Corn Pellets?

[skipp025atyahoo]

Corn Pellets?

Hello to everyone...

In various thread posts, I see the mention of corn, which I'm assuming is part of
a corn husk or some type of pellet made with or from corn husk material? We
don't seem to see those types of fuels on the left/west coast, so I wanted to ask
if at least one or two of you would take a moment to describe what the corn
fuel you might be using is actually made from, how you receive it (its form) and
any cost comparison to regular wood pellets we have and use out here.

Is there a cost or net delivered BTU advantage to using corn fuel?

Would not organic fuels like corn in the raw form, possess a lot of moisture?

Are you able to mix corn fuel with regular wood pellets and does your stove need
to be setup different?

And please mention if you buy your corn fuel from the same locations/sources as
you would purchase wood pellets. Are some of you actually using byproducts from
your Ag farm work?

Thank you in advance for your replies.


Cheers,
skipp

skipp025 at yahoo dot com

 

[bags]

Howdy Skipp,
What you are seeing about corn is primarily people mixing corn (kernals dried to 15% or less) and pellets. The ratios vary depending on preference and the stove. I have recently mixed some to try it out. Some burn 100% corn but most I've seen prefer some type of mix. Now corn is less expensive than pellets in many areas so it is favored again for economic reasons also. Many buy in bulk since that is the best pricing.

I have not seen any other type of corn burning or pellets made from stalks, husks, etc; They could exist but I am not certain. Many corn burners buy at local agricultural co-ops. There are many more fluent with the process than I am as I am still learning a lot. You can buy bagged feed corn at places where pellets are sold but the price gets high that way. I did this just to play around with it and get a feel for what it's like. It was $8 bucks for a 50 lb. bags. I did a 50 / 50 mix and seemed good. I have read here where some are paying $130 for a ton of corn or half as much than a ton of pellets.

Rona, Bioburner, Sidecar Flip, and some others can give you a better feel and explanations on the corn burning

Many get ahold of wet corn or some that has 15% plus moisture and have problems burning it so yes it does have higher moisture but if dried properly burns well. My stoves with a mix run the same as with 100% pellets. The PC45 will burn 100% corn and requires a corn burn pot and set up whereas the P68 will not burn 100% corn but a 50 / 50 mix and requires nothing different and the same holds true with the PC45 for 50% mixes. Over that you may be heading into more of a corn set up.

 

[bags]

The corn fuel is the whole kernels only like feed corn sold in agri stores like TSC. If you want to burn corn the bulk delivery is a must for best pricing. Most seem to go to the local grain elevators and grab it. It is dried down ideally to 15% or less. 12-15% moisture is what I have seen the pro's here seem to like while typical pellets have about 8% moisture. Hopefully the real corn guys chime in. I have only messed with 100 lbs of it to date. Not sure about BTU's but it does need more heat to ignite corn.

 

[Lake Girl]

Bags provided a pretty good explanation ... Besides the stove being a multi-fuel or corn burner, you need to meet special requirements on the venting as corn is more corrosive.

The corn burners will show up soon and probably give you more information than you may want to know...

 

[kappel15]

They do make a pellet out of corn cobs. I have not burned it, but others that have said it was good heat, but lots of ash. I burn corn mixed with pellets(Iowa, heart of corn land), as my Sante Fe will not ignite just corn, and corn is cheaper then pellets, tho I can burn just corn if I start the fire with pellets, and let it run till I shut it off to clean it. I buy my corn from a farmer as it is usually cheaper and cleaner then an elevator where they buy from everyone and "blend" it all together. The more times pellets or corn is handled, the more fines there are. Ideal moisture content for corn is between 12 and 15%. At the moment I am burning 17.9%. (we'll see how many people start b-slappin me). lol It came right out of the field and price was right. 3.23 a bushel. It is an experiment, and I am loosing heat burning off the moisture, but mixed with pellets, it is slowing down my pellet consumption(pellets are high priced at the moment), but it is heating my house sufficiently. I only bought 38 bushel. I have about a weeks worth left, and will need to get some more. kap

 

[bags]

They do make a pellet out of corn cobs.

Kap has been a wealth of info along with many others here and helped me out big time on a very pricey decision. Thanks!

Bags provided a pretty good explanation ...

YAY! Thanks! I take that as a compliment from a Gal that was giving me a good beat down and straightening me out on the softwood pellets not long ago. I am aways willing to take another if I get out of line so don't hold back at all. I like to learn and be able to contribute facts here.

 

[Bioburner]

There is a pellet made of distillers grain too. But no real break on price over pellets. Some made now of beet pulp around here but never seem to be at the right place at the right time to get some. High volume so would have to really run through a very manual control stove. Maybe have to pull out a Whitfield for that.

 

[jp99]

Skip,

Good info for you in this thread so far. I have burned many tons of corn in my PC45 and there are times when it's better than wood pellets.

BTUs are close between the two, with pellets having a bit more. So on a cost basis, when corn is cheaper I use it. Most of the last 4 years I've burned primarily wood pellets with 15% corn added for better ash management. Now at $3.75/bu corn is cheaper.

I buy corn from farm operations here in the Midwest. One is a nearby farmer who sells it dried but not too clean for cheap. Another has a cleaning and bagging operation so I don't have bring my own bags. One of my pellet suppliers gets his corn from the latter.

When I burn 80-85% corn my stove is set up different. Airflow needs to be less when burning corn, and you need a way to manage clinkers. You'll also have more ash residue from corn - about 5x - so cleaning is more frequent.

One advantage of a multi-fuel biomass stove is you can burn what is cheaply available. Cherry pits, dog food that can't be sold, etc., are options beyond corn. In a pellet only stove you can't go over 50% with these options, but they will extend your pellet supply. In a fully capable stove you can increase that to 100% if you learn how to read the fire and stove responses and adjust airflow and feed settings accordingly.

Hope this helps in addition to what others have posted.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I have nothing to add, all been covered basically....carry on.