Effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers

In order to enhance the biogas production and provide nitrogen sources for the growth of microorganisms,experiments on urea ammonia pretreatment of corn stovers were implemented at(35±1)°C to investigate the effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers.This study assessed the effects of urea ammonia contents(2%,4%,and 6%)and moisture contents(30%,50%,70%and 90%)on the physical structures of lignocelluloses and the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers.The results indicated that the methane production reached 230.31 mL/g VS(volatile solids)at pretreatment with 4%urea ammonia and 70%moisture contents for the batch anaerobic fermentation,which was 26.6%higher than that of the untreated group.The degradation rates of cellulose and hemicellulose were 66.34%and 75.47%after the anaerobic fermentation,respectively,which were about 22.6%and 20.9%higher than that of the untreated group,respectively.Thus,it was concluded that urea ammonia pretreatment can improve the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers.

Effect of Application of a Bacteria Inoculant and Wheat Bran on Fermentation Quality of Peanut Vine Ensiled Alone or with Corn Stover

To find an effective method for ensiling peanut vine （PV）, fermentation characteristics and nutritional values of PV silage and the mixture of PV with corn stover （CS） silage in a ratio of 1 ： 1 fresh weight, prepared by adding lactic acid bacteria （LAB）, 10% wheat bran （WB） and LAB＋WB at ensiling were evaluated in 2009 and 2010. The fermentation qualities of PV silage ensiled with the LAB and WB additives were improved compared with those of the control （PV ensiled alone）. However, the pH did not decline to the critical level of 4.2, and the nutritional values of the silage were not protected against losses in the LAB and WB addition silages. Ensiling PV in mixture with CS generated optimal moisture content and buffering capacity （BC） of ensiled materials. After adding the LAB and WB additives to mixture silage, especially adding LAB＋WB, the fermentation qualities and nutritional values of the mixture silage were improved significantly （P〈0.05）, and the Flieg＇s score reached to 99. The result suggested that it is a feasible method to ensile the mixed materials of PV with CS by adding LAB and high concentration of water soluble-carbohydrate materials for providing a good fermentation quality of PV silage.

Pretreatment of Corn Stover Using Supercritical CO2 with Water-Ethanol as Co-solvent

Supercritical carbon dioxide,with water-ethanol as co-solvent,was applied to pretreat corn stover to enhance its enzymatic hydrolysis.The efficiency of pretreatment was evaluated by the final reducing sugar yield obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose.Under the operation conditions of pretreatment pressure 15 MPa,temperature 180 ℃ and time 1 h,the optimal sugar yield of 77.8℅ was obtained.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and chemical composition analysis were applied to the pretreated corn stover.The results showed that the surface morphology and microscopic structure of pretreated corn stover were greatly changed.After the pretreatment,the contents of hemicellulose and lignin were reduced obviously.Thus more cellulose was exposed,increasing the sugar yield.

The effect of lactic acid bacteria inoculums on in vitro rumen fermentation, methane production, ruminal cellulolytic bacteria populations and cellulase activities of corn stover silage

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria(LAB) inoculums on fermentation quality and in vitro digestibility of corn stover silage.Corn stover was ensiled without(control) or with Lactobacillus plantarum(LP),Enterococcus faecalis(EF),and Enterococcus mundtii(EM) for 45 days.The fermentation characteristics were assessed,and subsequent in vitro dry matter digestibility(DM-D),neutral detergent fiber digestibility(NDF-D),volatile fatty acids(VFA),methane(CH4) production,cellulolytic bacteria proportions and their activities per corn stover silage were also determined.There was no significant difference(P>0.05) among the silage pH,lactic acid,crude protein(CP),water soluble carbohydrates(WSC) and lignocelluloses contents of different treatments.The relative proportions of Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Fibrobacter succinogenes,carboxymethyl-ocellulose and β-glycosidase activities,DM-D,NDF-D,and VFA production of in vitro incubation was higher(P<0.05) for silages inoculated with LP and EF than those of the control silage.Silage inoculated with LP showed the lowest(P<0.05) CH4 production per unit yield of VFA,which was positively corresponded to the lowest(P<0.05) ratio of acetate to propionate.In summary,the ensiling fermentation quality and subsequent utilization of corn stover silage were efficiently improved by inoculated with L.plantarum.

