A detailed economic analysis of a 914 tonnes/day (36,000 bu/day) ''Qui
ck Germ'' ethanol process was performed. The Quick Germ ethanol proces
s is a combination of a dry-grind and a wet-milling ethanol process. T
he Quick Germ ethanol process increases the coproduct value in the dry
-grind ethanol process by recovering germ before fermentation. Germ is
recovered using the conventional wet-milling degermination process. E
conomic assessment of the Quick Germ process proved profitable. The sa
vings achieved by recovering germ as a coproduct and by increasing the
fermenter capacity due to removal of nonfermentables from the corn ma
sh will reduce the manufacturing cost of ethanol by 2.69 cent/L (10.19
cent/gal or $0.265/bu) when compared to the conventional dry-grind et
hanol process.