August 2013 Ethanol Producer Magazine

Page 1

INSIDE: PROPER PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL ENZYME TRIALS AUGUST 2013

Optimization Opportunity Missouri Plant Upgrades During Drought Downtime Page 30

ALSO

Poised for Big Things Page 36

Measuring Yeast Metabolic Activity Page 44

www.ethanolproducer.com

contents

AUGUST issue 2013 VOL. 19 ISSUE 8

features

DEPARTMENTS

36

6

7

Editor’s Note

Transformers By TOM BRYAN

Ad Index

10 The Way I See It

Stop the Nonsense By MIKE BRYAN

11 Events Calendar

Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows

12 View From the Hill

Frack This By bob dinneen

14 Drive

Protect the RFS, Contact Elected Officials By Tom Buis

16 Grassroots Voice

30 OPTIMIZATION Getting It Done

Poet uses downtime as chance to optimize By Susanne Retka Schill

36 ADVANCED BIOFUELS Taking Inbicon to the Next Level

Aiming for steel in the ground By Holly Jessen

Halfway Through,

Not Half Bad By RON LAMBERTY

18 Europe Calling

Europe at the Crossroads By Rob Vierhout

20 Business Matters

Refinery Safety and Health:

How Proactive is Enough? By Gregory N. Dale

22 Business Briefs

CONTRIBUTIONS

24 Commodities Report 26 Distilled 50 Marketplace

INSIDE: PROPER PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL ENZYME TRIALS AUGUST 2013

44

YEAST

New Tool Offers Insight Into Dynamic Yeast Performance Evaluating impact of process changes on yeast activity

By Jason Van’t Hul and Phil Bureman

48

ENZYMES

Planning, Communication Underlie Successful Plant Trials Pine Lake Corn Processors tests new enzyme technology

By Tami Fraser

Optimization Opportunity Missouri Plant Upgrades During Drought Downtime Page 30

ALSO

Poised for Big Things Page 36

Measuring Yeast Metabolic Activity Page 44

www.ethanolproducer.com

Ethanol Producer Magazine: (USPS No. 023-974) August 2013, Vol. 19, Issue 8. Ethanol Producer Magazine is published monthly by BBI International. Principal Office: 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Periodicals Postage Paid at Grand Forks, North Dakota and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ethanol Producer Magazine/Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58203.

ON THE COVER

Drought prompted optimization at the Poet LLC plant in Macon, Mo. PHOTO: DAKOTA DYLAN

4 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

Thank you for visiting us at FEW booth #423

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editor’s note

The parched fields within 100 miles of Poet Biorefining-Macon, the ones not abandoned during last year’s drought, produced less than 50 bushels of low quality corn per acre. Starved of feedstock, the ethanol plant shut

Transformers Tom Bryan, PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF tbryan@bbiinternational.com

down in February—with a plan—turning its rock-bottom moment into an opportunity for reinvention. This month’s page-30 cover story, “Getting it Done,” by EPM Senior Editor Sue Retka Schill, tells us the story of how Poet and its Macon, Mo., ethanol plant’s board of directors took advantage of the facility’s downtime by installing $14 million in upgrades. It’s yet another example of the industrious resilience of American ethanol producers. Rather than shutting down and waiting, Poet-Macon shut down and got busy. In less than three months, the facility re-emerged with a new administration building, a new control system, new evaporators, corn extraction capability and new fermentation tanks for Poet’s patented no-cook starch hydrolysis technology, BPX. Today, with its upgrades completed and BPX on the way, the 13-year-old plant will soon join the ranks of the top performers in Poet’s 26-facility fleet. However, it’s not as if Poet-Macon was a perennial laggard before its renovation. As Retka Schill explains, the plant historically enjoyed cheap corn and was running efficiently and profitably up until the past couple of years. In some ways, the facility was a victim of its own comfortable success. “When you’re running a production facility and you’re profitable, it’s pretty hard to slow your production levels,” John Eggleston, the plant’s board chairman, tells Retka Schill. The transformation storyline carries into our page-36 feature, “Taking Inbicon to the Next Level.” At this year’s International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, EPM Managing Editor Holly Jessen sat down with representatives of DONG Energy, Inbicon and their North American marketing and commercialization partner, Leifmark. Like Poet, Inbicon seeks to transform through investment. Still looking for its big U.S. project, DONG has put more than $200 million into the effort globally and plans to invest another $20 million to get across the commercialization finish line. Earlier this summer, Inbicon announced that it will license its technology in four commercial versions, three of which are new. One of the versions integrates cellulosic ethanol production capability into existing grain ethanol plants. Jessen explains that ethanol producers incorporating the integrated system would have the ability to periodically suspend grain ethanol production when corn prices rise. Producers hit hard by last year’s drought may agree that having both cellulosic and corn ethanol production capability with a built-in shut-off valve for one or the other could save a plant from a temporary shutdown, or worse, in future pinches. Enjoy the reading.

For industry news: www.ethanolproducer.com or Follow Us: 6 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

twitter.com/EthanolMagazine

AdIndex

EDITORIAL PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF Tom Bryan tbryan@bbiinternational.com

45, 55 2013 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo

Vice President of Content & EXECUTIVE EDITOR Tim Portz tportz@bbiinternational.com

11 ICM Inc.

MANAGING EDITOR Holly Jessen hjessen@bbiinternational.com

49 2014 International Biomass Conference & Expo

SENIOR EDITOR Susanne Retka Schill sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com

8-9 Inbicon

NEWS EDITOR Erin Voegele evoegele@bbiinternational.com

STAFF WRITER Chris Hanson chanson@bbiinternational.com

56 2014 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

33 INTL FCStone Inc.

54 2014 National Ethanol Conference

38 Kennedy and Coe, LLC

42 American Coalition For Ethanol

13 Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits

COPY EDITOR Jan Tellmann jtellmann@bbiinternational.com

ART ART DIRECTOR Jaci Satterlund jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lindsey Noble lnoble@bbiinternational.com

PUBLISHING

5 BetaTec Hop Products

CHAIRMAN

32 Nalco, an Ecolab Company

Mike Bryan mbryan@bbiinternational.com

CEO Joe Bryan jbryan@bbiinternational.com

28 Buckman

15 Novozymes

47 Cereal Process Technologies

17 POET, LLC

SALES VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING Matthew Spoor mspoor@bbiinternational.com

Business Development Director Howard Brockhouse hbrockhouse@bbiinternational.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Chip Shereck cshereck@bbiinternational.com

3, 43 DuPont Industrial Biosciences

ACCOUNT MANAGER

19 Syngenta: Enogen

Kelsi Brorby kbrorby@bbiinternational.com

MARKETING DIRECTOR John Nelson jnelson@bbiinternational.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

21 DuPont Pioneer

22 Tower Performance Inc.

54 Ethanol Producer Magazine

27 United Sorghum Checkoff Program

34 ETS Laboratories

32 U.S. Water Services

26 Fagen Inc.

39 Victory Energy Operations, LLC

29 Field Energy

41 Vogelbusch USA Inc.

Jessica Beaudry jbeaudry@bbiinternational.com

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Marla DeFoe mdefoe@bbiinternational.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Mike Jerke, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co. LLLP Jeremy Wilhelm, Cilion Inc. Mick Henderson, Commonwealth Agri-Energy LLC Keith Kor, Pinal Energy LLC Walter Wendland, Golden Grain Energy LLC Neal Jakel Illinois River Energy LLC Eric Mosebey Lincolnland Agri-Energy LLC Steve Roe Little Sioux Corn Processors LP

Customer Service Please call 1-866-746-8385 or email us at service@bbiinternational.com. Subscriptions to Ethanol Producer Magazine are free of charge to everyone with the exception of a shipping and handling charge of $49.95 for any country outside the United States, Canada and Mexico. To subscribe, visit www.EthanolProducer.com or you can send your mailing address and payment (checks made out to BBI International) to: Ethanol Producer Magazine Subscriptions, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203. You can also fax a subscription form to 701-746-5367. Back Issues, Reprints and Permissions Select back issues are available for $3.95 each, plus shipping. Article reprints are also available for a fee. For more information, contact us at 866-746-8385 or service@bbiinternational.com. Advertising Ethanol Producer Magazine provides a specific topic delivered to a highly targeted audience. We are committed to editorial excellence and high-quality print production. To find out more about Ethanol Producer Magazine advertising opportunities, please contact us at 866-746-8385 or service@bbiinternational.com. Letters to the Editor We welcome letters to the editor. Send to Ethanol Producer Magazine Letters to the Editor, 308 2nd Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks, ND 58203 or email to hjessen@bbiinternational. com. Please include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and/ or space.

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts or samples before recycling

2 Growth Energy

23 Himark bioGas

35 Wabash Power Equipment Co.

40 West Salem Machinery Co.

COPYRIGHT Š 2013 by BBI International TM

AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 7

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the way i see it

Stop the Nonsense By Mike Bryan

I see article after article pertaining to world hunger and how biofuels are one of the root causes. It is time to stop this

nonsense. Biofuels are not causing world hunger, they never have and they never will. In fact, they couldn’t cause world hunger even if they tried, because if the price of feedstock rose because of world demand, the biofuels industry would go broke. One in eight people in the world go to bed hungry. Why? The reasons are as clear now as they were 50 years ago: war, weather, population growth, agricultural practices and poverty. War stops people who need food from getting food. Weather impedes the ability of developing countries to grow sufficient food. Population growth puts additional strain on the limited food supply. Agricultural practices that over-graze, deforest and farm marginal land lead to poor food production, and poverty forces people to choose between a roof over their heads or food.

