|
 For
years, farmers have produced corn and soybeans as commodities
exclusively for the animal feed market – with a segment for
human consumption. While these uses certainly remain important,
the days of using these grains for only food and feed are gone.
As we move further into the new century, we’ll see the products
from growers’ fields used for fuel, fabric and other
possibilities to expand the marketplace and bring benefits to
consumers.
Most are well
aware of the growing ethanol marketplace for corn. In 2004, the
U.S. ethanol industry processed a record 1.26 billion bushels of
corn into ethanol, 12% of the U.S. corn crop. Eighty-one ethanol
plants located in 20 states produced a record 3.41 billion
gallons, a 21% increase from 2003 and 109% since 2000. By 2012,
the industry could use 20% of the U.S. corn production.
To meet the
demands of the ethanol industry,
Pioneer has characterized
high-yielding corn hybrids that provide higher ethanol yields,
capable of increasing these yields by up to 4% over “commodity”
corn. Pioneer has also developed the first whole-grain near
infrared (NIR) rapid assay for ethanol end-users. This
analytical tool has the potential to enable ethanol end-users to
access a single standardized calibration to measure corn grain
ethanol yield potential – and Pioneer is working with the
ethanol industry to do that. In addition, the company is
working closely with the industry to develop higher co-product
values and new co-product opportunities.
Likewise, the soy biodiesel industry is
expanding. Soy biodiesel is
a renewable, high-performance solution to today’s energy needs.
It also holds great promise for agriculture and energy
independence. The biodiesel industry has seen tremendous growth
since its development in 1993 and we expect further growth in
the future.
Like the ethanol market, this
industry gives us the opportunity to expand soybean use and
reduce our dependency on imported oil. With the higher price of
oil, ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soybeans are more
important than ever to consumers.
Corn itself can be transformed into
clothing, carpeting, fabrics and plastics. Pioneer’s parent
company, DuPont, will be
marketing Sorona®, a fabric derived from corn, instead of
conventional petroleum-based processes.
The distinctive physical composition of
Sorona® offers a combination of benefits, including softness,
comfort-stretch and recovery, and stain resistance, as well as
rapid drying and resilience.
Sorona®
may also be used in the automotive and home furnishing
upholstery markets
Through metabolic
engineering of biochemical pathways, DuPont researchers have
developed a microorganism to use sugars from corn and corn
biomass in a fermentation-based process. DuPont can now produce
1,3 propanediol (Bio-PDO™ corn-derived chemical/1,3,
propanediol), the key building block for DuPont™ Sorona®.
Producing Bio-PDO™ corn-derived
chemical/1,3, propanediol involves a fermentation process
similar to that used in making fine wine. This process relies on
the development of the microorganisms used as the catalyst in
the fermentation process.
DuPont Tate & Lyle LLC – a
recently announced joint venture between DuPont and Tate & Lyle
PLC -- will commercially produce the PDO at a Loudon, Tennessee,
plant this year. DuPont will sell Sorona® to its alliance
partners and is currently assessing other non-fiber
opportunities for PDO.
All these innovations mean the
future could be bright for the seed industry, growers and
consumers. Not only do these technologies and expanding
industries build new marketplaces for grain producers, but they
also provide products to consumers developed from renewable
resources. That’s good for the industry and good for the
environment. The advent of biotechnology and our ability to
better understand crops and the grain they produce give us the
tools to grow the marketplace for our seed customers.
We are only limited by our
imagination – and we are beginning to break those limits.
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trademark of DuPont. |