Characterization of Lignins Isolated from Alkali Treated Prehydrolysate of Corn Stover

Lignins were isolated and purified from alkali treated prehydrolysate of corn stover. The paper presents the structural features of lignins in a series purification processes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-vis spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to analyze the chemical structure. Thermogravimetric analysis was applied to follow the thermal degradation, and wet chemical method was used to determine the sugar content. The results showed that the crude lignin from the prehydrolysate of corn stover was a heterogeneous material of syringyl, guaiacyl and p-hydroxyphenyl units, containing associated polysaccharides, lipids, and melted salts. Some of the crude lignin was chemically linked to hemicelluloses （mainly xylan）. The lipids in crude lignin were probably composed of saturated and/or unsaturated long carbon chains, fatty acids, tdterpenols, waxes, and derivatives of aromatic. The sugar content of purified lignin was less than 2.11%, mainly composed of guaiacyl units. DTGmax of purified lignin was 359 ℃. The majority of the hydroxyl groups were phenolic hydroxyl groups. The main type of linkages in purified lignin was β-O-4. Other types of linkages included β-5, β-β and α-O-4.

Comparison of forage yield,silage fermentative quality,anthocyanin stability,antioxidant activity,and in vitro rumen fermentation of anthocyanin-rich purple corn(Zea mays L.) stover and sticky corn stover

The objective of this study was to observe the forage yield, silage fermentative quality, anthocyanin stability, and antioxidant activity during the storage period and in vitro rumen fermentation of anthocyanin-rich purple corn （Zea mays L.） stover （PS） and sticky corn stover （SS）. Forage yield of corn stover was weighed and ensiled with two treatments： （1） hybrid sticky waxy corn stover （control）, and （2） hybrid purple waxy corn stover （treatment）. Samples were stored in mini-silos for periods of 0, 7, 14, 21,42, 63, 84, and 105 d. The results showed that PS had significantly higher （P〈0.05） yields of dry matter （DM）, organic matter （OM）, gross energy （GE）, crude protein （CP）, neutral detergent fiber （NDF）, acid detergent fiber （ADF）, and total anthocyanins than that of the SS. Anthocyanin-rich purple corn stover silage （PSS） showed higher （P〈0.05） levels of DM and CP relative to the sticky corn stover silage （SSS）. Although anthocyanin-rich PSS displayed a lower （P〈0.05） level of pelargonidin-3-glucoside （P3G）, it had higher （P〈0.05） levels of peonidin （Peo） and pelargonidin （Pel） compared to the control. Delphinidin （Del） and malvidin （Mal） were not detected in SSS during the ensilage period; in PSS, Del was no longer detected after 7 d of ensilage. Specifically, total anthocyanins in anthocyanin-rich PSS decreased rapidly （P〈0.05） prior to 7 d of ensilage, and then remained at relatively stable （P〉0.05） constants. Compared to the anthocyanin-rich PSS, SSS displayed significantly higher （P〈0.05） pH value and ammonia nitrogen （NH3-N） content. Propionic acid （PA） at 0 d and butyric acid （BA） during the entire study period were not detected, whereas anthocyanin-rich PSS showed a higher （P〈0.05） level of lactic acid （LA） than that of the SSS. Compared with the SSS extract, anthocyanin-rich PSS extract showed a higher （P〈0.05） level of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryihydrazyl （DPPH） scavenging activity and displayed a lower （P〈0.05） half maximal inhibitory concentration （IC50） value. Moreover, anthocyanin-rich PSS reduced （P〈0.05） gas production （GP）, and displayed lower levels of immediately soluble fraction and ratio of acetic acid （AA） to PA at 12 h, but the other parameters were unaffected （P〉0.05） relative to the control. Taken together, the results indicated that： （1） anthocyanins could be stable in silage; （2） anthocyanin-rich PSS showed better silage fermentative quality and stronger antioxidant activity; and （3） anthocyanin-rich PSS had no negative effect on rumen fermentation parameters.

Efficient and Comprehensive Utilizatio℃n of Hemicellulose in the Corn Stover

Pretreatment of the corn stover powder by dilute sulphuric acid （solid-liquid ratio 1 ： 20） at 130 for 30 min was carried out with 89.09% of the hemicellulose removed. After filtration, the xylose-rich corn stover pretreatment liquid, whose fermentable sugar was from hemicellulose hydrolysis only, consisting of 81.16% xylose and 15.27% glucose, was used to cultivate genetic recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 with human-like collagen （HLC） expression enhanced by 50.00% and 63.71% xylose consumption.

Ignition and Emission Characteristics of Ignition-assisting Agents for Densified Corn Stover Briquette Fuel

Ignition-assisting agents for densified corn stover briquette fuel(DCBF) were developed,and their ignition and emission characteristics were investigated using type LLA-6 household cooking stove.Three waste liquid fuels,waste engine oil(E) ,diesel oil(D) ,and industrial alcohol(A) ,were used as raw materials to make 25 ignitionassisting agents by mixing at different ratios.Their ignition performance was evaluated in terms of ignition time and cost.It was found that ignition-assisting agents ED15(a mix of E and D at volume ratio of 1︰5) and DA51(a mix of D and A at volume ratio of 5︰1) presented better ignition results with shorter ignition time(40-53 s) and lower cost(6.1 and 5.3 cents) at the dosages of 9 ml and 8 ml,respectively.The emission of O2,CO,CO2,NOx,and SO2,the temperature in fume gas,and combustion efficiency were investigated for ED15 and DA51.The results show that the emission of ED15 with the dosage of 9 ml is lower than that of DA51 with the dosage of 8 ml in the ignition process.ED15 at the dosage of 9 ml achieves satisfactory combustion efficiency and emits less pollutant,so it is recommended for practical application.The study will provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to fast ignite DCBF and break the barrier to the practical application of DCBF.

Screening of a microbial consortium with efficient corn stover degradation ability at low temperature

To speed up the degradation of corn stover directly returned to soil at low temperature, the corn stover-degrading microbial consortium GF-20, acclimated to biological decomposition in the frigid region, was successfully constructed under a long-term limiting substrate. To evaluate its potential in accelerating the decomposition of un-pretreated corn stover, the decomposing property, fermentation dynamic and the microbial diversity were analyzed. GF-20 degraded corn stover by 32% after 15-day fermentation at 10℃. Peak activities of filter paperlyase（FPA）, β-glucosidases（CB）, endoglucanases（Cx）, and cellobiohydrolases（C1） were 1.15, 1.67, 1.73, and 1.42 U m L^–1, appearing at the 6th, 3rd, 11 th, and 9th d, respectively. The p H averaged at 6.73–8.42, and the optical density（OD） value peaked at 1.87 at the 120 h of the degradation process. Cellulase, hemicellulase and lignin in corn stover were persistently degraded by 44.85, 43.85 and 25.29% at the end of incubation. Result of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis（DGGE） profiles demonstrated that GF-20 had a stable component structure under switching the temperature and p H. The composition of the GF-20 was also analyzed by constructing bacterial 16 S r DNA clone library and fungal 18 Sr DNA-PCR-DGGE. Twenty-two bacterial clones and four fungal bands were detected and identified dominant bacteria represented by Cellvibrio mixtus subsp., Azospira oryzae, Arcobacter defluyii, and Clostridium populeti and the fungi were mainly identified as related to Trichosporon sp.

Nitrogen Uptake by Corn and N Recovery in Grainin Dry Farmland

There have been considerable concerns with the reduced beneficial yield response to fertilizer and the less efficient use of fertilizers with the fast growth in fertilizer consumption in China, as well as problems with low and unstable fertilizer use effectiveness in dry farmland. The paper discusses the effect of precipitation , corn stover incorporation and fertilizer management on N uptake by corn and fertilizer N use efficiency in dry farmland. The results showed that in the areas with 520 mm rainfall under the cropping system of one crop of spring corn per year, N uptake and N recovery by corn, and yields were higher at rates of 105 kg fertilizer N, 1 500 kg cattle manure and 6 000 kg corn stover incorporated per hectare. N uptake was significantly affected by precipitation during growing periods and soil moisture at sowing, fertilizer N apparent recovery varied from 58% in a rainy year to 7% in the year with a very dry soil, and the average of 7 years(1993 -1999)was about 30%. The 15N tracer experiment showed that around 40% of N uptake was derived form fertilizer N and 60% from soil N. The results from 3-year 15N tracer study(1997 - 1999)indicated that the 1st year's N recovery in grain with and without stover incorporated was about 24% and 17%, respectively, the accumulative 3-year total about 36% and 25%, the percentage of N recovery with stover incorporated increased about 11. The accumulative 3-year N loss with and without stover incorporated was about 26% and 45%, respectively, the percentage of N loss with stover decreased about 19. The studies supply information on land applications of fertilizer N and corn stover in dry farmland.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Prediction of the Effectiveness of H_(2)O_(2)- assisted Na_(2)CO_(3)Pretreatment of Corn Stover Using Multivariate Analysis

In this study,multivariate analysis methods,including a principal component analysis(PCA)and partial least square(PLS)analysis,were applied to reveal the inner relationship of the key variables in the process of H_(2)O_(2)-assisted Na_(2)CO_(3)(HSC)pretreatment of corn stover.A total of 120 pretreatment experiments were implemented at the lab scale under different conditions by varying the particle size of the corn stover and process variables.The results showed that the Na_(2)CO_(3) dosage and pretreatment temperature had a strong influence on lignin removal,whereas pulp refining instrument(PFI)refining and Na_(2)CO_(3) dosage played positive roles in the final total sugar yield.Furthermore,it was found that pretreatment conditions had a more significant impact on the amelioration of pretreatment effectiveness compared with the properties of raw corn stover.In addition,a prediction of the effectiveness of the corn stover HSC pretreatment based on a PLS analysis was conducted for the first time,and the test results of the predictability based on additional pretreatment experiments proved that the developed PLS model achieved a good predictive performance(particularly for the final total sugar yield),indicating that the developed PLS model can be used to predict the effectiveness of HSC pretreatment.Therefore,multivariate analysis can be potentially used to monitor and control the pretreatment process in future large-scale biorefinery applications.

Efficient microwave-assisted production of biofuel ethyl levulinate from corn stover in ethanol medium

Levulinate esters are versatile chemicals that have been used in various fields. Herein, the production of ethyl levulinate（EL） from corn stover was investigated under microwave irradiation. Several reaction parameters, including acid concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, and liquid-to-solid mass ratio, were investigated to evaluate the reaction conditions. Response surface methodology（RSM） was employed to optimize the reaction conditions for the production of EL. A quadratic polynomial model was fitted to the data with an R2 value of 0.93. The model validation results reflected a good fit between the experimental and predicted values. A high conversion yield（58.1 mol%） was obtained at the optimum conditions of 190℃, 30.4 min, 2.84 wt% acid, and 15 g/g liquid-to-solid mass ratio. Compared with conventional heating, microwave irradiation facilitated the conversion of corn stover to EL by dramatically shortening the reaction time from several hours to ～30 min. Thus, microwave-assisted conversion of corn stover to EL is an efficient way of utilizing a renewable biomass resource.

Biotreatment of Wastewater from Soda-pretreatment Process of Corn Stover Using White-rot Fungus Z-6

Alkaline pretreatment of straw materials prior to enzyme hydrolysis is a key step for bioconversion of lignocellulose to bioethanol and chemicals.Wastewater from the alkaline pretreatment process must be treated before discharge to minimize its environmental impact.In this study,biotreatment of the wastewater from soda-pretreatment process of corn stover was investigated using fungus Z-6,and some indexes such as color,chemical oxygen demand(COD),and lignin content of wastewater before and after biotreatment were determined to assess the effect of the biotreatment.Results showed that fungus treatment could remove color up to approximately 72%after 2 d,and decrease COD and lignin content by about 63%and 60%,respectively after 3 d.The wastewater was fractionated using dynamic ultrafiltration method,and the changes in lignin contents of the effluent fractions with different molecular weights before and after biotreatment were analyzed.Some compounds produced by the fungus during treatment were identified using gas chromatography-mass(GC-MS)spectrometer,which revealed that depolymerization of lignin occurred during the biotreatment process.

Investigates of substrate mingling ratio and organic loading rate of KOH pretreated corn stover and pig manure in batch and semi-continuous system:Anaerobic digestion performance and microbial characteristics

The effects of substrate mingling ratio(SMR)(1:1,1:2,1:3,3:1,and 2:1)and organic loading rate(OLR)(50-90 g total solids per liter per day)on anaerobic co-digestion performance and microbial characteristics were investigated for pig manure(PM)and pretreated/untreated corn stover in batch and semicontinuous anaerobic digestion(AD)system.The results showed that SMR and pretreatment affected co-digestion performance.The maximum cumulative methane yield of 428.5 ml·g^(-1)(based on volatile solids(VS))was obtained for PCP13,which was 35.7%and 40.0%higher than that of CSU and PM.In the first 5 days,the maximum methane yield improvement rate was 378.1%for PCP13.The daily methane yield per gram VS of PCP13 was 11.4%-18.5%higher than that of PC_(U)13.Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1,DMER64,and Bacteroides and Methanosaeta,Methanobacterium,and Methanospirillum had higher relative abundance at the genus level.Therefore,SMR and OLR are important factor affecting the AD process,and OLR can affect methane production through volatile fatty acids.