10 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

We grow enough food in the world to feed every man, woman and child on the planet. We have done so since agriculture began. It’s not a production problem, it’s a distribution problem, and to blame biofuels for war and warlords who stifle food distribution is misguided, to say the least. Biofuels also have little to do with the weather. In fact, if anything, the industry is working hard to reduce carbon and thereby have a positive effect on the weather. The existence of marginal farm land in developing countries and the poverty it produces is not a biofuels issue. And finally, last I checked, biofuels has virtually no impact on population growth. Food vs. fuel has taken on a life of its own. It has, in my opinion, been one of the most effective, although patently false, tales spun by those opposed to the expansion of the biofuels industry. Show me one definitive study that directly correlates the production of biofuels with world hunger, a study that is not riddled with false assumptions, preconceived outcomes and questionable funding sources. There are none! There are none because this entire issue has been fabricated, not on the basis of real science, but with the sole intent of destroying a competitive industry in the energy market. This and a host of other issues that have been raised about biofuels over the past 30 years are nothing

more than competitive warfare, waged largely by the oil industry. The sooner the public realizes how ridiculous this is, the better. World hunger is a devastating problem that we all need to be concerned about and an issue that developed countries around the world need to collectively act on. But to simply blame biofuels and imply that without biofuels, everyone in the world would be fat and happy is absolute nonsense! Anyone with half a brain knows that the food vs. fuel issue has nothing to do with food sharing, but has everything to do with market sharing. That’s the way I see it.

Author: Mike Bryan Chairman, BBI International mbryan@bbiinternational.com

EVENTS CALENDAR National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo September 10 -12, 2013 CenturyLink Center Omaha Omaha, Nebraska

Proving Pathways. Building Capacity. Produced by BBI International, this national event will feature the world of advanced biofuels and biobased chemicals—technology scale-up, project finance, policy, national markets and more—with a core focus on the industrial, petroleum and agribusiness alliances defining the national advanced biofuels industry. 866-746-8385 | www.advancedbiofuelsconference.com

Algae Biomass Summit September 30 - October 3, 2013 Hilton Orlando Orlando, Florida

This dynamic event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world’s algae utilization industries including, but not limited to, financing, algal ecology, genetic systems, carbon partitioning, engineering and analysis, biofuels, animal feeds, fertilizers, bioplastics, supplements and foods. 866-746-8385 | www.algaebiomasssummit.org

International Biomass Conference & Expo March 24-26, 2014 Orlando Convention Center Orlando, Florida

Organized by BBI International and coproduced by Biomass Magazine, the International Biomass Conference & Expo program will include 30-plus panels and more than 100 speakers, including 90 technical presentations on topics ranging from anaerobic digestion and gasification to pyrolysis and combined heat and power. This dynamic event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world’s interconnected biomass utilization industries— biobased power, thermal energy, fuels and chemicals. 866-746-8385 | www.biomassconference.com

International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo June 9-12, 2014 Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, Indiana

Celebrating its 30th year, the FEW provides the global ethanol industry with cutting-edge content and unparalleled networking opportunities in a dynamic business-to-business environment. The FEW is the largest, longest running ethanol conference in the world—and the only event powered by Ethanol Producer Magazine. 866-746-8385 | www.fuelethanolworkshop.com

view from the hill

Frack This By Bob Dinneen

I've said repeatedly that we can't frack our way to energy security. Let's look at the numbers.

800

Million Barrels per Day

600

400

200

0

-200

-400

2012

2011

2010

2009

Author: Bob Dinneen President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association 202-289-3835

2008

ethanol has absolutely directly led to the replacement of finished petroleum product imports! As noted in the chart, the increase in ethanol production and the decrease in petroleum imports just support what we have been saying all along. Ethanol is helping move America towards a more stable and energy independent future.

2007

SOURCE: U.S. DOE/U.S. Energy Information Administration

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

12 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

U.S. Ethanol Production

1000

2000

When the renewable fuel standard (RFS) was first passed in 2005, the U.S. was 60 percent dependent upon imported oil for our liquid transportation fuels. Today, we are just 40 percent dependent on imports. The U.S. Energy Information Administration cites “increased use of domestic biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel)” as a major driver behind the decrease in petroleum import dependence. Indeed, cumulative new ethanol production since 2005 has accounted for 62 percent of new domestically produced liquid fuels, while cumulative new U.S. crude oil production has accounted for 38 percent. Ethanol now accounts for almost two-thirds of America’s new liquid fuel production. This clearly shows the rhetoric around fracking and oil shale extraction are overblown and America should continue to invest in what is working, ethanol. Fracking and other band aid efforts account for a little more than one-third of new domestic liquid fuel production. But let's look closer. EIA’s report of petroleum imports includes oil and other petroleum products, i.e., gasoline. If we were to look at crude oil alone, while it has been reduced, our imports of crude oil still stand at 57 percent. The big reduction in petroleum has come from virtually eliminating our need of finished gasoline. As a finished product,

Net U.S. Gasoline Imports and Ethanol Production Net U.S. Imports of Finished Gasoline

MontrĂŠal InterContinental MontrĂŠal

September 15–20, 2013 A Tradition of Industry Education For 32 years, The Alcohol School has been educating fuel ethanol and distilled beverage producers in the science of alcohol production. The weeklong program is designed for lab, plant, and management personnel and is organized around lectures, laboratory demonstrations, seminars, and plant visits. The program will cover the process of ethanol and beverage alcohol production from milling and mash preparation through fermentation and distillation. Enzyme usage, yeast biology, bacterial contamination and control will also be discussed, along with other issues currently affecting both industries.

For More Information Registration is open to fuel ethanol, distilled beverage, and allied industries. Now is a good time to invest in education. Registration materials and additional information are available online at www.lallemandbds.com

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DRIVE

Protect the RFS, Contact Elected Officials By Tom Buis

It comes as no surprise that the ethanol industry is under attack.

Every day brings another news story calling for the elimination of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Big Oil, Big Food and their special interest allies are spending millions upon millions of dollars to destroy the single most important bipartisan energy policy that Washington has ever enacted. The RFS has led to the most robust farm economy in history, benefiting all stakeholders in the ethanol industry. But this is all at risk if the industry collectively does not take action to let lawmakers know that the RFS is the answer to continued economic prosperity at home, increased energy security and a better environment, with a cleaner fuel. The industry needs you to get involved and engaged—to let policy makers know not to make any legislative changes to the RFS. Now is the time to bring higher blends, like E15, into the marketplace to scale the blend wall and provide consumers with a choice and savings at the pump. The RFS, E15 and scaling the blend wall, these are the top priorities our industry must address. As the heart of the American ethanol industry, and the American Heartland, our producers and supporters see firsthand the robust economic impact that ethanol has

14 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

on our nation. Our industry has created and supports nearly 400,000 domestic jobs that cannot be outsourced. American ethanol is annually contributing more than $40 billion to the domestic product. And, since 2005, introducing renewable biofuels into our nation’s fuel supply has helped reduce our dependence on foreign oil from 60 to 40 percent. What is more impressive is that our industry has done this in such a short time. It is poised to achieve great things in the coming year. Ethanol plants nationwide are experimenting with using different feedstocks, from sorghum to switchgrass to municipal waste, to find new and innovative ways to produce ethanol. And, it is becoming more efficient, constantly updating technologies to improve ethanol production to ensure we use less energy and our fuel remains a cleaner, high performance, cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. However, in order to keep moving our industry and our nation forward, we need to impress upon our lawmakers the importance and value of both our industry, and the backbone behind it, the RFS. None of these advancements in technology, economic growth and increased energy security would be possible without the RFS. Big Oil will stop at nothing to keep the blend wall in place and prevent higher blends of biofuels like E15 from the marketplace, even though it is the most tested fuel change in our nation’s history. Recently, Jack Gerard of the American Petroleum Institute doubled down on his efforts to protect Big Oil’s market share and refuse the American consumer a choice and savings at the pump stating, “The ever-increasing biofuels mandate is a looming national crisis. Unless we put an

immediate end to this outdated, detrimental policy, the mandate could put consumers in harm’s way and disrupt the nation’s fuel supply.” We must not allow Big Oil and special interests to influence lawmakers with such misinformation. Your Representatives and Senators must understand that the RFS is necessary for rural America and that it is creating jobs, driving research and investment, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and improving the environment, all while providing consumers with a choice and savings at the pump with fuels like E15. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose. Everyone who is a stakeholder in the ethanol industry could be impacted terribly if Big Oil gets its way. Not only will the ethanol industry and all the supporting industries suffer, but so will the American people if we take a giant step backward in energy policy by accepting the failed status quo. So, please join the fight and contact your Representative and Senator, by calling the switchboard at the U.S. Capitol at 202-2243121. Other ways to get involved include engaging local opinion leaders and elected officials and making sure to get your friends and colleagues involved. Invite your local and federal lawmakers, government officials and the media to visit your plants. Send a letter, make a phone call and make a difference. The world belongs to those who show up and speak out. We know we can win this fight and with your help, we will win!

Author: Tom Buis CEO, Growth Energy 202-545-4000 tbuis@growthenergy.org

We go deep To ensure your trial success and mitigate your risk In your fuel ethanol plant, a new product is only as good as its trial. But running a trial takes a serious commitment. Novozymes’ Technical Service team is there for you all the way, focused on delivering comprehensive and well controlled new-product trials. Representing many different fields and specializations, from chemistry and biology to chemical engineering and statistics, our team is determined to find the answers you need to run a successful, low-risk trial. .OVOZYMES HAS MORE THAN FUEL ETHANOL TECH SERVICE EXPERTS 7E RE READY to ensure your trial success.

