Using Crude Glycerin in High Forage Diets - A Way to Improve the Profitability of Biodiesel Production

This team estimates that confined beef cattle fed in Texas could consume all the glycerin resulting from 3 billion gallons of biodiesel production capacity if it were included at 10% of the diet. This allows for the development of a market that could grow six times the current level of biodiesel production. While most preliminary research has focused on replacing corn with crude glycerin, this project investigates replacing forage with crude glycerin. Replacement of forage is logical for three reasons: First, in vitro digestibility data suggests that the volatile fatty acid profile resulting from glycerin fermentation more closely matches the fermentation of forage than corn. Secondly, forage is difficult to manage for many confined animal feeding operations, so replacing forage with glycerin would be pragmatically beneficial to beef cattle producers. Finally, potential development and growth in cellulosic ethanol production may displace forage sources previously used for livestock production thereby increasing the cost of forage in beef cattle diets.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Program Information: Advanced Research, Biobased Research

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $70000.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Department of Transportation
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Johnson, Shawn

• Performing Organizations:

  West Texas A&M University

  , TX   
• Principal Investigators:

  MacDonald, Jim

• Start Date: 20091201
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20111130
• Source Data: RiP Project 31381

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biodiesel fuels; Corn; Ethanol; Production; Profitability
• Uncontrolled Terms: Feedstock; Glycerin
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Energy; Finance; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01572203
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Aug 4 2015 1:00AM