofuels, but scientists have recently determined that not all parts of the plant are equally as efficient in providing the expected chemical. As such, inserting a triage stage in the manufacturing process could prove to be an excellent idea.

“Today, researchers grind the parts together and treat it based on what's needed to get at the hardest part. We show that there are major differences in degradability among the tissues,” explains LORRE research scientist Eduardo Ximenes, a member of the research team.