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Rethink Tomorrow

GRASSROOTS vOICE

Halfway Through, Not Half Bad By Ron Lamberty

There is a risk, when writing a column like this one, that what you write for deadline will be obliterated by events that take place in the time that passes before the article is published. (At least that’s the excuse

I usually give editors for late submissions.) Personally, I also worry about messing with the “mojo,” or jinxing something by mentioning it. Sport superstitions die hard, I guess. With a nod to fate, writing in early July, I’ll cautiously say that the 2013 looks to be a good year for the ethanol industry. Certainly better than most predicted. Early in the year, when the Hill was abuzz with talk of renewable identification numbers (RINs) and “RIN-sanity,” fueled by Big Oil mis-RINformation, we countered with the explanation that RINs are free. When refiners blend ethanol with gas, the RIN is theirs. Free. Like a proof-of-purchase seal. Oil industry representatives tried to convince reporters that RINs are “permits to blend ethanol,” when the truth is they’re the opposite. They’re permits to NOT blend ethanol. And for a change, a few reporters called Big Oil on the misrepresentation. A better result of all the RIN talk was that independent petroleum marketers became curious about them. When we talked with marketers at spring trade shows, they asked how they can get their hands on these dollara-gallon RINs they’d heard so much about. Petroleum marketers do backflips over a

16 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

nickel a gallon, so RIN values are definitely an incentive to sell more ethanol and collect as many RINs as they can. In the process, those marketers are also proving that, again, contrary to Big Oil talking points, station owners CAN sell, and drivers will buy, more than 10 percent ethanol. Marketers have already torn down the blend wall that Big Oil portrays as impenetrable. At a Hill briefing held by Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and ACE at the Capitol Visitors Center, one of those marketers, Bruce Vollan, who owns a station near Baltic, S.D., told a packed house that he was selling between 18 and 28 percent ethanol each month at his store, and has been for several years, without a single complaint or repair bill. Congressional staff and media in attendance paid rapt attention and seemed stunned at the possibility they had been misled by Big Oil. Media outlets that haven’t had a bad thing to say about oil or a good thing about ethanol for months ran some interesting stories in June. A Forbes article cautioned that the shale oil boom (which makes the renewable fuel standard unnecessary, according to Big Oil) is more tenuous and more reliant on high oil prices than the oil industry portrays it. The New York Times ran an article that explained how auto company engineers think they can use the higher octane of higher ethanol blends to meet the clean air and mileage regulations of the future. And late in June, the Supreme Court

rejected American Petroleum Institute’s appeal of a lower court ruling that said Big Oil couldn’t sue the U.S. EPA over approval of E15. Although the appeal was actually over the rather mundane subject of standing, API’s press releases and comments leading up to the High Court ruling portrayed the case as a referendum on E15 safety. Essentially, Big Oil used the legal process as another piece of their much larger ethanol smear campaign. Hopefully, some of their own misinformation will lead people to the conclusion that the Supreme Court has ruled that it’s safe to use E15. When anti-ethanol momentum appears to be slowing down, it’s usually just reloading and catching its breath. As long as ethanol is a threat to entrenched oil interests, they will continue to threaten ethanol, and I don’t believe they’ve ever felt more threatened. I’m not ignoring the likelihood that ethanol will be aggressively and unfairly attacked for the remainder of 2013. I’m just becoming more confident that the truth stands a decent chance of prevailing. Author: Ron Lamberty Senior Vice President, American Coalition for Ethanol 605-334-3381 rlamberty@ethanol.org

THE FUTURE LOOKS

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Europe Calling

Europe at the Crossroads By Robert Vierhout

A statement made recently by the head of BP Biofuels that this oil major will not invest in advanced biofuel in Europe must, and should have, come as a shock to European Union policymakers. But above all, it should come as a wake-up call.

BP is directing investment in advanced biofuels to the U.S. and South America due to uncertainty about the EU's future regulatory environment. I can understand BP's interest for the Americas over Europe. Brazil has an abundance of relatively cheap feedstock, bagasse, the left-over of sugar and ethanol production, lying around in the backyard of every distillery. The U.S. has a great environment to invest in technology, pilot and demo installations. BP finds that the U.S. and Brazil are more active in the area of advanced biofuels so this is the place one should invest. The regulatory framework that exists in the EU to date is indeed not convincing investors. There is, of course, R&D money available to develop new technologies but compared to the sums of money available in both the U.S. and Brazil, it is all rather modest. Then, of course, there is the so-called double-counting instrument. So far, it has delivered a boost for used cooking oils and animal fats but not for getting cellulosic ethanol off the ground.

18 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

It is painful to see that EU companies are true champions in getting the technology right and then cross the pond to invest in commercial plants. A very good example is the GranBio project in Brazil: EU process technology, EU enzymes and EU yeast combined with Brazilian feedstock and money. The CEO of this company does not make secret what the market will be: U.S. and Brazil. The Brazilian government is not supporting cellulosic ethanol for domestic purposes. The demand is created elsewhere. We see the same happening in the U.S. where EU technology is amongst the frontrunners of getting cellulosic ethanol produced. If it continues like this, the EU will be just an exporter of cellulosic technology and an importer of the ethanol. If the EU wants to avoid becoming entirely dependent on cellulosic ethanol, imported change is needed now. EU regulators still can get it right but it requires for once thinking out of the box, not more of what we already have. We definitively need to go beyond the stage of pilot projects. It is about deploying what we have and that works. So, no accountancy tricks like double and quadruple counting. It will make the volumes too small to have major investments. Much better is a separate mandatory target for this type of biofuels. Policy should be holistic and consistent both at EU and national level. Since cellulosic ethanol will provide great opportunities for agriculture (growing energy crops) and regional development, biofuel policy should go beyond being a mere energy- or greenhouse gas emission-saving policy. State aid measures should be generous to obtain the boost at feedstock-collection level

as well as bringing technology to deployment. Also fair taxation vis-Ă -vis fossil fuel is crucial, such as applying a CO2 tax, which will make biofuels more competitive than fossil fuel. But, most importantly, policymakers and decision makers need to guarantee that policy will not be changed within 5 years after its adoption. Considering the high capital expense and operating expense costs for these types of plants, support policy needs to be in place at least 10 years. Europe needs to get its act together quickly. The time is now to construct a regulatory framework that will lead to investment in Europe itself instead of other places in the world. As far as the regulatory framework is concerned, Europe is at a crossroad.

Author: Robert Vierhout Secretary-general, ePURE Vierhout@epure.org

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1

business matters

Refinery Safety, Health: How Proactive is Enough?

By Gregory N. Dale

Although accidents can and, unfortunately, do happen, even in very safety-compliant and well-run facilities, refineries can and should consider taking proactive steps to toward a safe work environment.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards present the minimum acceptable safety requirements. Further, some areas of facility safety may not be regulated by an applicable OSHA standard. For such areas, OSHA’s general duty clause requires that employers furnish employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. It’s important to have effective and proactive safety programs go beyond OSHA’s minimum requirements because the driving force behind such programs is not merely OSHA compliance. It is the overriding interest in preserving life and health. Some may feel avoiding accidents in the workplace requires a crystal ball of some sort, but the recognition of certain conditions may prevent safety incidents. Here are some guidelines in reviewing any facility's overall safety and health compliance. Equipment and Tooling Inspections: Equipment, no matter how well-built, will eventually succumb to age, weather, environmental conditions and the stresses placed upon it in the process. Inspections and/or audits are particularly important for equipment containing hazardous materials or stored energy. The older the equipment, the more it needs regular checks to confirm it is in safe condition. Do you have a regular, documented and effective audit and review process for equipment and tooling? 20 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

Employee Training: Even well-trained workers can forget specific training or choose not to follow training. A worker may follow safety training, such as wearing protective equipment, without fail for years and the one time he or she decides not to could be the moment something happens. Accordingly, retraining ought to regularly occur, especially immediately before particularly busy periods and upcycles. Do you have a training program that is documented and reinforced regularly with retraining? Training Enforcement: Safety enforcement is never a popular topic because it may involve disciplinary processes. Nonetheless, an employer can have great training and superb equipment, but still fall short of an effective safety program if supervisors are not vigilant in catching and promptly correcting actions that are inconsistent with OSHA requirements and safety principles. OSHA considers proper enforcement to be an essential element of an effective safety program. Are your supervisors appropriately enforcing your safety program and documenting enforcement? New Process/New Equipment: Implementation of new processes and/or equipment should include thorough training, including coverage of operators' and owners' manuals. More heavily supervised early runs are needed during the first few weeks using the new equipment or process. Supervisory Substantive Knowledge: So often, reams of training materials and instruction are provided to operators, but supervisors have not received such updated training on processes, hazards, safety precautions, etc. These supervisors will be the first persons to be questioned following any incident. Do they have current, relevant training and knowledge of safety issues so they can promptly recognize safety hazards and take remedial action? Are supervisors

knowledgeable about OSHA standards applicable to their area of responsibility? Is their training documented? Supervisory Continuous Jobsite and Operations Knowledge: Safety issues can arise in the blink of an eye. In order to catch problems before health and safety are at risk, supervisors must reliably and regularly review site operations. Are supervisors regularly and reliably in the field to detect potential safety risks or issues? Contractors/Visitors: Clear communication about jobsite hazards and each employer's safety processes are critical before business visitors or contractors arrive on-site. Many OSHA standards explicitly require such advance communications and information sharing. Are those communications being documented? Delayed Safety Is Poor Safety: Even seemingly minor issues may sometimes be harbingers of serious safety hazards. Should an incident occur, delays in response to previously observed safety issues will invariably be reviewed in ensuing investigations. Are there internal audit records that document unresolved safety issues? Workforce Diversity: Workforces in the U.S. increasingly include workers from many cultures and regions who do not yet have full facility with English language terms. OSHA has recognized this issue and has alerted employers of the need to communicate safety training and materials in a manner fully understood by all workers. This may mean that documentation must be offered in multiple languages. Consideration of these points will assist employers as they work to maintain safe and healthy worksites.

Author: Gregory N. Dale Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP 317-237-1330 gregory.dale@FaegreBD.com

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business briefs

People, Partnerships & Deals

Sustainable Energy Strategies Inc., a provider of consulting services to the alternative fuel industry, has announced the addition of David Gelman as its new vice president. He has more than 30 years of consulting experience and has a wealth of knowledge about federal alternative fuel programs. Gelman was involved in the launch of three of the largest federally sponsored alternative fuel vehicle efforts, including the Clean Cities, State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleet, and the Federal Fleet programs. He has also supported alternative fuel, energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions control programs for the U.S. DOE and its national laboratories, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. EPA.

Arisdyne Systems Inc. has added validation engineer William Herdt to its team. Herdt will work with customers during technology installations, assigning the plant in testing and optimization of Arisdyne’s Controlled Flow Cavitation systems. He has more than 18 years of experience in ethanol production, and has worked at several ethanol plants. Most recently, he served as field service supervisor for Edeniq Inc. Pacific Ethanol Inc. has begun commercial production of corn oil at its Magic Valley, Idaho, plant using ICM Inc.’s Advanced Oil Separation System. Corn oil sales will diversify the plant’s revenue stream and provide greater financial stability to the facility. Corn oil sales are expected to contribute as much as $4.5 million in operating income annually, which equates to approximately 7 cents per gallon.

