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Fractionation 101
What is Fractionation?
Fractionation is a milling process used on corn prior to ethanol production which separates the individual kernels into three primary components: endosperm, bran, and germ.
Corn’s Main Components:
- Endosperm
- Majority of the kernel, high in starch
- Sent to ethanol plant to make ethanol and high protein distillers grains
- Bran
- Outer shell, high in fiber
- Used as human food product, animal feed, or source of biomass fuel
- Germ
- High in oil & protein
- Processed further to produce food-grade oil and meal
Benefits of Fractionation
Industry experts agree on the benefits of corn fractionation for an ethanol plant:
- More valuable co-products
- More human food production
- Increased ethanol production (throughput)
- Reduced energy consumption per gallon
- Reduced water consumption per gallon
- Reduced commodity risk (higher % of revenues tied to the price of corn)
More Efficient Ethanol Production
By fractionating the kernel before the ethanol process, you can send only the endosperm (containing the majority of the starch), through to the ethanol plant. With fractionation, extra energy is not spent on pumping, heating, soaking, or drying the germ and the bran, which are not fermented into ethanol. Also, enzymes and yeast in fermentation work more efficiently without these inert or “non-fermentable” materials. There is also significantly less volume (and thus less drying required) for the end by-product, Dried Distillers Grains (DDG). The end result is a decrease in ethanol process energy of approximately 30%.
Fractionation also brings benefits in the form of increased ethanol production, or throughput. By processing a feedstock higher in starch, a plant can produce approximately 20% more ethanol from a given sized fermentation system.
Value-Added Co-Products
 Dried distillers grains and solubles (DDGS) are by-products of the ethanol process that are typically fed to cattle. The composition, high in fiber and oil, is best suited for the digestive systems of ruminant livestock. However, when fractionation is employed, the fiber (bran) and oil (germ) portions are no longer present in this stream, resulting in a new feed product which is a highly-concentrated source of valuable protein, and is well-suited for a variety of animals including swine, poultry, aquaculture, equine, and household pets.
Human Food Production
Fractionation addresses the food vs. fuel debate by preserving these valuable materials and routing them back to the food chain. The germ and the bran, when processed by GMP facilities (plants designed to meet requirements for food-grade production), are valuable products that can both be used as human food ingredients. The bran can be used directly, and the germ can be sent to an extraction facility to produce valuable human-grade corn oil.
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