World Grain - August 2004 - 67

FEATURE: ONWARD RISE OF U.S. ETHANOL

"... the rise of distillers grain
is the biggest change to the
animal feeding industry since the
introduction of soybean meal"
- Harold Tilstra, Land O'Lakes.

York and California, where nearly all of
the gasoline sold now contains ethanol.
DISTILLERS GRAIN MARKET KEEPS PACE
As the U.S. ethanol market grows, so
must the market for distillers grain, one
of two valuable co-products in the cornto-ethanol dry mill process. A signiﬁcant
percentage of an ethanol plant's total revenue is based on sales of distillers grain
and, if captured, carbon dioxide.
Dried distillers grain is usually referred
to as DDG. When solubles are added to
the feed, it is called DDGS. Both forms
are frequently referred to as "distillers."
Disillers that is not dried is usually referred to as distillers wet grain, or DWG.
For years considered a valuable component of beef and dairy cattle feed rations, distillers grain is now extensively
used in swine and poultry rations as
well. Harold Tilstra, a co-product technical expert for Land O'Lakes, recently
said the rise of distillers grain is the
biggest change to the animal feeding industry since the introduction of soybean
meal. According to Tilstra, the ethanol
industry is currently marketing over 4
million tonnes of distillers grain (dry
weight) into the domestic market.
"If we go to 5 billion gallons [of ethanol production annually] in the next few
years, we will be looking at 9 million
tonnes of distillers grain on the market,"
Tilstra said.
LOOKING BEYOND CORN
In terms of ethanol feedstocks, corn
makes up 95% of all U.S. production.
The "Corn Belt" states have improved
their agricultural economy by turning

local crops into local fuel.
However, states with less available
corn are not as fortunate. As future ethanol producers in these states consider the
idea of railing in corn from the Midwest
- a viable option for some - alternative feedstocks are being explored.
Hulless barley, sugar cane and wheat are
being researched, especially in corn-deﬁcient areas; while some of these feedstocks
lag behind corn in alcohol yield, several
have unique and valuable properties.
Among alternative feedstocks, biomass - or cellumosic material - is perhaps the most promising. Approximately
180 tonnes of agricultural biomass is
produced in the Untied States each year,

sufﬁcient to produce 20 to 30 billion
gallons on ethanol. However, despite
its abundance, biomass is difﬁcult and
costly to convert into ethanol. Advanced
enzymes are needed to break down the
material for production. In the past three
years, scientists have reduced the enzyme
cost by a factor of 20, but further reductions are needed. According to one leading manufacturer of enzymes, the next
advancements will be made by combining new pre-treatment technologies with
continuous enzyme improvements.
These and other technological innovations will unlock the true potential of
ethanol and bring about greater energy
WG
independence for America.

Tom Bryan is managing editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine. He may be contacted at:
tbryan@bbibiofuels.com. Ethanol Producer Magazine staff writers Dave Nilles and Jessica Williams
contributed to this report. Some information in this article is based on Fuel Ethanol: A Technological Evolution, a recently published report from Novozymes and BBI International.
We want to hear from you - Send comments and inquiries about this article to worldgrain@sosland.com.

Hi Roller Enclosed Belt Conveyo rs:
...New Standards , Innovations , and
Solutions in Material Handling
id

Tail Section Reloads Spills

f E!,IT

5100 West 12th Street

Sioux Falls,South Dakota 5/107-0514 USA
Phone: (605) 332-3200

-.ø-TotaIIy Enclosed
Self Cleaning

Isolated Bearings

Toll Free (US and Canada ): 800-328-1785

Fax: (605) 332-1107
E-Mail: sales@hiroller.com
Website: www.hiroller.com

Circle No. 134 on the Reader Service Card or see page 74.

www.World-Grain.com / World Grain / August 2004

http://www.hiroller.com http://www.World-Grain.com

World Grain - August 2004

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of World Grain - August 2004