22 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

Growth Energy has promoted Michael Frohlich to the position of director of communications. Frohlich joined the organization in May 2012 as press secretary. He Frohlich serves will continue to serve as primary as primary spokesperspokesperson for Growth Energy. son and media contact for Growth Energy. Before joining Growth Energy, Frohlich served as director of media relations with the National Association of Manufacturers as well as director of federal communications at the National Biodiesel Board.

Verenium Corp. has added Brian Carter to its team in the newly created position of vice president of grain processing. Carter joined Verenium after nearly 20 years at Genencor, now a part of DuPont Industrial Biosciences. At Genencor he held a variety of senior leadership roles in business deCarter is a veteran of velopment and general the enzyme industry. management. Carter joined Verenium in September 2012 as vice president of business development, where he led select business development initiatives, including several in the grain processing industry. Kulinda Davis has also taken on a new role, director of business strategy and marketing. The position is focused on supporting further penetration in the U.S. market, commercializing new enzyme products and expanding the company’s Davis will expand international presence Verenium’s U.S. and international in grain processing. presence.

BUSINESS BRIEFS Sponsored by

Share your industry briefs To be included in Business Briefs, send information (including photos and logos if available) to: Business Briefs, Ethanol Producer Magazine, 308 Second Ave. N., Suite 304, Grand Forks ND 58203. You may also fax information to 701746-8385, or email it to evoegele@bbiinternational.com. Please include your name and telephone number in all correspondence.

Anitox has appointed Kevin Mundell to the newly created position of biofuels business manager. In his new role, Mundell will develop the market for OptiFerm, a product that has been developed by Anitox to control bacteria during the fermentation process in ethanol production. Its use eliminates the need for antibiotics and increases ethanol yield. Mundell has 18 years of executive, leadership and management experience in production and manufacturing. Ceres Inc. has added Brazilian agribusiness executive Daniel Glat to its board of directors. He is currently a principal at Glat & Associates, an agribusiness consultancy firm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He spent 25 years working for Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a DuPont business, including 21 years in Brazil. From August 2007 to June 2011, he served as director for international operations, where he was responsible for Pioneer's activities in Latin America, Africa and Asia. During this time he also served on the board of directors of Pioneer. From January 1998 to August 2007, Glat was president of the Pioneer's Brazilian subsidiary, Pioneer Sementes Ltda. U.S. Water Services Inc. has announced the issuance of an additional patent for its pHytOUT deposit control technology for biofuels. The technology helps provide facilities with optimum cost performance by reducing and mitigating deposit-related bottlenecks, and helps distillation trays and beer/ mash exchangers remain cleaner, reducing clean-in-place requirements. Combined with lower acid usage in ethanol production, the sodium and sulfate salt levels in coproducts may be substantially reduced. This improves DDGS quality and can increase the distillers grain feed ration in areas of high sulfate water.

Siemens Metals Technologies and LanzaTech have signed a 10-year cooperation agreement to develop and market integrated and environmental solutions for the steel industry worldwide. The collaboration will utilize the fermentation technology developed by LanzaTech to transform carbon-rich off-gases generated by the steel industry into ethanol and other platform chemicals. The two companies will work together on process integration and optimization, as well as on the marketing and realization of customer projects. Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels recently added Kevin Potas as its new business development manager. Potas is responsible for outlining licensing options for the company’s turnkey cellulosic-ethanol process and technology package with interested grain ethaPotas has a resultsnol producers. Prior to oriented work ethic. joining Poet-DSM, Potas spent 17 years with Johnson & Johnson in the pharmaceutical industry, where he led a team of nine district managers. ICM Inc. has announced the signing of a software development and marketing agreement with Houston-based NCAT Inc. to co-develop and market the Inseo Suite line of software services. ICM has been granted exclusive rights to market the first release of Inseo Suite, the Key Performance Indicator Module, to the biofuels and alcohol manufacturing industry worldwide. The first Inseo Suite application developed with ICM for the biofuels industry, the KPI Module, integrates ethanol plant operational data and produces dashboard-driven information that provides both critical overview and detailed views of plant performance.

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AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 23

commodities Natural Gas Report

Reading the technical tea leaves July 1—Technical analysis in commodity markets has been widely used by traders for several decades to divine market risks and opportunities. The concept behind technical analysis is that markets tend to move in somewhat predictable patterns. At the end of each pattern, the market evolves into another pattern. The key is to recognize patterns that will persist (profitable trades) and stay away from patterns that fail (unprofitable trades). An argument can be made that the market has moved in a systematic and persistent pattern within an upward pricing channel for more than a year. When market prices hit the top end of the channel (resistance) the market responded and moved down. Then when market prices hit the low end of the channel (support) the market again responded and moved back up. Each time the market gets to a major support or resistance level, the challenge is to determine if the market will continue to follow the current pricing pattern or start a new pattern. The market is again at the low end of the price channel and testing

By Casey Whelan

support. The next market move will be important, from a technical perspective, in establishing whether it is simply at a periodic low point and moving up, or at the beginning of new technical trend likely leading to lower prices. If the market forcefully breaks through support at roughly $3.60 per MMBtu, there is a strong likelihood that $3.20 per MMBtu, the next level of support, will be tested. Breaking through $3.20 per MMBtu, could mean the market is on the way to $2.60 per MMBtu. Over the past month, market sentiment has changed from “the sky is the limit” to the “the sky is falling.” This change may explain why we have moved to support levels again. At this point, it isn’t known which view will win out, however, a wild ride is expected as the bulls and bears fight it out. Those who need to cover winter positions may want to let the market figure out which direction it wants to go before layering in additional hedges.

Corn Report

Expect corn rationing, possibly in ethanol, feed uses

BY JASON SAGEBIE

July 1—The USDA placed June 1 corn stocks at 2.76 billion bushels versus 5.4 billion bushels on March 1 and 3.14 billion bushels a year ago. Disappearance was 2.63 billion bushels from March to June as compared to 2.875 billion bushels last year and 2.853 billion bushels in 2011. The disappearance from June to September the past three years averaged 2.51 billion bushels. If that were the case, there is very little corn to hold the market to new crop harvest. This would imply the inversion in old crop would remain strong through the summer. This market will need to ration and that may come in the form of ethanol or feed (wheat feeding). With the lower stocks, one would perceive a lower ending carry-out in the July supply and demand report. The USDA placed corn-planted acres at 97.4 million, up from 97.379 million in March and 2 million higher than the average trade guess. New crop corn faded fast on the release of that data. In some key areas, the USDA added acres while acreage loss was noted in some states. The acres expected to be harvested this fall are 89 or 91 percent of what is planted. Note that this planting number for corn was as of June 1, thus a possible revision could come early this fall. With 89 mil- reflected, a yield of 150 million acres still nets a production figure of lion acres harvested, which is actually lower than what the March report 13.370 billion bushels and 12.85 billion bushels of demand.

24 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

report

Regional Ethanol Prices Front Month Futures (AC) $2.4650

($/gallon)

REGION

SPOT

RACK

West Coast

2.740

2.850

Midwest

2.480

2.720

East Coast

2.560

3.020 SOURCE: DTN

Regional Gasoline Prices

DDGS Report

DDGS supply will follow corn price BY SEAN BRODERICK

July 1—Heading into the Fourth of July, DDGS prices have remained pretty steady for the past month. Sales into the Chicago container market destined mostly for China continue to drive the price. Product is being delivered into that market from as far away as western Iowa, keeping local markets propped up. Just recently though, deferred prices have started to break—partly because some of the strength was overdone and partly because some Chinese bulk DDGS business was done, which will fill some of the pipelines. Technically, the cutoff date for the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture DDGS registration requirement was June 30, but expectations are for an extension. As of late June, only five producing plants were

registered, which is not nearly enough tonnage to satisfy the Chinese demand. The inability to source corn at numbers that make economic sense are still keeping ethanol plants from selling DDGS for August and September. Buyers do not have much booked for that time either and proteins are very expensive for them. They will want and need to buy DDGS when offers become available, but can’t yet pay prices that create a positive margin for an ethanol plant’s crush. Ethanol plants will be watching to see what happens to corn prices and availability for the rest of old crop to determine their “run/don’t run” status and DDGS supply will follow that.

($/gallon) Front Month Futures Price (RBOB) $2.7617

REGION

SPOT

RACK

West Coast

3.015

3.279

Midwest

2.700

3.639

East Coast

2.611

2.831 SOURCE: DTN

DDGS Prices ($/ton) AUG 2013

JUL 2013

Minnesota

location

230

225

AUG 2012 218

Chicago

263

255

239

Buffalo, N.Y.

229

230

230

Central Calif.

286

277

275

Central Fla.

270

264

240 SOURCE: CHS Inc.

Corn Futures Prices Date

(Sept. Futures, $/bushel)

High

Low

Close

JUN 28, 2013

5.74 1/4

5.40 1/2

5.47 1/4

MAY 28, 2013

5.85

5.70 3/4

5.83 3/4

JUN 29, 2012

6.48

6.15 1/2

6.28 1/2 SOURCE: FCStone

Cash Sorghum Prices ($/bushel) LOCATION

Ethanol Report

Ethanol prices under pressure July 1—Ethanol futures prices have tumbled nearly 40 cents per gallon over the past month following the lack of support in the market and moderate production gains through the complex. Traders expected ethanol supplies to be tight through the summer, causing futures to post a strong rally around the Memorial Day holiday. But in the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July holiday, ethanol supplies have started to rebound slightly and production has increased moderately. This is driving prices down near $2.40 per gallon at the end of June,

BY RICK KMENT

which is a significant drop from spring price levels just before the summer driving season. Traders are looking for additional support in overall economic factors. This may limit any additional wide price movements through the month of July. The focus in the ethanol market has been placed on market stability rather than tight supplies. Gasoline prices have bounced higher and lower over the past couple of weeks, but remain in a relatively tight range with no short-term direction yet seen in the market.

