What is Corn Cob?
Corn cobs (central part of maize) are either treated as waste or burnt as fuel causing environmental
concern. In order to achieve its value addition in new research areas, corn cob can be processed
chemically to find ways to generate new end products with added values at very low price.
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_Based_Nanoparticles
Maize cobs are a by-product of the maize crop, consisting of the central fibrous rachis of the female
inflorescence (the maize "ear"). While the whole maize ear (with the grains, with or without the
husks) is also sometimes called a maize cob, this datasheet concerns only the maize cob without the
grains. The development of maize processing in the 20th century resulted in an increase in the
volumes of this by-product (Lenz, 1948). About 180 kg of cobs are obtained from each ton of maize
shelled (Evers et al., 1994). In the USA, it was estimated that about 50 million t of cobs were
produced annually in the 2000s, most of them being left on the field (Jansen, 2012), and maize cobs
are a major by-product in many maize producing countries.
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Corn Cob as an agricultural waste in PH
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares
of land in the Philippines were utilized for
corn production area (Philippines Agriculture
2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks
and stalks behind in the fields as waste
materials. According to Ohio State University,
approximately 50 percent of the weight of the
total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk,
leaf, cob and husk. In fact, 10% of dry matter
residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).
Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose material.
Its tensile properties show that corn bre has
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares
of land in the Philippines were utilized for
corn production area (Philippines Agriculture
2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks
and stalks behind in the fields as waste
materials. According to Ohio State University,
approximately 50 percent of the weight of the
total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk,
leaf, cob and husk. In fact, 10% of dry matter
residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).
Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose material.
Its tensile properties show that corn bre has
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares
of land in the Philippines were utilized for
corn production area (Philippines Agriculture
2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks
and stalks behind in the fields as waste
materials. According to Ohio State University,
approximately 50 percent of the weight of the
total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk,
leaf, cob and husk. In fact, 10% of dry matter
residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).
Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose material.
Its tensile properties show that corn bre has
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares
of land in the Philippines were utilized for
corn production area (Philippines Agriculture
2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks
and stalks behind in the fields as waste
materials. According to Ohio State University,
approximately 50 percent of the weight of the
total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk,
leaf, cob and husk. In fact, 10% of dry matter
residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).
Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose material.
Its tensile properties show that corn bre has
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares
of land in the Philippines were utilized for
corn production area (Philippines Agriculture
2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks
and stalks behind in the fields as waste
materials. According to Ohio State University,
approximately 50 percent of the weight of the
total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk,
leaf, cob and husk. In fact, 10% of dry matter
residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).
Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose material.
Its tensile properties show that corn bre has
As of 2008, approximately 2,490,000 hectares of land in the Philippines were utilized for corn
production area (Philippines Agriculture 2003–2009). Farmers typically leave husks and stalks
behind in the fields as waste materials. According to Ohio State University, approximately 50
percent of the weight of the total corn plant is residue, consisting of stalk, leaf, cob and husk. In fact,
10% of dry matter residue came from corn husk (Myers 2009).Corn husk is 80%–87% cellulose
material.
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Manufacture_of_Composite_Boards
Although corn (maize) ranks only fifth in terms of average amount produced each year (∼6.09
Mtons), it produces the largest amount of residue upon harvest. Each year ∼4.4 Mtons of corn
stover (dry weight) left in the field in on average. Corn may not be among the top three most
produced crops as the values reported are that of the harvested grains only.
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Maize is a major crop in the Philippines that generates large amounts of agricultural residues. It is
estimated that 4 million tonnes of grain maize and 0.96 million tonnes of maize cobs produced
yearly in the Philippines.
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According to DA, Corn waste, like cobs, stalks and stubbles, is usually burned by farmers to make
way for new corps. The burning has serious risks on the environment and the health of farmers.
