Corn Oil Extraction Optimization - Nalco

Essential Expertise for Water, Energy and Air SM 

Corn Oil Extraction Optimization 


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COE Optimization - Overview 

• Technology review – TSC & GR 8109 

• Product development 

• Chemistry – Not an equipment solution. 

• Production improvements 

– Both centrifuge types benefit from additive 

• Regulatory needs and requirements. 

• Market drivers – If commodity prices come down 

will additive continue to be cost effective? 


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Thin Stillage Clarification with Corn Oil Recovery 

Designed to increase the separation of thin stillage suspended 

solids at dry grind corn ethanol plants 

Thin Stillage 

Increased ethanol production through backset quality improvement 

Energy savings through improved evaporator & Dryer performance 

Improved co-product recovery - DDGS and concentration of corn fats, 

oils, and greases 

Flocculants 


Patent Issued March 3, 2009 

US Patent 7497955 

Separation 

Equipment 

Nalco has over 60 years experience in separation technologies 

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Product Development 

• Experiences from TSC with COE allowed for product 

formulations to met regulatory for animal feed and 

allow for higher oil recovery on existing corn oil 

centrifuges spinning syrup (concentrated thin 

stillage). 

• Nalco studied products for years while conducting 

whole stillage and thin stillage research. 

• In the last 6-9 months, the use of these products has 

finally become economically favorable. 

• The need to meet hurdle rates on capital invested 

has also increased plants awareness of higher oil 

yields. 

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Production Improvements 

• Many of todays corn oil recovery systems are 

under performing. 

– Some producers may have seen oil yield (lbs oil/bushel) 

drop when compared to last years oil yield numbers. 

• Today plants can recover 0.1 – 0.6 lbs/bushel 

without any chemical additive. 

• Additive can help the producer increase yield by 

adding 0.2 – 0.4 lbs/bushel. 

• Net return to the plant is very dosage dependant. 

– Some plants return a net $6 in oil revenue/$1 spent on 

additive, others may return net $2 in oil revenue/$1 on 

additive. 

– It all depends on your starting point. 

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• No matter where your oil yield starts, additive can 

help; 

– Improve oil quality – 

– Reduce Variability in COE operation. 

– Increase oil yield. 

One 

Pound 

Syrup 

lb/bu 0.24 0.4 0.44 0.46 

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• Additive helps both disk stack and tricanter 

designs. 

• Important to determine optimum dosage of 

additive to get the highest return on your 

investment. 

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• ROI and Net return needs to be considered with 

using any additive. 

• Feeding highest dosages to recover highest gpm of 

oil is not always best. 

• Sometimes additive cost consumes extra oil 

revenue. 

GR-8109 

PPM 

GR-8109 Oil 

Produced 

GPM 

Base Oil 

Produced 

GPM 

Oil Gain 

GPM 

Net Increase 

$/day ROI/Day 

Lbs oil/bu 

w/GR-8109 

100 2.2 1.75 0.45 $ 1,781 262% 0.48 

200 2.5 1.75 0.75 $ 2,742 201% 0.55 

300 2.9 1.75 1.15 $ 4,249 208% 0.64 

400 3 1.75 1.25 $ 4,115 151% 0.66 

500 3.1 1.75 1.35 $ 3,981 117% 0.68 

lbs oil/bu 

Baseline 

0.38 

0.38 

0.38 

0.38 

0.38 

Lbs oil/bu 

Net Gain 

0.10 

0.16 

0.25 

0.27 

0.30 

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• When additives are used, you can see large 

incremental gains in oil production to a point and 

then gains begin to level off. 

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Regulatory Requirements – You are what you eat! 

• Ethanol plants need to be aware of process contact with animal 

feed 

• Chemical products needs to be safe for animal feed 

– GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) Currently listed in 

CFR as GRAS for animal feed 21 CFR 582 or 584. 

– Self certified GRAS 

• Nalco uses Keller & Heckman as third party verification 

– CVM (FDA review- not required for compliance with feed 

regulations) 

• Not all animal rations are created equal (dietary exposure as a 

determination of safety is dependent on % use in animal feed, and 

the feed consumption factor for individual animal species) 

• Approvals are application specific 

– It is the intended use of a substance, rather than the substance 

itself, that is eligible for GRAS. If a product is GRAS for one 

use, it is not necessarily GRAS for all uses. 

– Application influences concentration in the final feed due to 

varied chemical usage levels, points of application, end 

product feed rations. 

– Cumulative exposure is also considered. 


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How does Nalco Determine Safety 

• Use the principles set forth in the Title 21 Code of Federal 

Regulations part 570.30 to establish GRAS status for 

process aids. 

– Outside consultants act as our Scientific Panel of Experts 

per 21 CFR 570.30(a) 

– Each and every component of the product is reviewed for 

compliance status as well as the suitable purity of the 

additive for said use. 

– Conservative (worst-case) assumptions are applied for end 

use and process parameters to estimate maximum 

concentration of chemical in final feed component. 

– Review of the component hazards in relation to the dietary 

exposure for all livestock animals is evaluated to ultimately 

determine safe use. 

• Assumptions and allowable maximum dosage levels are 

clearly communicated on product literature to ensure safe 

use at the customer level 


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Communication – Product Safety 

In Section 15 of the MSDS 


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Communication – Product Safety 

Information on product label. 


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Corn Oil Extraction Optimization 

• If you decide additive is something you want to 

try, please remember: 

– All species of animals that may include your corn 

oil or DDGS in their diets need to be covered under 

GRAS. 

– All mechanical, operational, and chemical aspects 

of your COE system need to be optimized. 

– ???? 


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• Questions ?? 


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Corn Oil Extraction Optimization - Nalco

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