Well now, if you’re wondering how much that corn distiller oil weighs, let me tell ya. First thing you gotta know is that, on average, a gallon of corn distiller oil weighs about 6.4 pounds. Ain’t no big mystery to it, just simple math. It’s like when you go to the store and buy that gallon of milk or oil, you know it’s gonna be around that weight. But what’s real interestin’ is that corn distiller oil, or DCO as some folks call it, is pretty much like regular corn oil. It’s just got some extra good stuff in it, like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for the eyes, or so they say. Ain’t that somethin’?
Now, you might be wonderin’ where this oil comes from. Well, this DCO comes from that process where corn is turned into ethanol. You know, they make that corn liquor to fuel cars and stuff, and after they do that, they got this leftover stuff, which includes the oil. On average, each corn bushel, which weighs about 56 pounds, can give you about 1.9 pounds of oil, but right now, we ain’t gettin’ all that. Most plants only get about 0.75 pounds of oil outta that bushel. That’s just the way it is. Ain’t a whole lot of it compared to the rest of the stuff they get from corn, like that dry distiller grain that’s good for animal feed.
Speaking of that, this corn oil they get, it’s mostly used in animal feed and sometimes in other products. But ya see, the process of makin’ this oil is all tied up with ethanol production. Every year, them big ethanol plants in the U.S. can turn out about 87.5 million gallons of ethanol, and for every bushel of corn, about 2.85 gallons of ethanol comes out. So, if you’re lookin’ at all that, the oil comes from what’s left over after makin’ the ethanol. It ain’t much oil compared to the ethanol, but it adds up over time, especially when you got all them big plants workin’ hard.
Now, don’t go thinkin’ it’s all easy. The oil yield can vary depending on how the corn’s processed, and how much oil’s in the corn itself. Some corn might have more oil in it, others might have less. And the way them ethanol plants work their decanters – the machines that separate the oil from the rest of the mash – that can change how much oil they get out too. So, it ain’t always the same, but you can bet that with every bushel, you’re gonna get a little bit of oil.
But here’s the thing. Even though they got a lot of corn and they makin’ ethanol all the time, the distiller corn oil ain’t as big of a deal as some might think. It’s mostly just a by-product of the ethanol process, and most of it goes to feed livestock. They’re always talkin’ about how much ethanol can be made from corn, but that oil? Well, it’s a smaller player in the game.
Still, some folks are tryin’ to make better use of that oil. Some might use it in biofuels or other stuff, but for now, it’s mostly sittin’ in big tanks at them ethanol plants, waitin’ for someone to buy it up for animal feed. And if you look at the prices, well, it ain’t too bad. You might see it change a little bit depending on where you are, but it’s usually about 4 bucks a gallon or so. Ain’t cheap, but then again, it’s still cheaper than some other oils.
So, if you’re lookin’ at corn oil from a distillery, remember, it’s just a small part of the whole ethanol deal. You might get a little oil from each bushel of corn, but don’t expect it to be a whole lot. Still, for them that use it in feed and other products, it sure comes in handy. And for the rest of us, well, we just keep movin’ along, drinkin’ our coffee and lettin’ the ethanol folks do their thing.
- Weight per gallon of distiller corn oil: 6.4 lbs
- Oil yield from each bushel of corn: 0.75 lbs
- Typical use: Animal feed and other products
- Average ethanol production per year: 87.5 million gallons
- Price of DCO: About 4 dollars per gallon
Now you know a little bit more ’bout how that corn oil comes from them ethanol plants and what it weighs. Ain’t a whole lot of it, but it’s useful in its own way. So next time you hear someone talkin’ ’bout corn oil, you’ll know what they’re talkin’ about!
Tags：[corn distiller oil, ethanol production, corn oil, distiller grains, animal feed, corn oil weight, biofuels, corn ethanol]