JUN 22, 2013

MAY 31, 2013

JUN 27, 2012

Superior, Neb.

6.65

6.67

5.40

Beatrice, Neb.

6.72

6.82

5.56

Sublette, Kan.

6.52

6.53

5.73

Salina, Kan.

6.80

6.82

5.61

Triangle, Texas

6.77

6.67

5.93

Gulf, Texas

5.91

6.22

5.62

SOURCE: Sorghum Synergies

Natural Gas Prices

($/MMBtu)

LOCATION

JUN 1, 2013

JUL 1, 2013

JUL 1, 2012

NYMEX

3.98

3.57

2.82

NNG Ventura

4.01

3.64

2.74

CA Citygate

4.25

3.98

2.90

SOURCE: U.S. Energy Services Inc.

U.S. Ethanol Production

(1,000 barrels)

Per day

Month

End stocks

APR 2013

855

25,662

17,645

MAR 2013

828

25,681

18,941

APR 2012

855

26,368

22,370

SOURCE: U.S. Energy Information Administration

AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 25

distilled

EPA rulemaking seems to establish new RFS pathways Life cycle GHG emissions for advanced butanol pathway

Ethanol News & Trends

Proposed rulemaking published by (in kg CO2-eq./mmBtu) RFS corn the U.S. EPA aims to make several changethanol, gasoline natural gas, Gevo butanol RFSbaseline es to the renewable fuel standard program dry mill, 63% (RFS). Of interest to those in the ethanol dry DDGS industry, the proposed rule would add Net domestic agriculture 4 4 corn kernel fiber to the definition of crop Net international agriculture 12 12 residues, making it an eligible advanced Domestic LUC -4 -4 biofuel and cellulosic ethanol feedstock. International LUC (high/low) 32 (21/46) 31 The rule would also allow biobased butaFuel production 28 0 19 nol that meets the 50 percent greenhouse Fuel/feedstock transport 4 4 gas (GHG) reduction threshold to qualify Tailpipe emissions 1 1 79 as an advanced biofuel. In addition, the Percent reduction -21% -51% EPA’s proposal includes changes to the SOURCE: UC Davis Institute of Transporation Studies E15 misfueling mitigation regulations. Regarding butanol, the rule would allow biobased butanol made from corn starch and biogas from an on-site stillage anaerobic feedstock using a combination of advanced digester for process energy with a combinedtechnologies to meet the 50 percent GHG heat-and-power system producing excess threshold to qualify as an advanced biofuel. electricity at least 40 percent of the purchased The proposed pathway would apply to dry natural gas energy. The pathway was submitmill fermentation facilities that use natural gas ted by Gevo Inc.

President’s climate action plan includes RFS In late June, President Obama laid out his threepart plan to address climate change during a speech at Georgetown University, noting that a full 97 percent of scientists—including some who had previously disputed climate change data—have now acknowledged the planet is warming and human activity is contributing to it. “The question now is whether we will have the courage to act before it is too late,” Obama said. “How we answer will have a profound impact on the world we leave behind.” The first part of the three-part plan includes actions directed at cutting carbon pollution in America. The second component of the president’s action plan aims to prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, while the third calls for our nation to lead global efforts to address climate change. Those in the ethanol industry have applauded the fact that the plan reaffirms the administration’s commitment to the renewable fuel standard by specifying “biofuels have an important role to play in increasing our energy security, fostering rural economic development, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.”

distilled

Supreme Court declines to hear E15 appeal The U.S. Supreme Court has elected not to take up the petroleum industry’s E15 appeal, which was filed by the American Petroleum Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association and others in February. The appeal challenged the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision to reject the group’s challenge of the partial waiver granted by the U.S. EPA to allow for E15 use in 2001 and newer light-duty vehicles. The decision of the Supreme Court not to hear the appeal “marks the end of these baseless challenges,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, noted that the Supreme Court’s action ends a long-drawn-out effort by the petroleum industry to derail the commercialization of E15. “The uncertainty created by this lawsuit has chilled commercial activity that would provide American consumers more affordable choices at the pump,” he said. “With this decision, E15 can finally become a meaningful option for more Americans.”

NACS survey reveals interest in E15 The National AssociaNACS survey data tion of Convenience Stores 26% recently released the results Customers Familiar with E15 of a survey on E15 and E85. Would purchase E15 if priced same as gas 59% The survey was conducted Familiar with E85 29% on both consumers and retailers and revealed that the Retailers Concerned about upgrade costs for E15 46% 59 percent of fuel customConcerned upgrade costs for E85 44% ers would consider purchasing E15 if it were priced the Liability concerns over E15 46% same per gallon as gasoline. Liability concerns over E85 44% According to NACS, 79 percent of NACS members surveyed cited a lack of demand for expressed liability concerns over refueling, E15 as the reason they don’t sell the fuel with 46 percent citing liability concerns over blend. Regarding E85, 75 percent of retail- E15 and 44 percent citing the same concerns ers said demand isn’t sufficient for them to for E85. However, 64 percent of retailers said the protection from misfueling liability install E85 pumps. About 46 percent of retailers said costs would entice them to consider selling E15, associated with upgrades to sell E15 were and 46 percent said that similar protections a concern, with 44 percent indicating the would entice them to sell E85. same concern for E85. Some retailers also

The new color of money. Do you see red when you think about biofuels? You should. Grain sorghum produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as comparable feed grains on one-third less water.

AUGUST 2013 | sorghumcheckoff.com Ethanol Producer Magazine | 27

distilled

US ethanol nameplate capacity increased slightly in 2012

Gevo resumes biobutanol production

U.S. ethanol capacity, as of Jan. 1 (in thousand barrels per day) PADD 1 (East Coast) PADD 2 (Midwest) PADD 3 (Gulf Coast)

PADD 4 (Rockies)

PADD 5 (West Coast, AK, HI)

Jan. 1, 2012

21

815

29

12

19

Jan. 1, 2013

23

822

27

12

19

SOURCE: U.S. Energy Information Administration

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published new data that shows a slight increase in total ethanol operating capacity for 2012 compared to the prior year. As of Jan. 1, the EIA reported there were 193 ethanol plants in the U.S., with the vast majority—172—located in PADD 2 (Petroleum Administration for Defense District). PADD 5, located on the West Coast, is home to seven ethanol plants. PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) and PADD 4 (Rocky

Mountain region) each have five ethanol plants, while PADD 1 (East Coast) has 4. Capacity held steady in PADD 4 and PADD 5. Capacity in PADD 2 increased from 12.488 billion on Jan. 1, 2012, to 12.598 billion gallons on Jan. 1 of this year. Capacity also increased in PADD 1, from 316 MMgy to 360 MMgy. Nameplate capacity decreased from 449 MMgy to 419 MMgy in PADD 3.

Gevo Inc. has resumed commercial production of isobutnaol at its Luverne, Minn., plant in single train and is successfully utilizing its proprietary Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology. "I am pleased to report that we have been successful in operating our full-scale fermentation and our GIFT separation system that separates the isobutanol from the fermentation broth. This serves to further validate our technology as we had not previously run the GIFT system at full scale. I can now say that it runs beautifully," noted Patrick Gruber, Gevo CEO. Several improvements were recently made at the plant, including the alteration of fermentation conditions and operating parameters. Equipment was also modified and operating discipline was improved. Those changes have allowed Gevo to control and manage microbial contaminations that the plant previously experienced. Gruber said the plant plans to operate and produce biobutanol throughout the rest of the year, with additional fermenters and GIFT systems coming online during the third and fourth quarters.

Evaporator costs got you steaming? Reduce your pressure. How a fuel ethanol plant saves more than $400,000 per year with Bulab® 8301 from Buckman.

The Challenge. Calcium oxalate (beerstone) fouling was elevating evaporator steam pressures and hampering production. The result was higher maintenance costs along with more frequent CIPs, increased hydroblasting, higher sulfuric acid usage and resulting employee exposure. The Solution. After evaporator cleaning, Buckman began applying Bulab 8301 advanced chemistry to the thin stillage effectively inhibiting new deposition and reducing steam pressures.

The Savings. • Sulfuric acid: 45% reduction, saving $187,000 • Hydroblasting: From twice a year to once every 2 years, saving $82,500 • Evaporator steam: $175,000 Total Annual Savings: $454,500 Find out more. To learn more about our Bulab 8301 evaporator deposit control program, or to discuss any other production issues you may have, contact your local Buckman representative. ©2013 Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.

Commitment makes the best chemistry.

distilled

Lallemand, Mascoma introduce new yeast Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits and Mascoma Corp. have introduced their next generation advanced yeast product, TransFerm YieldPlus, a bioengineered drop-in substitute for conventional fermenting yeast. The new product can lower costs and improve efficiencies by alleviating the need to purchase glucoamylase enzymes, reducing the production of glycerol and improving yields. An alternative ethanol pathway has been inserted into the yeast that reduces the glycerol production. This allows the yeast to create more ethanol from the same amount of corn. In pilot-scale tests at ICM Inc., TransFerm YieldPlus consistently demonstrated ethanol yield improvements of up to 4 percent. Commercial-scale trials are currently underway at several corn ethanol producers. Both TransFerm and TransFerm YieldPlus are manufactured and distributed by Lallemand and jointly marketed and sold by Mascoma and Lallemand through their exclusive partnership.

Glacial Lakes Energy installs Arisdyne cavitation system MILLED CORN SLURRY + ENZYMES

ENHANCED SURFACE TO WEIGHT RATIO + LIBERATED STARCH

DISPERSION

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SOURCE: Arisdyne Systems Inc.

Glacial Lakes Energy has installed Arisdyne Systems Inc.'s patented controlled flow cavitation system (CFC) at its Aberdeen Energy facility in Mina, S.D. The companies collaboratively demonstrated that the CFC system increased daily average ethanol production, performing above the test agreement of 1.5 percent. Arisdyne’s patented CFC devices and processes open the corn cell structure efficiently, exposing the starches to water and enzymatic activity more aggressively and reducing particle size.

Tim Crabtree, Glacial Lakes Energy production manager, said it took two weeks to install the system, and approximately four hours to tie it into the plant’s process. “The combined capacity of ethanol producers using Arisdyne’s CFC technology is approaching 500 million gallons per year,� said Fred Clarke, executive vice president of Arisdyne, “translating into nearly 15 million additional gallons per year to the ethanol industry.�

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OPTIMIZATION

Efficiency Upgrades Long-time board chairman, John Eggleston, left, and Matt Gerhold, commodities manager, show off Poet Biorefining-Macon in northeast Missouri. PHOTO: DAKOTA DYLAN

30 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

OPTIMIZATION

Getting It Done

The drought forced the hand of Poet Biorefining-Macon’s board of directors, leading to the installation of long-planned upgrades during an extended shut down. By Susanne Retka Schill

Last summer’s drought was devastating in northeastern Missouri—worse than the Dust Bowl years, some old-timers tell Matt Gerhold, Poet Biorefining-Macon commodities manager. “Although the USDA put our area around 50 bushels to the acre, it was probably closer to 25 bushels on corn,” he says. “There’s a lot of acres that were abandoned.”

AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 31

OPTIMIZATION

Not only was it a small corn crop, but the quality was poor, adds John Eggleston, board chairman. What’s an ethanol producer to do when good corn just isn’t there? At the Poet plant in Macon, the board and staff consulted lists of small and major projects, gave Poet LLC’s design and engineering group in Sioux Falls, S.D., a call and said, “Let’s get ’er done.� In February, the plant shut

down for 75 days as the contractors moved in and the plant staff tackled projects large and small. “We had been planning these projects for some time,� Eggleston says. “And with the poor corn supply and tight margins, what better time to shut down?� The big projects already had been evaluated by the board, the engineering and cost estimates completed and board resolutions in place.

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32 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

‘Throughout the years, we’ve looked at ways we can increase production and also our efficiency levels to bring costs down. ‌ Finally, with the drought, everything fit into the scheduling.’ —John Eggleston, chairman of the Poet Biorefining-Macon board of directors

“We also knew that for our existence in the future market and competitive environment, we had to make some changes. The weather kind of dictated it, because of lack of corn. It forced our hand, but what better time to do it? If you’re going to do major projects, it’s pretty hard to do with the plant running.� Throughout the shutdown, the staff continued working regular shifts, tackling their own projects and helping contractors with theirs. “We got to do needed maintenance on the plant— things you can’t do easily with the plant running,� Gerhold says. “We all had our laundry lists made. We hit them one after the other. We had people working 24 hours a day during those 2.5 months we were down. And we still didn’t get everything done.� Among the $14 million in upgrades were a new computer control system and new, more efficient evaporators. Corn oil extraction was added. A new administration building was built and the old removed, making room for additional fermentation tanks. The plant came back online in mid-April running at a reduced rate while construction of the additional fermenters for the conversion to BPX, Poet’s patented raw starch hydrolysis process, continues through the summer. “It’s designed to come up full bore with the onset of harvest,� Gerhold adds, “whenever that may be.� The kingpin of upgrades is the conversion to the no-cook BPX process. Macon started operations in 2000,

OPTIMIZATION

the year Poet began work on its Broin Project X technology, first installed at its Hudson, S.D., facility in 2004. Macon is the 25th of Poet’s 26 plants (not including the research center in Scotland, S.D.) to make the conversion. It would be wrong to conclude that Macon has been slow to innovate. Early on, the board and management decided to capture the plant’s CO2 to supply the local and regional markets and Poet Ethanol Products was contracted to market the product. The ethanol plant also partnered with the city of Macon to install combined heat and power capability at the plant site. The city owns the turbine, which generates 10 megawatts of electricity sold to the grid, while the ethanol plant utilizes the waste steam for process heat. Gerhold says he is often asked why it’s taken so long for Macon to tackle the major upgrade to the BPX process. As commodities manager, he explains one factor is the plant’s location and its impact on corn cost. Macon sits 60 miles east of Hannibal, Mo., on the Mississippi River and 60 miles south of the Iowa border. The rolling hills are home to a patchwork of pastures and relatively small fields, and farmers tend to favor soybeans over corn, 2 to 1. The ethanol plant sources corn from as far away as 100 miles to supply the 17 million bushels of corn needed annually. Macon was in operation when the ethanol industry went through its expansion years, Gerhold explains, “and because of our corn situation, there wasn’t a lot of competition that wanted to move into this area.�

‘What we’ve tried to do, and Macon is a great example, is to bring all plants to current technology, whether built 15 years ago or 20 years ago.’ —James Moe, president of Poet Design and Construction and Poet Plant Management

While the demand for corn increased in places like Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, it didn’t in Macon’s corn draw. “So our cost of corn, a lot of the time, was cheaper than it was up north.� A few years of poor yields in Missouri, topped by the devastating drought, changed that. “All of a sudden our corn prices are higher than everywhere else and, we were still running the old technology.�

Another factor was the plant had continually improved and was running efficiently and profitably. “When you’re running a production facility and you’re profitable, it’s pretty hard to slow your production levels,� Eggleston says. This year’s projects certainly weren’t the plant’s first upgrade. “We started out at 15 MMgy, but that really wasn’t where we wanted to be,� he recalls. “Back in 2000, it

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OPTIMIZATION

What Drives Your Operations Process? • Routine Procedures? • “Gut” Based Decisions?

was struggle to get financing. We built the initial plant with a lot of components in for expansion.” Within a week of startup, the plant exceeded its nameplate, achieving 23 MMgy by 2003 when the financing became available to expand to a 36 MMgy nameplate. “For several years after that we had very good runs,” he adds. “The plant profitability was there, we were ratcheting up production levels. In 2008, we finally achieved 45 MMgy rate of production.” “Throughout the years, we’ve looked at ways we can increase production and also our efficiency levels to bring costs down,” Eggleston says. Macon had long been planning to install the full BPX process, doing some initial system upgrades earlier that brought its distillers grains quality up to Poet’s Dakota Gold premium standards. “Finally, with the drought, everything fit into the scheduling.”

Upgrading to the BPX process required an extended shutdown. “We made some changes in fermentation area, some changes to piping,” explains James Moe, president of Poet Design and Construction and Poet Plant Management. “Throughout the plant, there’s quite a few mechanical modifications we do that take advantage of the energy and water savings.” With the experience of retrofitting other plants in the Poet family, and with all but one now using the process, Moe says they can reliably predict an 8 to 15 percent reduction in energy costs and a similar reduction in water use. While energy and water are the big efficiency gains, Moe adds, “the third thing that we’re always very excited about is a yield increase that typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.15 gallons per bushel.” Each plant will start up somewhere in

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PHOTO: DAKOTA DYLAN

• Check feedstock and yeast propagators for early bacterial contamination issues

Upgraded Headquarters A new administration building was built at Poet Biorefining-Macon, making room for additional fermenters for the no-cook BPX process where the old offices once stood.

PHOTO: DAKOTA DYLAN

OPTIMIZATION

Back to Business Poet's Macon plant is in operation again after a drought-induced shutdown prompted major upgrades.

the low to midpoint of that range, he adds. “Then once we start it up, we try to drive it higher.” Instead of the traditional process of using heat from a jet cooker to liquefy starch before fermentation, BPX involves simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, utilizing a proprietary blend of gluco and alpha amylases that were developed in partnership with enzyme provider, Novozymes. BPX has benefits beyond the energy and water savings and yield boost, Moe adds. Reducing the exposure to heat ensures the distillers grains coproduct is golden and light-colored with good flowability characteristics. And, even though raw starch hydrolysis might lead one to expect increased antibiotic use to keep bacteria counts low, Moe says Poet offers a suite of antimicrobial options to minimize antibiotic use. The company now offers a guaranteed antibiotic-free DDGS for interested customers. The benefits of BPX also carry through into corn oil extraction where the lower processing temperatures result in a premium corn oil sold under the Voila brand, with relatively low free fatty acid, moisture and insolubles content. Adding corn oil at Macon has been a big plus, Gerhold adds. “The corn oil is definitely a big contributor to the margin.”

The BPX process is the foundation of Poet’s Ingreenuity Initiative, with its goals of reducing water use and greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity across the family of Poet plants. On its website, Poet says its goal by 2014 is to achieve an average water use of 2.33 gallons of water taken in per gallon of ethanol produced. BPX, combined with other technologies, has helped decrease the company’s GHG intensity by 10 percent since 2005, and the goal is to reduce that further. “We try to get all of our plants running at the same consistent level of performance,” Moe says. “You would see a very similar yield through all 27 facilities. You see very similar kilowatt usage, similar natural gas. What we’ve tried to do, and Macon is a great example, is to bring all plants to current technology, whether built 15 years ago or 20 years ago.” Author: Susanne Retka Schill Senior Editor, BBI International sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4922

 ON THE WEB For additional information on the history of the Macon plant, see the online version of this story at www.ethanolproducer.com.

