Distiller's Dried Grains (DDGS) is a by-product of the corn ethanol production process. Because of its high fiber (cellulose) content, it is commonly used as animal (ruminant) feed. It could also be utilized for fermentative biofuel production, after acid pretreatment using acid chemicals. One of the drawbacks in the use of acid chemicals for pretreatment of DDGS, however, is the possible formation of inhibitory compounds which might adversely affect the next fermentation step. Scientists from the University of Illinois recently reported the use of electrolyzed water for the pretreatment of DDGS, and utilizing the pretreated hydrolyzate for acetone-butanol-ethanol fermention. Water can be electrolyzed by placing a pair of electrodes into the reaction system, and the passage of electricity splits the water molecules into an acidic portion and an alkaline portion. The acidic portion, called the "acid electrolyzed water" is used for pretreatment of the DDGS. The scientists reported improvements in the fermentation yields of the biofuel, due to the reduced concentrations of inhibitory compounds formed after pretreatment. The complete results are published in the journal, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers..