Integrated Use of Field Pea Starch and Corn for Ethanol Production

摘要

Rapid growth in the corn ethanol industry has contributed to significant increases in corn prices. Com demands for ethanol production are exceeding production expansion in some areas of the country. Field peas (46% starch) require less water and fertilizer inputs and may be fractionated to create a starch-rich fraction suitable for ethanol fermentation and a protein-rich fraction that could be used for food or feed applications. This study compared rates and yields of ethanol production for fermentations with 100% com feedstock with fermentations in which 10%, 30%, and 50% of the feedstock starch comes from starch-enriched fractionated field peas. Results show that despite higher amylose:amylopectin ratio of pea starch, supplementing corn in a conventional dry-grind ethanol plant with a starch-enriched product from fractionated field peas should have neutral or positive impacts on final ethanol yields. Further, there is good evidence supporting the idea that such supplementation will improve fermentation rates especially with higher rates of pea starch supplementation. Such rate improvements could allow ethanol producers to improve annual production capacity and thus decrease capital costs by increasing the number of fermentations completed in a year.