Vertical Distribution of Structural Components in Corn Stover
2014
Johnson, Jane M. F. | Karlen, D. L. (Douglas L.) | Gresham, Garold L. | Cantrell, Keri B. | Archer, David W. | Wienhold, Brian J. | Varvel, Gary E. | Laird, David A. | Baker, John | Ochsner, Tyson E. | Novak, Jeff M. | Halvorson, Ardell D. | Arriaga, Francisco | Lightle, David T. | Hoover, Amber | Emerson, Rachel | Barbour, Nancy W.
In the United States, corn (Zea mays L.) stover has been targeted for second generation fuel production and other bio-products. Our objective was to characterize sugar and structural composition as a function of vertical distribution of corn stover (leaves and stalk) that was sampled at physiological maturity and about three weeks later from multiple USA locations. A small subset of samples was assessed for thermochemical composition. Concentrations of lignin, glucan, and xylan were about 10% greater at grain harvest than at physiological maturity, but harvestable biomass was about 25% less due to stalk breakage. Gross heating density above the ear averaged 16.3 ± 0.40 MJ kg−1, but with an alkalinity measure of 0.83 g MJ−1, slagging is likely to occur during gasification. Assuming a stover harvest height of 10 cm, the estimated ethanol yield would be >2500 L ha−1, but it would be only 1000 L ha−1 if stover harvest was restricted to the material from above the primary ear. Vertical composition of corn stover is relatively uniform; thus, decision on cutting height may be driven by agronomic, economic and environmental considerations.
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