December 5, 2006

Iowa company develops corn-based grain dryer for farmers
 

A company in Pocahontas, Iowa, US have been working on developing a prototype corn burner that could be used to dry corn.

It might be available to farmers by next spring.

S A R  Biomass Energy Systems has already developed home and office furnaces fuelled by burning corn, and recently finished a second trial-run of a grain dryer prototype. Company co-owners felt if corn stoves worked for the home, why not on the farm.

Grain dryers are used by farmers to reduce moisture on corn and thus prevent it from rotting.

The new model could even be used at low temperatures and run for 12 hours without oversight, said Randy Severson, co-owner of the company.

Theron Andersen, another co-owner estimated that drying 5,500 bushels of corn, an amount a farmer dries at one time, would cost US$250 using corn as fuel compared to US$780 using propane.

Besides, corn-burning grain dryer would be more favourable for the atmosphere than gas because it does not release extra carbons.

There would be no smoke so it would be cleaner, he emphasised..

The company has also been trying to obtain a USDA-certification. The certification would allow farmers who purchase the corn-burning grain dryer to apply for grants that could pay for 25 to 50 percent of the cost plus installation, said Raveling.