DuPont sees higher US ethanol corn yields

18 June 2008 17:01  [Source: ICIS news]

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (ICIS news)--US ethanol production has the potential to increase significantly in the coming years through the development of hybrid seeds that yield more ethanol per bushel of corn, a DuPont official said on Wednesday.

US ethanol yield per bushel is now averaging 2.5-2.8 gal/bushel, but some DuPont hybrid seeds can already deliver as many as 3 gal/bushel (11 litres/bushel), the official said on the sidelines of the 2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo in Nashville.

Ethanol yields will continue to increase, the official said, citing as an example the successful advancement of US corn yields per acres, which jumped to 150 bushels/acre in 2007, from 33 bushels/acre in 1945.

DuPont on Tuesday said a device the company manufactures to measure ethanol yields per bushel has been certified by the Illinois Crop Improvement Association (ICIA).

The equipment, which is about the size of a cash register, measures ethanol yields by analysing only a handful sample of corn, the official said.

The device allows ethanol mills to predict output as well as compare different loads of grain brought to the plant, DuPont said.

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By: William Lemos
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