From Stillage to Sale: Real-Time Process Control for DDG/DDGS Producers
DDG and DDGS production runs on co-product value. When thin stillage concentrations vary, wet cake enters the dryer inconsistently, or finished product leaves at the wrong moisture level, yield loss and energy waste follow immediately.
Process NIR solutions give producers real-time visibility from distillation through drying, turning continuous measurements of moisture, protein, fiber, oil, and solids into decisions that protect quality and maximize returns.
Taking continuous measurement of moisture, starch, sugars, protein, ethanol, and solids, Perten's diode array NIR systems integrate seamlessly with plant control systems to keep every control point optimized, from grain intake through to DDG/DDGS production.
The numbers show what that control is worth:
- Recover $65,000 annually by eliminating over-drying and consistently hitting moisture targets
- Recover $49,000 in co-product value by improving separation efficiency by just 1%
- Save $50,000 per year in energy costs through real-time solids monitoring during evaporation
This flyer details how our DA 7250 at-line, DA 7350 in-line, and DA 7440 on-line NIR solutions deliver the process intelligence DDG/DDGS producers need to protect margins and maximize output shift after shift, across every site.
Control Moisture, Cut Energy Costs, and Maximize DDG/DDGS Value
Perten’s NIR solutions help ethanol producers turn feedstock and process variability into predictable yield and higher co-product value. These fast, diode array NIR systems deliver actionable measurements in seconds for key parameters such as moisture, starch, sugars, protein, ethanol, and solids at critical control points including grain intake, mixing and saccharification, yeast propagation and fermentation, co-product processing, and DDG/DDGS production. With real-time insight into starch conversion, fermentation health, and DDG moisture and nutrient content, operators can optimize enzyme dosing, detect issues earlier, reduce dryer energy use, and maximize ethanol and DDGS yield. Rugged designs and seamless integration with plant control systems enable tighter process control, faster payback, and consistent margins across shifts and sites.
Perten’s adaptable NIR solutions give DDG producers real-time insight across the process. From fermentation through drying and final product release, they enable tighter moisture control, improved yield, and more efficient, consistent operations.
Distillation
Solids content in whole stillage can vary depending upon upstream fermentation performance. Consistent and fast total solids and moisture measurements provide early visibility into process shifts that affect downstream separation, and enables operators to stabilize process conditions before impacting centrifuge and evaporator performance
Separation
Detect fractionation inefficiencies, control feed consistency into dryers, and maintain more uniform nutrient composition in final DDG/DDGS product by leveraging process NIR on wet cake to measure moisture, protein, fiber and oil in real-time.
Evaporation
Prevent under- or over-concentration of thin stillage during evaporation by monitoring total solids concentration in real-time at the evaporator outlet or syrup discharge point. Real-time monitoring enables precise evaporation control, consistent syrup concentration, and more stable downstream blending.
Mixing
When blending syrup back with wet cake before drying, NIR can help to verify blend consistency through the real-time monitoring of moisture and solids in the mixed stream, enabling operators to adjust blend ratios quickly to ensure a consistent product prior to drying.
Drying
As the most energy-intensive step in the process, utilizing process NIR at dryer or cooler discharge points enables measurable reductions in energy consumption. Further, reducing over-drying increases final product volume and throughput, while also ensuring product consistency
Turning real-time data into measurable DDG performance gains
A plant producing 200,000 pounds per day of DDGS was missing its 10% moisture target–over-drying the product to 9.5%. By implementing process NIR sensors and consistently hitting the 10% target, the plant recovered approximately 1,000 pounds of sellable DDGS per day, equating to about $65,000 in annual savings1.
1 Assumes solids value of $0.18/pound
Reducing variability in upstream fermentation helped a plant processing 150,000 pounds of DDGs per day improve separation efficiency by 1%, reducing solids losses of 1,500 pounds per day that were previously misdirected downstream. This translated to approximately $49,0001 in recovered value annually, along with an estimated $30,000 per year in reduced incremental drying costs
A plant processing thin stillage through evaporation was experiencing variability in syrup concentration, leading to excess energy use and inconsistent downstream blending. By implementing process NIR sensors to monitor total solids in real-time and consistently hit target concentrations, the plant reduced over-processing and stabilized operations, resulting in approximately $50,000 in annual energy savings.
