Ethanol Production Continues for E Energy

by Scott Koperski (Beatrice Daily Sun) ... One key to E Energy Adams’ success has been finding uses for byproducts in ethanol production.
(Carl) Sitzmann (CEO of E Energy Adams) said the starch from corn is the only portion of the grain used to produce ethanol.
The rest of the corn and other plant byproducts are used in other food and ag-related industries.
Through the distillation process, ethanol is created as the main product. But plant manager Bob Toth explained during a walkthrough of the facility that byproducts are also put to good use.
“There’s ethanol being produced; that’s one thing that we get out,” Toth said. “The second thing is carbon dioxide and we have a company on our site that takes that CO2 from us and sells it as a gas for the carbonation in drinks and used in food plants.”
In addition to carbon dioxide, both dry and modified distillers grains are a major byproduct used by farmers as a high-protein source of food in cattle, hog and chicken industries.
The fourth byproduct of ethanol production is corn oil. Toth said not all ethanol plants have the capability to make use of corn oil - which is used in animal feed or biodiesel production -- but it has served E Energy as a significant source of revenue, bringing in as much as an additional $12,000-$15,000 per day.
...Toth pointed out that ethanol, at 200 proof when it leaves the plant, is essentially corn whiskey. Alcohol for human consumption faces much different regulations, and so Sitzmann said two percent gasoline is added to the clear liquid to differentiate it from a beverage.
...Some question the benefits the corn fuel provides, but Sitzmann said there are three main pros to using ethanol that keep the fuel relevant in future markets, Octane, environmental friendliness and cost.
Typically at the pump, consumers see fuel ranging in octane levels of 87 up to 91 for premium grade.
In its pure form, ethanol is rated at 113 octane.
“There’s all kinds of power potential in ethanol,” Sitzmann said with a smile.
... One trend Sitzmann expects to see is the addition of blender pumps at fuel stations. These stations are equipped with both unblended ethanol and gasoline in separate tanks. Consumers can select their gasoline to ethanol ratio at the pump and it will be mixed on site.
If Sitzmann’s prediction about the future of the automobile industry is correct, pumps like these will begin to phase out the standard units that offer two or three choices of a fuel grade in around five years as high-compression engines make a market presence.
“We’re going to be looking at high compression, direct injection engines that will use optimum blends above 10 percent to run right,” Sitzmann predicted. “Because of the high compression, these engines will satisfy CAFE (fuel mileage) standards.” READ MORE