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ADVANCED BIOFUELS

36 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

ADVANCED BIOFUELS

Taking Inbicon to the

Next Level Inbicon and DONG Energy A/S have been working hard, aiming to license its technology and get steel in the ground. By Holly jessen

After years of developing and optimizing Inbicon’s Biomass Refinery technology and talking to potential investors, Inbicon and DONG Energy A/S are poised for big things. “I think 2013 and 2014 will be the years that we

get not only a project off the ground but we will get several projects off the ground,” says Henrik Maimann, vice president of the thermal power division of DONG Energy. At the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, Maimann had a conversation with Ethanol Producer Magazine about efforts to get the first commercial-scale biorefinery

AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 37

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utilizing Inbicon technology built. Also contributing were Benny Mai of DONG Energy, and two Leifmark LLC representatives, Paul Kamp, partner, business development, and Thomas Corle, partner, marketing, and co-founder of Leifmark LLC. Maimann and Mai are CEO and chief commercial officer of DONG Energy’s New Bio Solutions section, which developed and owns the company’s three new green technologies that include Inbicon, as well as technologies for waste conversion and gasification. Leifmark is the company marketing and commercializing Inbicon’s technology in North America. Although work is being done to bring the technology to the U.S., it’s not likely to be the location of the first commercial Inbicon biorefinery. In this market, the company hopes to soon move into stage two, detailed engineering, on pending projects, with construction start hoped for in 2014, Maimann says. Things are further along in Asia, where Inbicon has had a licensing agreement with Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding since early 2010. Mitsui plans to start construction in the third quarter of this year, Maimann adds. The company is also quite far along on a series of projects in China and, early this year, announced a partnership with Brazilian ETH Bioenergy. Work is also ongoing in Canada, including discussions with the Canadian government and several companies, Corle added. “Which is going to be first? Right now, it’s hard to say but we are really engaged there,� he says. The key to building a full-scale cellulosic ethanol facility is investment. Worldwide, with the exception of in China, investors have the same question, Maimann says. What’s the future of the industry? “It’s clear that the situation we are in now, there’s a lot of things to be done in order to get the first plants up and running,� Maimann says. To facilitate a large-scale advanced biofuel industry, policy changes are needed. He pointed to something said

38 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013 .$& (WKDQRO 3URGXFHU )$ LQGG

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‘We expected in 2012, or maybe in 2011, or maybe even 2010, we would have some more things to announce.’ —Paul Kamp, partner, business development, Leifmark LLC, on delays in taking the technology to commercial scale

by fellow speaker Steve Mirshak, global business director for DuPont Industrial Bioscience, during an FEW general session panel presentation on the advanced biofuel industry. In the current climate of uncertainty, the industry will have a slow liftoff rather than taking off like a rocket, Mirshak said. In the meantime, Inbicon is in discussions with investors, relieving them of any concerns on the technology and business case side, Maimann says. Although he was unable to name names, Maimann revealed that the company has been in talks with oil companies that are working on a plan B. While movement may be slow, he predicts that once oil companies realize they will have to move beyond the 10 percent blending level, they will eventually have to invest in advanced biofuels production. “I am absolutely certain of that,� he says. Frankly, the process has taken longer than hoped, Kamp says. “We expected in 2012, or maybe in 2011, or maybe even 2010, we would have some more things to announce,� he says. “But nobody could foresee the onslaught that has come forth from API (American Petroleum Industry) to create uncertainty in the investment in biofuels.� The 100-year drought in 2012 was another factor. Still, DONG Energy’s commitment to commercializing the Inbicon technology has not wavered. The $10 billion company has invested more than $200 million so far and has committed to another $20 million from 2013 onward. A key in commercializing advanced

ADVANCED BIOFUELS

biofuels is enzyme and yeast development, the group said. To that end, Inbicon’s Denmark-based pilot and demonstration plants have been a playground for enzyme and yeast developers from multiple companies. “That has led to a fairly significant lowering of the cost of enzymes in our process,� Mai says, adding that the company has seen a more than 50 percent reduction in the past three to four years. Equally interesting, Kamp adds, are the impressive fermentation efficiency improvements on the yeast side.

Choose Your Configuration

In early June, Inbicon announced it will license its Inbicon Biomass Refinery in four commercial versions, three of which are new. Rather than separate technologies, it's different configurations of the main technology, Corle clarifies. All the versions utilize the pretreatment technology developed at Inbicon’s Denmark-based demonstration plant, which recently reached the milestone of more than 15,000 hours of operation. All four versions have the ability to produce cellulosic ethanol from a va-

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riety of feedstocks, including corn stover, various straws and grasses and more. Of interest in Malaysia is empty fruit bunch, left over from palm oil production, and in Asia, bamboo. “We are looking at almost the full spectrum of biomass,â€? Maimann says. â€œâ€Ś There’s no doubt that the future for the industry is to be able to convert multiple biomasses.â€? The last configuration, Version 3.0, utilizes all sugar fermentation for biochemical production. Version 1.0 is Inbicon’s basic conversion process, which uses steam, enzymes and yeast to produce about 20 MMgy ethanol, 180,000 metric tons a year of solid lignin and 185,000 metric tons a year of C5 sugars. Although there are other possible uses, the lignin can be used for on-site power generation (with excess sold to the grid) or sold to power stations. C5 sugars can be used as an animal feed or as a feedstock to accelerate anaerobic digestion of other wet biomass. Version 2.0 offers fermentation of both C5 and C6 sugars, with up to 50 percent higher ethanol yield than version 1.0. The up-to-30 MMgy facility can be built

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Wheat Line The Inbicon Biomass Refinery demonstration plant in Denmark turns wheat straw into cellulosic ethanol and other renewable fuel. The facility has been in operation for more than 15,000 hours since December 2009.

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ADVANCED BIOFUELS

Talking Technology Paul Kamp of Leifmark LLC, left, talks about Inbicon’s cellulosic ethanol technology. Next to him is Benny Mai of DONG Energy, Henrik Maimann of DONG Energy and Thomas Corle of Leifmark.

as a greenfield ethanol plant or co-located with an existing grain-ethanol plants, allowing producers to take advantage of crop residue available in that area. The configuration also works for sugarcane-ethanol plants with bagasse as the feedstock. Because all sugars are fermented, producers won’t have access to the C5 sugar stream as a coproduct. Instead, the facility will pro-

40 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

duce vinasse, which can be used as fertilizer. A payoff for the exchange is that the facility will have a low carbon score, meaning the fuel can be sold in the most highly carbon-regulated markets. It’s all about what products are priority, Maimann says. Version 2.1 is another all-sugar fermentation process, but this option can be integrated into an existing grain- or sugar-

cane-ethanol plant. Changes to the plant happen at the front-end of the process, with mechanical conditioning, hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis as the new construction, and existing equipment utilized from cellulosic fermentation on through distillation and solids removal. This allows for savings in capital expenditure and operating expenses. The

ADVANCED BIOFUELS

grain and cellulosic fermentations are designed to run simultaneously, with a system in place to keep the distillers grains produced free from contamination from the lignin, Mai says. Depending on the price of corn, ethanol producers have the flexibility to continue producing cellulosic ethanol and periodically suspend grain-based ethanol production, Maimann adds. The numeral system for naming the versions doesn’t indicate older technology versus newer, Mai clarifies. Customers select the best version based on location, synergies with existing industries and other factors. “It’s a flexible system that we have developed,� he says.

Clean Lignin

Inbicon’s biofuels technology came out of a biomass research project that started in 1995. The original goal wasn’t to make ethanol, Corle says. It was about preventing wheat straw from scaling power station boilers. As the company focused on developing technology to produce clean lignin from biomass, it discovered a way to ferment sugars and produce ethanol in a new way.

Inbicon’s process does not use steam explosion in the pretreatment step and uses no additional chemicals, Maimann says. The result is a high recovery rate and clean lignin, distinguishing characteristics of the company’s technology. At first, it wasn’t really known how this would be a benefit but as time went on, the company began to see how useful it could be for energy production. Lignin can be burned to replace coal or mixed with coal with no complications, he says. It can also be stored outside. In a situation where Inbicon’s cellulosic ethanol technology is co-located or integrated into a first-generation grain-ethanol plant, burning lignin for power can reduce the facility’s carbon footprint enough to qualify a corn-ethanol plant as an advanced biofuel producer, the company calculates. Of course, there are multiple other potential uses for lignin, Corle says. For example, there’s interest from car manufacturers looking to replace petroleum-based material for renewable interiors, such as the dashboard or car seat. “The one thing that is creating a lot of curiosity around the lignin product is, it hasn’t been available before, so it’s something in the marketplace

that everybody is looking at right now, but there is no supply,� he says. “So, now that they can see a road map to that supply and they can start seeing real progress coming on board here in the U.S., they are starting to evaluate that lignin.� Another benefit of clean lignin, produced without the use of additional chemicals such as ammonia or acids in the pretreatment step, is that it doesn’t require any additional water washing on the back-end. “The uniqueness of Inbicon’s technology is that they take a lot of those salts and metals out in the process,� Corle says. That’s very useful in reducing water use at the facility, a valuable natural resource. In fact, Mai says, no water is needed for plant operations. “The water that comes in the biomass is enough to run the plant,� he says, "so we are recirculating the water.� In some cases, the facility may even produce excess clean water in this way, Maimann adds. Author: Holly Jessen Managing Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4946 hjessen@bbiinternational.com

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YEAST

CONTRIBUTION

New Tool Offers Insight into Dynamic Yeast Performance Measuring yeast metabolic activity helps optimize plant performance By Jason Van’t Hul and Phil Bureman

In today’s corn-to-ethanol plants, the industry standard of counting viable cells using light microscopy and a viability stain in order to evaluate yeast health suffers from several limitations. The method is labor-intensive, errorprone and often fails to provide useful information for diagnosing or optimizing industrial yeast propagations and ethanol fermentation. In the case of one established Midwestern dry mill ethanol plant, a 110 MMgy ICM design,

traditional cell counting was an accepted part of the fermentation management program. Plant managers, however, were concerned about the variance in cell counting data from one technician to the next, and they believed that operator time could be better spent in activities more valuable than counting cells. The plant was planning several new optimization trials and looking for methodologies to monitor and measure the impact of these changes on their normal operational program. One methodology the plant decided to investigate was

The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ethanol Producer Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s). 44 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

designed to be a completely nonsubjective measurement of yeast metabolic activity rates, which is fundamentally different and more useful than counting how many yeast cells are present. This methodology was first introduced in 2009 and allows the fermentation manager to better understand the dynamic performance of the plant’s process while enabling advanced diagnostics and optimization steps based on real performance information. The test requires only 30 seconds of hands-on time followed by an automated series of measurements requiring less than three minutes. It draws its power from fast, fluorescencegenerating reactions between native yeast enzymes and biochemical reporter molecules. This approach gave ethanol producers

