Corn oil being used for biodiesel

If you are a regular reader of the Corn Hugger blog, you are well aware of the many benefits from corn ethanol production as it produces clean burning fuel and the livestock feed distillers grain. But now a third product, inedible corn oil is starting to get attention as it’s becoming a popular feedstock source for another renewable fuel, biodiesel.

Corn oil can either be separated from the kernel prior to the ethanol process or from the byproduct distillers grain through corn oil extraction technology. Currently 1/3 of United States ethanol plants have the technology but with the growing market, many other plants will be installing the process this year.

Corn oil is extremely environmentally friendly as its carbon intensity has the lowest rating when comparing it to other biodiesel feed stocks. This will be especially important in states with low carbon fuels standards such as California.

Overall this is just another example of how the biofuels industry is constantly changing, adapting and working together to improve efficiencies through innovation helping America not only meet the biodiesel goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard but push production over one billion gallons in 2012.