# Entire Corn Plant As Fuel?



## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Has anyone ever investagated the use of Cobs stalks and husks as fuel??
Shreded? Pelleted? Stacked ? Baled?
Is there burning poteintial in corn Gluten?


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## mdharris68 (Sep 28, 2006)

I think I remember my mom's husband telling me that they used to burn the cobs back in the depression. Anyone else heard this? Husks & stalks burn good but the effort to get them into a usable state is probably not worth the amount of heat generated, causing the efficiency to go way down.


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## idahodave (Jan 20, 2005)

When my grandfather had his corn shelled he always saved the cobs and grandma burned them in her cook stove. This was in the 1950s. 

Stalks were left in field and plowed under. Husks the corn picker didn't roll off were left in a pile by the sheller and used in the barn.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

sounds like good fuel for gasification.


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

yes there are stover burners that take large bales of the stuff. it is yery hard on equipment to make bales though. a company in our town has a process that turns stover into ethanol http://www.iogen.ca/


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Whats left after they make the ethanol? what do they do with it?


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## mike65807 (Aug 15, 2006)

Corn cobs can be burned in most wood stoves. RE ethanol, corn itself produces about 250 gallons an acre, while some other plants like sorghum produce about 1,000 an acre. However, if you want to convert corn to ethanol, then you are converting the carbohydrates to ethanol and leaving behind protein, which is known as distillers grain and is a better animal feed than you can buy. If you are interested in this subject I recommend, at least to get a basic idea, the website alcoholcanbeagas.com

I heard the guy who owns the site on the Coasttocoastam radio show, got excited, bought the book and I'm planning to build a still - legal now, and raise sorghum for fuel this spring. Other good crops to create ethanol depending on your part of the country include mesquite, sugar caine, sugar beets, cattails and many other crops. With almost all of them the leftover can be made into animal feed easily, so free fuel, free feed, plus you would qualify for the same fifty four cents a gallon (or close) tax rebate that the big oil companies get for making ethanol. Cost of converting cars to run ethanol straight instead of gas, from $50 up to $400 depending on year of vehicle, model and type of enigne.


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

fantasymaker said:


> Whats left after they make the ethanol? what do they do with it?


as near as i could tell they make it into a fiber board


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

there was a story on tv today about the use of the entire cob, or only cobs, as a material used for ethanol. they are apparently makinng great progress in using the cellulose to make ethanol. they claim it should substantially reduce the impact on ethanol production on the food supply.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

fantasymaker said:


> Whats left after they make the ethanol? what do they do with it?


One bushel of corn produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol AND 17.5 pounds of dried distiller grains for animal feed OR 13.5 pounds of gluten feed, 2.6 pounds of gluten meal, and 1.5 pounds of corn oil. After that, there is nothing left.

Martin


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Paquebot said:


> One bushel of corn produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol AND 17.5 pounds of dried distiller grains for animal feed OR 13.5 pounds of gluten feed, 2.6 pounds of gluten meal, and 1.5 pounds of corn oil. After that, there is nothing left.
> 
> Martin


We were talking about stover not grain.
I was refering to Ford Major's post on cellulistic ethnenol.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

fantasymaker said:


> We were talking about stover not grain.
> I was refering to Ford Major's post on cellulistic ethnenol.


And I made certain that one of the other major corn alternate fuel bi-products were covered in order to include ALL portions of the corn plant.

Martin


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

My dad told me when they lived in the Ozards in the early 20s one of his many jobs was to toss whole dried ears to the pig(s). After they crunched off the kernels he then had to pick up the cobs for the wood burning cookstove. He noted they were often coated with 'sty ground residue' and sometimes the aroma in the kitchen became a bit strong.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If a person were to make cellulosic ethanol a permanent crop of native prairie grass should give the most ethanol for effort and inputs. Very little fertilizer, no annual planting, no irrigation, no weeding, no pesticides. Plus it improves the soil and provides wildlife habitat and water cleansing.

If I owned some suitable property I would be estabilishing a native prairie plot and learn how to harvest seeds because once they find an economical way to produce cellulosic ethanol I think the price of prairie grass seed is going through the roof.


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