—I jncasttr Fannins, Saturday, November 24,1979 44 DES MOINES, la. - One company’s search for an answer to short supphes and high costs of energy appears headed for success. But what seemed liked a simple solution has taken five years and more than $750,000 m research and development costs. Pioneer Hi-Bred In ternational, Inc., the nation’s largest hybrid seed corn producer, dried part of its 1979 seed crop using a gasifier which produces a mixture of combustible gases from com cobs. While gasification isn’t new, using cobs for fuel required many modifications. A patent application is being con sidered to cover these features. No government funds were involved m the project. Gasifiers were used in drying com at three of the company’s 22 seed handling plants this fall. Nearly $700,000 has been budgeted for additional installations in 1980. Pioneer dries about eight million bushels of seed com each year. This requires removing an average of three gallons of excess water per bushel In a typical year, some 400 billion BTUs are required for the job, an Marion MacDonald honored as 4-H agent NEWARK - Kent county extension 4-H agent Marion MacE>onald was honored for 25 years of service to Delaware 4-H at the annual meeting of the National Association of Extension 4-H agents, held recently in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Before coming to Delaware she served as an assistant home economist in Josephine county, Oregon In addition to providing leadership for a very active and diversified county program, MacDonald has also had major respon sibilities at state camps, conferences and fairs. Her most noteworthy con tribution to the Delaware 4-H program has been in the area of arts and crafts, used Hybrid firm uses cobs to dry seed corn essential one if farmers are to have high quality seed com. Using cobs as a heat source to dry seed com of fers a near-perfect solution to this particular energy problem. It disposes of cobs, a by product of the seed production operation. It conserves natural gas or propane for other uses. And even though the gasifiers cost approximately $75,000 each and are used only about eight weeks a year, they should pay for themselves in less than 10 years, based on present gas and propane costs. Natural gas provided most of the heat to dry seed com at seed plants prior to 1974. Following the OPEC oil embargo, some of the company’s gas suppliers hinted that it should be searching for alternative fuels. Also, as the company looked for additional locations for expanded seed com production, it found that many did not have natural gas service. Rising costs of fuel gave further impetus to seeking an alternative. Propane worked well, but a steady supply had to be assured or valuable seed *'^Jf Marion MacDonald to stimulate interest m ongoing local, county and state 4-H programs and activities El- c~ GIVE YOUR trrr-j FAMILY v rr-fl A WARM CHRISTMAS k*' »’ WITH A GLACIER BAY FIREPLACE INSERT FROM MSTAHB’S WOOD STOVES 1830 S. State St f East Petersburg, PA Phone 717-569-7397 _ s **w , Cobs enter the cylindrical gasifier where they dry seed at Pioneer Seed plants in lowa, Indiana react with a limited supply of oxygen to produce a and North Carolina in 1979. The five-year mixture of combustible gases. These are burned to development of the gasifier was financed entirely heat air that is forced through cornbins to remove by Pioneer and required to research investment of excess moisture. Gasifiers like this were used to more than $750,000. could be lost. Also, propane handling equipment, leading “To our knowledge, this is tmue to increase m the doubled the costs of dicing to breakdowns. the first large-scale drying future, com. After extensive ex- of seed corn using gasified Economics will dictate The obvious solution was penments and major cobs as fuel,” Stohlgren h° w f as t hybrid producers to bum the cobs that are left modifications, the tar says. will switch to gasifiers after seed com is dried and problem has apparently He said he believes other There’s a side-benefit for shelled. been overcome. seed companies will no doubt farmers m their using cobs “We knew there were Gasification produces a be interestedm the process. instead of gas to dry seed enough BTUs in the cobs to mixture of carbon monoxide, Stohlgren says the bill for com. dry the high-moisture com hydrogen, methane, equipping all of Pioneer’s The manufacture of coming from our seed nitrogen and other gasses, drying buildings with anhydrous ammonia, the growers’ fields,” says Burning this low-BTU fuel gasifiers and necessary cob- most common source of Walter Stohlgren, one of the heats air that is forced handling equipment would nitrogen fertilizer for corn, company’s engineers “The through bins of ear com to be roughtly $8 million at uses large amounts of trick was how to capture that remove excess moisture, today’s costs. natural gas. latent energy and produce a The modified gasifiers To put this in perspective, By drying seed com usmg steady, well regulated flow operated this year at the company expects to corn cobs mstead of gas for.® of warm air to dry seed com Pioneer seed corn plants spend about $2 million for fuel, a company can con without damaging it.” near Durant, Iowa; Rush- drying fuel this year. Prices tribute to the supply of The first experiments ville, Indiana; and of both natural gas and fertilizer farmers need to involved burning cobs in an Laurmburg, North Carolina, propane will no doubt con- B row corn, incinerator. However, this rejected because of the formation clinkers i release corrosive agents I and irritating in the HI I heated M. H H^^J Gasification - in cobs react with a controlled supply of oxygen - was tried next Among other problems, this resulted in tar-hke substances being deposited within the gas- life m * • , A -*v mmtf « * * •* K . • • » • * *' » * # : •:£ ' f . SJ [«•* > BEATS “WET FOOT DISEA First “proprietary alfalfa variety with resistance Phytophthora ro rot that delivers consistently goo yields. • Resistance to Phytophthora root rot ( wet foot disease ) • Produces stands where other vaneties fail • Excellent wmterhardmess • Good recovery arter cutting • More resistance to pea aphids and leafhopper yellowing than Vernal 01 Saranac • Yields well even when Phytophthoi not present P. L. ROHRER & BRO., INC. Smoketown, PA Ph: 717-299-2571 in Division of North American Plant Breeders * i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers