“I love setting things on fire!”

Rachel Sanders’ bioresearch students at Global Impact STEM Academy are investigating the properties of biofuels. The first type of biofuel being produced is ethanol from milled dent corn. Students are learning about the ethanol production process and the by-products produced using lessons from the Ohio Corn Education Feed the World website.

Students have been amazed at the different uses of corn. One stated, “Who knew corn could provide such a cool way to make fuel?” In light of this application, students are considering whether the issue is “food vs fuel” or food AND fuel”. Students also learned about the nutrient content of the milled corn and how the dried distiller grains (DDGs) are used for animal food production.

Other students’ comments about the lab:

  • “This is great!”
  • “I love setting things on fire!”
  • “Amazing—I love learning about the process of making ethanol and dried distiller grains!”