The burning of farm waste causes severe pollution of land and water as gases like methane,
nitrogen oxide and ammonia are released into the atmosphere. The DA added that burning of corn
waste, along with rice hay and other organic farm wastes, contribute indirectly to the increased
ozone pollution and can cause serious health problems like asthma, chronic bronchitis and
decrease lung function.
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environment-earn-more-from-corn-waste
Uses and Advantages
Corn cobs left in the field after harvest can boost soil quality; Beyond that, those tough cobs can be
used to make a whole host of products.
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Crushed corn cobs were first used by the US Navy during World War II to clean aircraft engines. As
it is a by-product, its mechanical properties can vary significantly from batch to batch. Corn cob
media has a Moh’s hardness that may vary from 2.5 to 4.0 and it has a specific density of 0.8 to 1.2 g
cm−3. Particle size for agricultural media can range from 1 to 0.2 mm.
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Maize cobs are a highly fibrous product with many agricultural and industrial applications. In
agriculture, they are used for fuel, litter for poultry and other animals, mulch and soil conditioner,
and as fodder for ruminants despite their low nutritive value (Evers et al., 1994; Jansen, 2012).
Their absorbency and abrasiveness makes them useful for several industrial applications. They can
absorb finishing fluids, oil and water in industrial applications, and also help to clean up industrial
or environmental spills. They are excellent carriers for vitamins and antibiotics in animal feed, and
for herbicides and pesticides in lawn care products. They are used for the production of chemicals
such as furfural or the sugar replacement xylitol. Maize cobs are used to blast and polish many
materials, from jewellery, nuts and bolts, to golf club heads. More recently, maize cobs were
reported to be a potential cheap and promising source for sustainable energy production (Evers et
al., 1994; Jansen, 2012; Gö hl, 1982).
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Components of Corn cob for wood
It is known that corncob is lignocellulosic material that has a basic composition of cellulose
(40~44%), hemicellulose (31~33%), and lignin
(16~18%) [23]. In addition to the basic composition, other substances such as salts, proteins,starch
and ashes occupy a small portion (less than 10% in total) of the corncob [24]. Depending on where
the corncob originates, the proportions of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and other substances in
corncobs vary modesty.
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tment_of_Corncobs
The building industry is one of those fields in which the corn cob can have an important role as an
alternative sustainable raw building material. Substantial economic and environmental benefits can
result from the adoption of this solution.
In order to study new sustainable building materials, based on corn cob, it is necessary to know in
advance their properties, such as density, water absorption, fire resistance and thermal insulation
capacity. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt at studying these properties was made. Samples of
corn cobs picked up in the north of Portugal were used in the experimental work. The average value
of the density of the corn cob was 212.11 kg/m3 , with a variation coefficient of 22.4%, which can
be acceptable taking into account the expected variability of this natural and organic material. This
density is similar to the cork and it is significantly higher than the density of the XPS and the EPS.
This value of density may be high due to the specific density of the intermediate layer of the corn
cob (Layer II) which is analogous to soft wood. The corn cob seems to have expressive water
absorption. Due to its microstructure and material composition, which implies a capillary net
existence and a water permeability tendency, the saturating process of the corn cob is gradual and
progressive. The corn cob samples tested required over 15 days to become saturated. On the other
hand, corn cob keeps its material integrity after being in contact with water for several days. Among
the different tested materials in terms of water resistance behavior, corn cob and cork seem to have
interesting similarities. Furthermore, the corn cob has a slow progressive combustion process
characterized by the existence of flame and a black gas emission which contrasts with the low fire
resistance capacity of the XPS and the EPS. Meanwhile, corn cob and cork seem to have similar fire
resistance. An alternative experimental set up was applied in this research in order to estimate the
potential thermal insulation capacity of the corn cob. A specific particleboard based on corn cob
granulate was processed to this purpose, as an alternative solution for testing a single corn cob. The
experimental results show that the estimated value of the thermal transmission coefficient and of
the thermal conductivity of the corn cob are 1.89 W/m2 C and 0.139 W/m C, respectively, which are
significantly higher than the corresponding values for the most common processed thermal
insulation materials (i.e. XPS and EPS). However, the evaluated thermal insulation capacity is still
adequate for building application purposes
Pinto, J., Cruz, D., Paiva, A., Pereira, S., Tavares, P., Fernandes, L., & Varum, H.
