ARS | Publication request: CHARACTERISTIC PERFORMANCE AND YIELDS USING A SINGLE-PASS, SPLIT-STREAM MAIZE AND STOVER HARVESTER

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2005
Publication Date: July 17, 2005
Citation: Shinners, K.J., Adsit, G.S., Binversie, B.N., Digman, M.F., Muck, R.E., Weimer, P.J. 2005. Characteristic performance and yields using a single-pass, split-stream maize and stover harvester. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Agricultural Engineering. Paper No. 056051, p.1-22.

Interpretive Summary: Reducing the cost of harvesting biomass is critical for developing economically viable biomass conversions to ethanol. In this study, a single-pass harvester capable of recovering both corn grain and corn stover was tested. Whole-plant harvesting was considerably slower than was conventional grain harvesting, but good recoveries of both the grain and the stover fraction were obtained. Up to 90% of the individual non-grain components (leaves, stalks, husks and cobs) of the corn plant were recovered, and the estimated ethanol yield of the recovered product ranged from 2600 to 3945 liters per hectare, depending on cutting height. The results indicate that single-pass harvesting may provide corn producers a simple and viable method for harvesting both grain and stover fractions.

Technical Abstract: A grain combine was modified to produce single-pass, whole-plant corn harvesting with two crop streams, grain and stover. Capture of potential stover DM varied from 48 to 89% for leaves, 49 to 92% for stalks, and greater than 90% for husks and cobs, depending on corn head height. Stover aggregate moisture was 50.2, 43.1, and 36.4% (w.b.) when the corn head height was 10, 44, and 63% of ear height, respectively. Greater materials other than grain feedrate limited ground speed due to power availability, so area capacity was 2.3, 2.8 and 3.4 ha/h when corn head height was 10, 44 and 63% of ear height, respectively. Whole-plant harvesting reduced area capacity by nearly 61% compared to harvesting with a conventional snapping-roll head. Single-pass stover had an average particle size of 69 mm and bulk density of 51 and 110 kg DM/m3 in the wagon and bag silo, respectively. Based on polymeric sugar content, estimated ethanol yield was 3,945, 3,230, and 2,600 L/ha when the corn head height was 10, 44 and 63% of ear height, respectively. Fermentation of single-pass stover in a bag silo was adequate with average losses of 6% of total DM.