How much was a ton of corn cobs worth in 2018, and the production method and feed feasibility

Corn cobs are made from corn ears through threshing and processing followed by strict screening, and have advantages such as uniform texture, suitable hardness, good toughness, strong water absorption, and good wear resistance, but they break easily during use. So, in 2018, what was the approximate price of corn cobs per ton? What uses do they have? Can they be made into feed? How are they made?

If the corn cobs are priced at the place of origin, they cost only about 300 yuan per ton; if they are far from the place of origin, then transport costs must be added, along with the wages and profits of those engaged in this trade, bringing the total to 700-1000 yuan per ton.

The quality of the corn cobs is also very important; good-quality ones fetch a higher price, while those processed after being rained on are poorer and fetch a lower price.

Corn cobs can be used for polishing, drying, and drying-off treatment of eyeglasses, buttons, electronic components, automotive parts, and magnetic materials. The surface of the processed workpiece is bright with high smoothness and no water-mark traces on the workpiece surface. 

At present, in high-tech industries, because corn cobs are rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and the like, they have been used in papermaking, biological sugar production, and other industries.

In addition, corn cobs can be divided into large, medium, and small sizes and can be used in combination with polishing equipment and drying equipment.

Production method of corn cobs

1. Grinding and soaking: Select 100 kg of corn cobs from the current year and grind them into fine crumbs, preferably about the size of beans, place them in a soaking vat and soak for 1-2 hours so that the corn cob crumbs absorb water and swell, with water absorption reaching about 40%. After soaking, scoop out the blank material and place it in bamboo baskets and wicker baskets, then rinse it once with clean water, and after draining, it can be put on the steamer for steaming.

2. Steaming: When steaming on the steamer, first spread the soaked corn cob crumbs evenly, cover with a layer of bran or grain husk, the amount of which is about 10% of the blank material; after steam rises, steam for 20 minutes, then mix 10% cool water into the blank material, and after mixing evenly, steam for another 40 minutes. Then mix in another 10% cool water, the purpose being to soften the blank material and steam it thoroughly.

3. Mixing in malt milk: When the steamed blank material is spread out to cool to 65-75°C, the malt milk can be mixed in. For the spreading and cooling temperature of the blank material, take the upper limit in winter and the lower limit in summer. Making the malt milk: first soak 15 kg of barley (preferably two-row barley from the current year) in clean water for 2 hours; if the water temperature is too low, the soaking time should be appropriately extended. Spread the soaked barley grains flat on a bamboo tray at a thickness of about 1 cm, cover with a wet cloth to keep warm at 25-30°C, until the barley sprouts. When the malt has grown to two and a half times the length of the dry barley grain and the bud sheath turns from white to green, add water and put it on a mill to grind into milk, with the amount of water added being about 1 times that of the malt.

4. Saccharification: After mixing in the malt milk, the blank material can be put into the vat for saccharification. The saccharification vat should be able to retain heat, and heat-preserved saccharification should be carried out for 16-24 hours. After feeding, the saccharification temperature must be kept at about 55°C, and the temperature can be appropriately raised in the later stage. After saccharification is completed, release the sugar liquid for concentration to make maltose.

5. Concentration to make maltose: Release as much of the thick sugar liquid at the bottom of the saccharification vat as possible, filter it immediately, then put it into a pot to boil the sugar and concentrate it. The sugar residue can be used as feed. When boiling the sugar, the heat should be strong at first; as the sugar liquid concentrates, the heat should gradually be reduced, and it should be stirred constantly to prevent burning and carbonization; finally, boil over low heat until the required concentration is reached. 100 kg of corn cobs can produce about 50 kg of maltose.

Can corn cobs be used as feed

Nutritional composition of corn cobs: corn cobs contain 54.5% sugar, 2.2% crude protein, 0.4% crude fat, 29.7% crude fiber, and 1.2% minerals.

Therefore, corn cobs can be used as feed. To use corn cobs as pig feed, they must first be processed and crushed with a crusher, and the finer the grinding the better, preferably in powder form. When feeding pigs, first soak them in water for a period of time to soften them, then add Shenzhong EM fermentation agent to ferment, and afterward mix them into the pig's daily ration at a ratio of 8%-10% for feeding; in the later stage, this can gradually be increased to 30%.

Fermentation method: 1. Process and crush the corn cobs; 2. First soak in water for about one day (or not soak); 3. Fermentation: first mix the fermentation agent with rice bran; 4. After mixing well, stir it evenly with the crushed corn cobs; 5. Finally, find a container or fermentation bag and seal it to ferment for about one week.