DGs Could End up in Plastics if Biocomposite Facility Is Built

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Distillers grains as a component in plastics? You bet, if two Nebraska companies achieve their goals.
It will start by building a manufacturing facility, Laurel BioComposite LLC, in Laurel, Neb. Major investors include Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance (KAAPA) members acting through the newly created KAAPA Investments LLC. Through private investment offerings, about $8 million in equity has been raised for the $18.7 million project. “There’s ongoing efforts to secure the rest,” said Marge Lauer, executive director of KAAPA Cooperative and a board member of KAAPA Investments.
Although the company hasn’t announced a date for groundbreaking, it’s anticipated that the first DG resin powder will be produced in 2012. Later on, the product will be shipped as pellets. In all, the plant will produce about 100 million pounds of plastic resin additive annually.
...Should the price of DGs increase, the conversion process can be used to produce LignoMAXX out of other biomass, such as corn stover, wheat straw, lawn clippings or more. READ MORE