Corn cob processing
Corn cob is the inner part of the cob and its natural function is to act as a support for the corn kernels. Corn cob is mostly harvested in seed production and processing plants because, being easily biodegradable, it ends up rotting on the ground with today’s harvesting system. Once harvested, the cob is subjected to grinding and sizing (selection of different grain sizes).
Two products result from this processing: granules (heavy part) derived from the crown of the cob and flours (light part) derived from the outer parts and pith. The main applications of the granules are: polishing and sanding of metal objects, wood sanding, biodegradable pet bedding. Flours, on the other hand, are used as animal feed, livestock feed media, liquid absorbent, fillers for plastics, and fuels.
The grain sizes of the cob granules, which we refer to as GM, start from ‘GM04 (very coarse granules) up to ‘GM80.