The corn ash (after cooling) can be safely applied to garden areas, flower beds, lawns, and fields. Fuel Currently UsedĪ plan for proper disposal of corn ash needs to be developed before purchasing a corn-burning stove or boiler.īurning shelled corn yields less ash residue than burning firewood or cinders from burning coal.Ĭorn ash has some modest value as a fertilizer and as a liming agent, with no evidence of heavy metals or any other contaminants. Likewise, a person using 400 gallons of #2 fuel oil would need to use about 8,800 pounds of shelled corn (400 x 22) for the equivalent amount of heat. For example, if a person uses 2 tons of hard coal per heating season, then about 6,720 pounds of shelled corn (2 x 3,360) will be needed to obtain the same heating value. The corn energy equivalent table below provides an efficient way to calculate how much corn would be required to replace the fuel currently being used. This table provides a method of calculating how much shelled corn would be required to replace the fuel currently being used for heating. Shelled corn is a fuel that can be produced within 180 days, compared to the millennia needed to produce fossil fuels. Instead, the world faces political challenges associated with providing infrastructure systems for food distribution and storage.Ĭontemporary agricultural systems can produce sufficient quality and quantity of food for the world's population, with additional resources available so that agricultural products can be used as fuel, pharmaceuticals, and chemical feedstocks. While it is recognized that malnutrition is a serious global problem, the world is not experiencing a food production problem. Using corn as a fuel does not compete with the food supply needed for nourishment throughout the world. Burning shelled corn as a fuel can be a feasible way of dealing with the high prices of more conventional fuels such as fuel oil, propane, natural gas, coal, and firewood.

Firewood 4 combustion