YEAST

Ethanol Productivity and YAM

9000

16000

8000

14000

7000 12000 kg/hr Ethanol Productivity

unique insight into their fermentation processes that had never before been possible. Unlike traditional methods, the Nalco Yeast Activity Monitor measurements correlate with the rate of ethanol production, as shown in the accompanying graph. With the Nalco YAM technology, ethanol producers had a real-time tool to evaluate the impact of new antibiotics, the performance of a new yeast or nutrient program, or most any other potential process change that affects yeast metabolic activity. The dry mill ethanol plant described above combined regular use of the NalcoYAM technology along with careful analysis of other fermentation data and ethanol yields to establish new standards that help in better understanding, measuring and troubleshooting the fermentation process, including the following: • Fermentation samples are collected at 10 and 18 hours. If the Nalco YAM activity is less than 1,000 at 10 hours or less than 6,000 at 18 hours, a cell count is performed to verify the readings. • Low activity and cell count trigger the addition of additional yeast to produce acceptable fermentation and ethanol yield. • The plant found that, if additional yeast was not added as indicated by the low Nalco YAM activity measurements, the fermentation would end with high sugars, excess syrup, and

6000 10000 5000 8000

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10

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20

25

30

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Time Ethanol Productivity (kg/hr)

Yeast Activity

Real-time View Yeast activity measurements correlate with the rate of ethanol production, providing a real-time tool to evaluate the impact of process changes. SOURCE: NALCO

poor ethanol yield. Also, the DDGS produced would be discolored, sticky, and chunky, and dryer issues would be experienced. Each of these issues would be potentially costly for the plant. Testing yeast activity using Nalco YAM

technology can help producers detect problems earlier in the process while there’s still time for corrective action. It can help ethanol producers catch poor yeast health in propagation or during the first 15 hours of fermentation. Typically,

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YEAST

plants would do one viable yeast cell count using a microscope by hour 15. It has been determined, however, that many ethanol fermentations see the highest ethanol productivity from hour 12 to hour 18. After this time, ethanol productivity falls dramatically and yeast activity slows, making any corrective action at that point almost insignificant.

Troubleshooting Aid

Probing Test The Yeast Activity Monitor uses fluorescence-generating reactions between native yeast enzymes and biochemical reporter molecules to generate fast, real-time evaluations of yeast viability. PHOTO: NALCO

One of the most exciting applications of the Nalco Yeast Activity Monitor technology was the evaluation of the yeast itself in an incident that occurred when the plant started using bulk refrigerated cream yeast, replacing its traditional active dry yeast. The plant maintained two separate refrigerated bulk tanks for cream yeast. In December 2011, shortly after the receipt of a fresh batch of cream yeast, the plant noticed very low 10 and 18 hour activities in a fermentation using yeast from the most recent delivery. Within 24 hours, a troubleshooting process began. The Nalco YAM technical consultant was able to assist by confirming the low measurements. More importantly, he introduced the plant to the newly developed technique of using the Nalco YAM technology to test for activity of the cream yeast itself. A major difference was

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YEAST

quickly confirmed between the activity of the cream yeast in one bulk tank versus the other. The following differences were noted: • A previous batch of cream yeast in bulk tank No.1 (about 10 days old) showed the typical high activity of about 27,000. • The most recent cream yeast batch in bulk tank No. 2 (about three days old) showed an unexpectedly low activity of less than 7,000. • The low 10 and 18 hour activities measured the day before were confirmed to be associated with the cream yeast from tank No. 2. The cream yeast supplier was contacted and the company indicated the new batch met specifications. The supplier recommended the plant simply add more yeast to each fermentation when using product from the batch contained in tank No. 2—a costly corrective action. Despite the addition of more cream yeast, when tank No. 2 cream yeast was used, ethanol yield continued to drop from a normal 13.2 percent to 9.0 percent, and the back end of the plant experienced a significant and costly slowdown. The incident resulted in a total of five bad fermentations and an estimated loss of $500,000. As a result of this incident, the plant instituted new procedures to prevent recurrence. All cream yeast deliveries are now tested with the Nalco YAM technology upon receipt. Since the test takes only a few minutes, it is even possible to confirm the activity of the bulk cream yeast prior to offloading into plant bulk storage. Any YAM readings for newly delivered cream yeast of less than 15,000 trigger an additional cell count. Overall the activity of new cream yeast routinely measures 23,000 plus. This plant, like most fuel ethanol plants operating in today’s highly competitive environment, continues to optimize and innovate its process and operation. Part of that process is early adoption of low-risk, low-cost innovations from valued suppliers. The yeast monitoring technology has become an integral supporting tool of nearly every fermentation trial at this facility. Yeast activity results are reviewed during every trial to verify the impact on yeast. YAM technology has been utilized to measure the impact of several operational changes including enzyme trials, hydrolysis utilization, overall yeast optimization and enzyme modifications with urea to reduce glycerol. These optimizations are expected to save the plant more than $350,000 each year.

In today’s liquid fuels industry, a producer needs every cost-effective tool available to stay competitive. Understanding yeast metabolic activity helps plants better understand the dynamic performance of their propagation and fermentation processes and allows producers to perform advanced diagnostics and optimization steps based on real yeast metabolic performance information.

Authors: Jason Van't Hul Senior Industry Technical Consultant, Nalco JVantHul@nalco 605-360-6657 Phil Bureman Senior Industry Technical Consultant, Nalco pebureman@nalco.com 913-708-4969

CPT FRACTIONATION

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FOOD * FEED * FIBER * FUEL * OIL Multiply Your Profit$ • “Advanced Technology” for RFS2 • Highest Ethanol Yield • Lowest Capital Cost • Lowest Operating Cost • Highest Yield of Corn Oil • Proven Technology Exclusively Installed in the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center!

Contact CPT today at 1-913-957-7525 www.CerealProcess.com AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 47

ENZYME

CONTRIBUTION

Continuous Improvement The Pine Lake Corn Processors 30 MMgy plant has operated since 2005 at Steamboat Rock, Iowa. PHOTO: Lindsay’s Photo

Teaming for Trials Ed Kryfka, production manager, and Wendy Clikeman, lab manager, led the enzyme trial at Pine Lake Corn Processors. PHOTO: Verenium Corp.

Planning, Communication Underlie Successful Plant Trials How one ethanol producer is adopting new technology to weather adverse industry conditions. By Tami Fraser

Innovative. Creative. Adaptive. These are all words that describe the management and staff of Pine Lake Corn Processors LP. These words also underpin PLCP’s business strategy, especially in today’s challenging industry conditions when margins are extremely tight. Pine Lake Corn Processors is a 30 MMgy Delta-T style plant located along U.S. Hwy 20 by Steamboat Rock, Iowa, which began production

in 2005. Like many ethanol plants, PLCP has had its share of challenges along the way, which have enforced the belief of CEO James Broghammer that the continuous adoption of new technology is imperative for improving a plant’s bottom line. When times are good in the ethanol industry, plants focus on throughput, trying to produce as many gallons as possible. When times get tough, plants need to focus on becoming more optimized and efficient. Most plants are afraid

The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ethanol Producer Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s). 48 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | AUGUST 2013

to try new technologies and products at the best of times, let alone when margins are tight. This however, according to Broghammer, is exactly the time when plants should consider testing and implementing new technology. “If you are not implementing improvements, you are being passed by plants that are.” By trying out and implementing new technologies, PLCP has consistently improved its core business. PLCP’s commitment to trying new technologies led them to analyze their alpha amylase enzyme usage. This was one input that the management team believed could be improved upon. The team wanted a different solution to their

ENZYME

alpha amylase needs to address some viscosity issues that were unique to PLCP. Viscosity was higher than they wanted it to be and they knew they needed to be more cost efficient with their alpha amylase. Another reason they looked at their enzyme usage, Wendy Clikeman, lab manger, explained, is that “enzymes are one of the process inputs that we can directly control and monitor, and Verenium staff had a very quick and efficient way to measure viscosity so PLCP could easily see how effective the current alpha amylase dosage was.� With this in mind, PLCP turned to Verenium Corp. to trial its unique high-temperature, low-pH Fuelzyme alpha amylase. Trials often make any plant personnel nervous, especially when it comes to trialing something completely novel. Over the years, Verenium has worked hard to ensure that the trial process runs smoothly and minimizes the risk to plants. Verenium’s trial process starts several weeks before the actual trial itself. Tony Newton, technical support manager, reaches out to the plant personnel directly involved in the trial. In PLCP’s case, it was Clikeman, lab manager, and Ed Kryfka, production manager. Newton began by asking PLCP for a comprehensive overview of how the plant operates to get an accurate picture of the conditions under which the enzyme has to perform. This includes several weeks’ worth of

fermentation data to be used to create a baseline for comparisons with future trial fermentations. Communication between PLCP and the Verenium staff is also a critical component of trialing. Reporting and timing framework is established so expectations and priorities are made clear for both parties. The Verenium representatives work very closely with plant staff to ensure a smooth transition to the new alpha amylase, remaining on hand to help adjust to any new parameters and conditions that the enzyme requires, in this case, a lower pH and lower dextrose equivalent numbers. Newer technologies are easier to adopt when strong support is given from the vendor. Verenium has a vested interest in PLCP’s success not only with its enzyme usage but overall. “When looking at trialing or implementing a new technology, a strong trial process and a showing of supportive data from similar plant circumstances is key in getting plants more comfortable with the change,� Broghammer said. “With Verenium’s Fuelzyme alpha amylase, PLCP has been able to significantly reduce the costs to a more acceptable level. We also saw several other additional benefits including the ability to operate our classified strainers which are strainers unique to a Delta-T style of plant, at a much more manageable level.� These cost savings and benefits all contrib-

ute to a plant’s bottom line. When margins are tight, plants have to be willing to expand their comfort zone and try new things in order to improve process economics and stay relevant. Plants looking to reduce risks while trialing new enzyme technology should make sure the company they are looking at trialing with has data available to demonstrate long-term benefits to the plant, and preferably under similar plant conditions. Plants trialing new enzyme technology can feel confident in their partnering choice through customer testimonials. Plants should also have the assurance from the vendor that they are prepared, willing and able to have staff on site to work closely with plant personnel both during and after the trialing process. PLCP’s willingness to test new technology and innovate alongside Verenium’s strong customer support and process enhancing expertise has proven to be a good arrangement. It has allowed PLCP operators to advance their processes and increase their profits despite the challenges faced in the corn ethanol industry today. Author: Tami Fraser Technical Sales Representative, Verenium Corp. Tami.fraser@verenium.com 507-226-1779

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AUGUST 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 49

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