Comparison of Two Methods of Monitoring Corn Mash at Corn Plus Ethanol Plant

In the ethanol industry, several variables affect the amount and grade of ethanol that is produced which affects a plant’s ability to make a profit. This research is focused on one of those variables, ‘corn mash solid content’, which must be closely monitored before the fermentation step. If the mash out of the mix tank is the wrong consistency, the alpha-amylase and gluco-amylase enzymes will not efficiently break the starch into simple sugars that yeast can consume which will decrease the amount of ethanol produced. The mash solid and moisture content is measured daily in order to ensure that the plant will produce on average 2.8 gallons of ethanol for every bushel of corn ground. This places a large significance on the accuracy of the instruments used to analyze these samples.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/urs_2013/1005/thumbnail.jp