A Brief Introduction of Extrusion and Micro-storage Processing Technology of Corn Stover

A new corn stover roughage processing method, corn stover extrusion and micro-storage processing technology, was introduced from the aspects of basic working principle, production and processing process, characteristics of cornstalk via extrusion and micro-storage processing. The technology was proved to be a feasible and practical processing technology of stover feed with broad prospect.

Study of the Effect of Different Solids Load on the Optimum pH during Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Steam Exploded Corn Stover

The understanding of enzymatic saccharification of pretreated lignocellulosic material is of great importance. There are several important commercially available enzymes in the market that are used for this purpose. The conditions of pH and temperature performance of any particular enzyme are very well defined and it is clearly indicated by its manufacturer and it depends on the type of enzyme or enzymes in the complex pool. It is well know that commercial cellulases work best at pH around 4.8-5.0 and as a consequence this is widely used in the industry and the literature. In this study it was found that optimum pH of cellulases is different than that recommended by its manufacturer at higher solids load saccharification. The optimum pH changes depending on the consistency or solids loads of the matrix where the enzyme is acting upon. Steam exploded corn stover was tested with cellulases and xylanases at different pH, consistencies and ionic strength. Results showed that the optimum pH at lower consistency （1% w/w） is the same as the one recommended by the manufacturer and in the literature; however at higher consistency the value obtained was higher （pH 5.5 to pH 6.5） instead ofpH 4.8. The difference could represent up to 30-50% higher yields and hence of great importance for the economics of second generation fuel production. An explanation of this behavior could be associated with the Donnan effect theory. This effect indicates that the presence of charged groups in the fiber matrix creates a pH gradient within the slurry. If the charged groups are negatively charged this would create a local or internal pH lower than the surrounding liquid pH. This could explain why by reducing the concentration of H^＋ higher enzymatic conversion yields were observed.

Accuracy comparison of dry matter intake prediction models evaluated by a feeding trial of lactating dairy cows fed two total mixed rations with different forage source

Dry matter intake （DMI） prediction models of NRC （2001）, Fox et aL （2004） and Fuentes-Pila et aL （2003） were targeted in the present study, and the objective was to evaluate their prediction accuracy with feeding trial data of 32 lactating Holstein cows fed two total mixed rations with different forage source. Thirty-two cows were randomly assigned to one of two total mixed ration groups： a ration containing a mixed forage （MF） of 3.7% Chinese wildrye, 28.4% alfalfa hay and 26.5% corn silage diet and another ration containing 33.8% corn stover （CS） as unique forage source. The actual DMI was greater in MF group than in CS group （P=0.064）. The NRC model to predict DMI resulted in the lowest root mean square prediction error for both MF and CS groups （1.09 kg d-1 vs. 1.28 kg d-1） and the highest accuracy and precision based on concordance correlation coefficient for both MF and CS diet （0.89 vs. 0.87）. Except the NRC model, the other two models presented mean and linear biases in both MF and CS diets when prediction residuals were plotted against predicted DMI values （P〈0.001）. The DMI variation in MF was caused by week of lactation （55.6%）, milk yield （13.9%）, milk fat percentage （7.1%） and dietary neutral detergent fiber （13.3%）, while the variation in CS was caused by week of lactation （50.9%）, live body weight （28.2%）, milk yield （8.4%）, milk fat percentage （5.2%） and dietary neutral detergent fibre （3.8%）. In a brief, the NRC model to predict DMI is comparatively acceptable for lactating dairy cows fed two total mixed rations with different forage source.

