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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #199476
Title: METHODOLOGY TO DETERMINE SOLUBLE CONTENT IN DRY GRIND ETHANOL COPRODUCT STREAMS

Author
item Rosentrater, Kurt
item GANESAN, VYKU - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item MUTHUKUMARAPPAN, K - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2006
Publication Date: 11/1/2006
Citation: Rosentrater, K.A., Ganesan, V., Muthukumarappan, K. 2006. Methodology to determine soluble content in dry grind ethanol coproduct streams. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 22(6):899-903.

Interpretive Summary: Distillers grains and syrup are byproducts from ethanol dry mill processing. Ethanol production is increasing in Midwestern states, and thus the availability of these processing coproducts is also increasing. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology to determine the soluble content in Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles, as well as in syrup. Confusion currently exists in industrial nomenclature regarding “solubles”; in our study we considered dissolved solids as “solubles”. The mass balance approach was initially used to determine the soluble content in these materials. The results from this method were not in good agreement with experimental data, however. This led to the development of new method for determining the soluble percentage in distillers grains and syrup, and resulted in very good agreement between calculated and experimental results.

Technical Abstract: Distillers grains and syrup are coproducts from fuel ethanol dry grind processing. Ethanol manufacturing is dramatically increasing in the U.S., primarily in Midwestern states, and thus the availability of these feed products is also growing. Confusion currently exists in industrial nomenclature regarding “solubles” in these streams because no standards are in place. In our study, dissolved materials were considered soluble matter. We developed a methodology to determine the dry basis soluble content in condensed distillers solubles (CDS) and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). A mass balance analytical approach was initially used, but results were not in good agreement with experimental data. This method was thus deemed a poor predictor of final soluble content. This led to the development of a new methodology for determining, as well as predicting, soluble content for various coproduct streams, which produced results with R2 > 0.96. This approach is applicable for all dry grind ethanol coproducts streams, and is useful for value-added product development research.