Researchers produce biofuels from non-edible portion of corn kernel

In Illinois, researchers at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have successfully produced an environmentally friendly, cost-effective biofuel from the non-edible portion of a corn kernel using technology that is currently commercial available.

Utilizing a mechanical process called fractionation, corn kernels are broken into bran and cellulose through mechanical separation, and then converted into fuel ethanol. The researchers believe they have found a solution to one of the biggest challenges in the ethanol industry.