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products on performance and rumen fermentation and microbiota in dairy cows fed a diet containing low quality forage

Background： A possible option to meet the increased demand of forage for dairy industry is to use the agricultural byproducts, such as corn stover. However, nutritional value of crop residues is low and we have been seeking technologies to improve the value. A feeding trial was performed to evaluate the effects of four levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product（SCFP; Original XP; Diamond V） on lactation performance and rumen fermentation in mid-lactation Holstein dairy cows fed a diet containing low-quality forage. Eighty dairy cows were randomly assigned into one of four treatments： basal diet supplemented with 0, 60, 120, or 180 g/d of SCFP per head mixed with 180, 120, 60, or 0 g of corn meal, respectively. The experiment lasted for 10 wks, with the first 2 weeks for adaptation.Results： Dry matter intake was found to be similar（P 〉 0.05） among the treatments. There was an increasing trend in milk production（linear, P ≤ 0.10） with the increasing level of SCFP supplementation, with no effects on contents of milk components（P 〉 0.05）. Supplementation of SCFP linearly increased（P 〈 0.05） the N conversion, without affecting rumen pH and ammonia-N（P 〉 0.05）. Increasing level of SCFP linearly increased（P 〈 0.05） concentrations of ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, with no difference in molar proportion of individual acids（P 〉 0.05）. The population of fungi and certain cel ulolytic bacteria（Ruminococcus albus, R. flavefaciens and Fibrobacter succinogenes）increased linearly（P 〈 0.05） but those of lactate-utilizing（Selenomonas ruminantium and Megasphaera elsdeni） and lactate-producing bacteria（Streptococcus bovis） decreased linearly（P ≤ 0.01） with increasing level of SCFP. The urinary purine derivatives increased linearly（P 〈 0.05） in response to SCFP supplementation, indicating that SCFP supplementation may benefit for microbial protein synthesis in the rumen.Conclusions： The SCFP supplementation was effective in maintaining milk persistency of mid-lactation cows receiving diets containing low-quality forage. The beneficial effect of SCFP could be attributed to improved rumen function; 1）microbial population shift toward greater rumen fermentation efficiency indicated by higher rumen fungi and cel ulolytic bacteria and lower lactate producing bacteria, and 2） rumen microbial fermentation toward greater supply of energy and protein indicated by greater ruminal VFA concentration and increased N conversion. Effects of SCFP were dose-depended and greater effects being observed with higher levels of supplementation and the effect was more noticeable during the high THI environment.

Market Information on Sourcing Cellulosic Feedstock for Biofuel Production in Northern Plains Region of the United States

This study investigates crop residue availability within 100 mile radius of a potential biorefinery in Southeast North Dakota. Due to the lack of market information on biomass residue supply, we conducted farm focus group survey sessions and empirical field studies to evaluate farmers＇ willingness to supply crop residues and timeliness of harvesting. Using a GIS （Geographic Information Systems） application, we locate residue supply areas and numerically show that there are enough crop residues to meet the biorefinery＇s supply needs. Our evidence from farm focus group shows that farmers may not be willing to sell their crop residues because of concerns for labor availability and soil fertility losses. Farmers＇ decisions to supply crop residues depend on the willingness of a biofuel firm to offer them a contract and ensure price stability. Farmers are unwilling to take any risk in supplying crop residues and they prefer to transfer ownership of residues immediately after harvest and have an external party bale, store and transport the goods. The biofuel firm requires crop residues be collected dry to prevent mold. This will challenge Northern Plains farmers who wait to collect stovers prior to winter.

An analysis of an ethanol-based, whole-crop refinery system in China

Bio-fuel can be used to help transition from a petroleum-based society to a bio-based society. Ever since the China Development and Reform Commission suspended the approval of crop processing programs, second-generation bio-ethanol research and industrialization processes have attracted significant attention. In 2020, bio-ethanol production is predicted to reach 10 million tons. Currently, there are a few domestic enterprises that have established different scaled pilot or demonstration bases for cellulosic ethanol, which reduce the cost of ethanol by continuously improving pretreatment and hydrolysis techniques. In the next three years, these enterprises will realize large-scale commercial production. Given the practical problems in cellulosic ethanol plant construction and operation(e.g., marketing price variation and difficulties in feedstock collection), this paper began with the concept of a "whole-crop refinery" and presented a solution to the integration of industry and agriculture as well as multi-crop refining. This paper then took the whole-crop refining system of corn as an example and presented an analysis of the logistics, energy flow, and economical efficiency of the system. The results demonstrated that the integrated system could properly reduce the required fixed investments in production equipment,shared utilities, and wastewater treatment facilities, as well as reduction of energy consumption. Although the proposed system has several problems, it brings the long-term goal of large-scale commercial application closer than ever.