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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #225720
Title: ADDING VALUE TO DISTILLERS GRAINS BY PELLETING

Author
item Rosentrater, Kurt

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2008
Publication Date: 6/3/2008
Citation: Rosentrater, K.A. 2008. Adding value to distillers grains by pelleting. Proceedings from Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, June 2-4, 2008, Kansas City MO, pp. 1-6.

Interpretive Summary: As the ethanol industry continues to expand, it is imperative to augment markets for coproducts. Toward that end, pelleting holds much promise. This densification process can convert DDGS into physical forms that will expand the potential sales base, such as rangeland cattle. To date, even though there is much interest, very little work has actually been conducted on pelleting of DDGS. The goals of this presentation are to examine the pelleting process, discuss parameters which influence pelleting performance, and to share insights gained by investigations into pelleting DDGS from a commercial fuel ethanol plant, both on a laboratory scale as well as a commercial scale. DDGS pellets have been produced with excellent quality, as evidenced by high Pellet Durability Indices, and exhibited minimal nutrient degradation. But, further studies are necessary to quantify the effects of various processing conditions (including L/D ratios), other DDGS sources, and the efficacy of binders.

Technical Abstract: As the ethanol industry continues to expand, it is imperative to augment markets for coproducts. Toward that end, pelleting holds much promise. This densification process can convert DDGS into physical forms that will expand the potential sales base, such as rangeland cattle. To date, even though there is much interest, very little work has actually been conducted on pelleting of DDGS. The goals of this presentation are to examine the pelleting process, discuss parameters which influence pelleting performance, and to share insights gained by investigations into pelleting DDGS from a commercial fuel ethanol plant, both on a laboratory scale as well as a commercial scale. DDGS pellets have been produced with excellent quality, as evidenced by high Pellet Durability Indices, and exhibited minimal nutrient degradation. But, further studies are necessary to quantify the effects of various processing conditions (including L/D ratios), other DDGS sources, and the efficacy of binders.