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A southwest Minnesota ethanol company will
buy more than just corn from farmers. It wants their cobs, too.


      Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company in Benson is using approximately
70 tons of corn cobs, wood and glycerin per day in their gasifier.
They burn the gas for steam, which is used as a heat source to make
ethanol.


      CVEC hopes to eventually reach 300 tons of biomass per day,
which would replace 90 percent of the natural gas they use with
renewable sources. Currently, they're replacing 20 percent.


      Andrew Zurn, CVEC's engineering manager, said Dec. 2 at a
University of Minnesota-ponsored renewable energy conference that
the ethanol plant's leaders chose to use cobs because they are easy
to find. They also wanted to provide another source of income for
their farmer-members. CVEC is a cooperative with 980 farmer and
local owners. It makes 48 million gallons of ethanol each year,
alongside other products, like vodka.


      "We want to spend our energy dollars locally," Zurn said.


      They also like cobs because it's a way for the company to take
more control of their energy costs while creating a smaller carbon
footprint.


      So far, they've found cobs are economically viable.


      The plant is projecting a 2009 cob harvest of 6,000 to 8,000
tons from 12,000 to 14,000 acres. They would like to build up to
receiving 20,000 to 30,000 tons of cobs per year.


      So far, it's profitable for farmers. The co-op can pay $90 to
$100 per ton while CVEC estimates it costs a farmer $66 per ton, or
$33 per acre, to harvest and deliver them.


      CVEC's cob price is supported by a USDA Farm Service Agency
initiative to help biomass markets get established. The Biomass
Crop Assistance Program matches the payment CVEC gives cob
producers, up to $45 per dry ton. CVEC announced in October they
were one of Minnesota's first facilities to qualify for the
program. BCAP's matching payments last two years.


      Local growers collect cobs with special equipment. One type of
cob harvester uses a wagon pulled behind the combine. Another type
keeps grain separated from cobs in a hopper on top of the combine.
Either way, their designs don't require a farmer to make extra
passes down the field. Cobs are collected before they even hit the
ground, so CVEC doesn't have to worry about dirt and debris.


      CVEC has seven cob harvesters that have been leased by five
farmers this year, Zurn said.


      This is the second year CVEC is taking cobs. In 2008, growers
collected approximately 1,500 tons from 3,200 acres.


      The plant's work with cobs has been supported with grants from
multiple groups, including the Minnesota Office of Energy Security,
Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council and the university's
Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment.


      The co-op held three demonstration days last year and created a
promotional video to get grassroots support for using cobs. The
university's West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris
conducted a feasibility study.


      Zurn said it's still a learning process and it will take a few
years to get a handle on what the process actually costs.


      The conference at which Zurn spoke was titled "Growing the
Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability."


      It was co-hosted by University of Minnesota Extension and the
University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the
Environment.
      

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A southwest Minnesota ethanol company will
buy more than just corn from farmers. It wants their cobs, too.


SW Minnesota ethanol plant burns corn cobs

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