In 2015, 98% of the domestic ethanol production was from corn grain which is about 44% of the total corn production in US. The co-products produced during the corn-ethanol production such as distillers grain and corn gluten feed are utilized as animal feed. About 50 - 80 % of the phosphorous in corn is in the form of phytate (inositol hexakisphosphate) which cannot be digested by non-ruminant animal and is released in the environment with animal waste. The corn-ethanol production directly impacts environment due to nutrient pollution from agricultural run-off, wastewater from corn-ethanol plants and animal manure run-off.<br/>Phosphorous flows plays a vital role in defining the sustainability of Food-Energy-Water nexus related to crop production, animal production, water pollution, resource recycling, energy flows and financial flows. Side streams formed during the corn-ethanol production, such as thin stillage and light steep water, contain phosphorus concentrations that are several orders of magnitude greater than wastewater, potentially enabling cost effective recovery, yet precipitation of phytate in these side streams is poorly understood. Our preliminary lab-scale experimental analysis was conducted over a wide range of pH values with and without enzymatic transformation and results have shown substantial potential for chemical precipitation to recover phosphorous from these side streams.

Evaluating the potential of phosphorous recovery from corn-ethanol plants using chemical precipitation and enzymatic transformation

255th National Meeting (2018)

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