(2012). Characterization of corn cob as a possible raw building material.
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e_raw_building_material
Corn cob as particle board
The need to reduce the dependence on wood and forest resources has resulted in a great interest in
the utilisation of agricultural residues and wastes for particle board production [6]. These
agricultural residues such as the stalks of most cereal crops, rice husks, coconut coir, bagasse, corn
cobs, peanut shells etc. are cheap and abundantly available in many developing countries such as
Nigeria, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India [7,8]. These materials are often disposed of
inappropriately or openly incinerated thereby contributing to environmental pollution [9]. Bio-
based composites have been reported as potential replacement for polymer and wood based
composites as a result of their attractive qualities such as low technology requirement,
environmental friendliness, low production cost, ease of recycling etc [10]. Several researchers
have reported work on the usage of agricultural residues for the production of particle boards.
Bekalo and Reinhardt [11] investigated the production of particle boards from coffee husk and hull
fibres using thermosetting resins. Mendes et al. [5] produced particle boards from sugarcane
bagasse. They investigated the effect of adhesive type and loading on the quality of particle board
produced. They reported that the best particle board was produced using urea formaldehyde at a
loading of 6%. Boquillon et al. [12] studied the properties of wheat straw and its potential for
particle board production. Sekaluvu et al. [6] investigated the factors that affected the production
of particle boards from maize cobs. Their results revealed that the properties of the particle
boards produced were significantly affected by the resin content and particl size. Other studies
have investigated the use of other agro residues such as rice husk [13], rattan [14], pine [4],
cotton straws [15], sunflower stalks [16], and date palm leaves [17].
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cobs_and_cassava_stalks_Optimisation_of_mechanical_properties_using_response_surface_methodol
ogy
References:
Kumar, Samit, et al. (2010). Studies On Characterization Of Corn Cob Based Nanoparticles.
Advanced Materials Letters. 1(3). Retrieved from
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ased_Nanoparticles
Feedipedia (n.d.). Animal Feed Resources Information System. Retrieved from
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Macatangay, Paulina, et al. (2012). Utilization of Agricultural Wastes in the Manufacture of
Composite Boards. ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development. 29(2). Retrieved from
[Link]
anufacture_of_Composite_Boards
Conag, Angelique, et al. (2019). Potentials of agricultural and agro-industrial crop residues for the
displacement of fossil fuels: A Philippine Context. ScienceDirect. pp. 100-113.
Zafar, Salman (2020). Agricultural Wastes in the Philippines. BioEnergy Consult. Retrieved from
[Link]
Ocampo-Flora, Ian (2018). Farmers to help save environment, earn more from corn waste. SunStar
Pampanga. Retrieved from [Link]
News/Farmers-to-help-save-environment-earn-more-from-corn-waste
FarmProgress (2020). Corn cobs no longer just a waste product. Retrieved from
[Link]
Kristoferson, L.A. & Bokalders, V. (1986). Agricultural Residues and Organic Waste. Renewable
Energy Technologies. Retrieved from [Link]
Guo, Lei, et al. (2019). A New Approach for Economical Pretreatment of Corncobs. Applied Sciences.
9(3). Retrieved from
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ent_of_Corncobs
Cruz, Daniel, et al. (2012). Characterization of corn cob as a possible raw building material.
Construction and Building Materials. Retrieved from
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aw_building_material
Nosakhare- Amenaghawon, Andrew, et al. (2016). Production of particle boards from corn cobs and
cassava stalks: Optimisation of mechanical properties using response surface methodology. Journal
of Materials and Environmental Science. 7(4). pp. 1236-1244. Retrieved from
[Link]
bs_and_cassava_stalks_Optimisation_of_mechanical_properties_using_response_surface_methodology
