INSIDE: ANALYZING THE KEY VARIABLES THAT IMPACT YIELD MARCH 2013
Powerwashing the Bottom Line Robust CIP Protocol Vital to Plant Health Page 30
ALSO
Fine Tuning Centrifuge Maintenance, Operations Page 40
www.ethanolproducer.com
More Ethanol per Bushel
Measuring the Results
Pioneer QualiTrak® System
Access to Grain Markets 24/7
Better Grain Quality DPPSM Grain Desk
RIGHT FEEDSTOCK. RIGHT VALUE. Learn how getting the right product on the right acre can mean increased profits for you. www.pioneer.com/biofuels www.dppgraindesk.com The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. ® TM SM , , Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer. DPPSM is a service mark of Farms Technology. All purchases are subject to the terms of labeling and purchase documents. © 2013 PHII. ENDUS026520P238AVAR2
CONTENTS
FEATURES
MARCH ISSUE 2013 VOL. 19 ISSUE 3
DEPARTMENTS
30 CLEANING
CIP Matters
32
PHOTO: GENE STUKEL
CIP systems vital but easily overlooked in ethanol plant success BY HOLLY JESSEN
6
Editor’s Note
7
Ad Index
10
The Way I See It
Formidable Challenges In Front of Us BY TOM BRYAN
11
12
40 CENTRIFUGES
Tuning Up the Decanter Centrifuge
14
40
PHOTO: ALFA LAVAL
Optimizing the balance in dry cake, clarified thin stillage for optimal performance BY SUSANNE RETKA SCHILL
CONTRIBUTIONS 48 PROCESS
Events Calendar
Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows
View From the Hill
Stop Them, If You’ve Heard This One Before BY BOB DINNEEN
Drive
Time to Stop Subsidizing Status Quo BY TOM BUIS
16
Grassroots Voice
18
Europe Calling
20
Business Matters
Big Oil’s Last-Ditch Effort BY BRIAN JENNINGS Intellectual Honesty BY ROB VIERHOUT How a Regulator Might View Clean in Place BY TODD PALMER AND ANNA WILDEMAN
22
Business Briefs
24
Commodities Report
26
Distilled
52
Marketplace
INSIDE: ANALYZING THE KEY VARIABLES THAT IMPACT YIELD MARCH 2013
Six Sigma Provides Analytical Tool for Ethanol Producers
With 85 to 100 inputs, this method identifies key factors for yield BY JAMES FRUGÉ AND RAUL GAMBOA
Global Warming: We'd Better Get a Move On! BY MIKE BRYAN
Powerwashing the Bottom Line
48
Robust CIP Protocol Vital to Plant Health Page 30
ALSO
Fine Tuning Centrifuge Maintenance, Operations Page 40
Ethanol Producer Magazine: (USPS No. 023-974) March 2013, Vol. 19, Issue 3. 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.
4 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
www.ethanolproducer.com
ON THE COVER PHOTO: CLOUD SELLERS AND GAMAJET
Put BetaTecÂŽ natural hop extracts to work in your fermentation process to replace antibiotics and enhance yeast propagation. IsoStabÂŽ is the natural way to effectively control gram-positive bacteria while eliminating antibiotics and harsh chemicals. Plus, antibiotic-free DDGS adds value to your co-products. VitaHopÂŽ Silver yeast nutrient enhances yeast performance and vitality, inducing faster fermentations and larger yields. Combined with BetaTecÂŽ fermentation expertise and training, these technologies will signiďŹ cantly increase your plant’s efďŹ ciency. BetaTecŽ‌the natural hop to higher proďŹ ts. For more information speciďŹ c to fuel ethanol producers, visit www.bthp.info. 4HJ(Y[O\Y )S]K :\P[L >HZOPUN[VU +* ;! -! www.betatechopproducts.com
EDITOR’S NOTE
I return from the 2013 National Ethanol Conference hopeful but unconvinced that 2013 will be a huge bounce-back, breakthrough year for U.S. ethanol production. Too many unknowns remain—the lingering drought, the
FORMIDABLE CHALLENGES IN FRONT OF US TOM BRYAN, PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF TBRYAN@BBIINTERNATIONAL.COM
blend wall, cellulosic ethanol’s unhurried arrival—to pretend rosy times are at hand. What I am sure of, however, is that 2013 will be a year of recovery, trial and modification for our industry. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen had the most difficult job in bioenergy on Feb. 6 when he opened his association’s annual conference in Las Vegas with a stirring but pragmatic “State of the Industry Address.” Dinneen reminded us that a historic drought and heat wave caused the industry’s current woes. He lambasted the American Petroleum Institute for trying to impede the development of advanced biofuels. He censured Big Food for swinging at us while we were down. And then he did his thing: He fired us up and reminded us that better times are ahead. Dinneen believes it. I believe it. But do the owners and managers of America’s 36 idled ethanol plants believe it? In a city built on bets, some producers sat before Dinneen in Sin City, arms folded, without much to wager. It was a tall order to ask them to look beyond their current challenges, beyond crazy expensive corn, flagging gasoline demand and negative margins. Yes, producers should be encouraged by the fact that ethanol production is expected to rebound to predrought levels later this year, but America’s heartland remains locked in drought. If dry weather persists into the planting season, analysts say, so will high corn prices. The U.S. Energy Information Agency expects ethanol’s share of the gasoline market to reach 11 percent next year (from 9.7 percent today) as E15 implementation takes hold, but even that conservative level of penetration may be wishful thinking. With U.S. gasoline demand slumping and fuel economy improving, the fight for E15 is a battle for the barrel. Implementation will happen slowly and without market pull. Yes, the renewable fuel standard is more durable than ever having survived the 2012 waiver requests and, more recently, gaining strength from a district court ruling that fundamentally validates the U.S. EPA’s management of the program. However, for every time Dinneen thunders “Don’t mess with the RFS,” five delegates of Big Oil say the opposite—and louder. And finally, yes, millions of cellulosic gallons are on the way. That is a fact. Significant volumes of cellulosic ethanol will come online in the next 18 to 24 months. Ineos, ZeaChem, Abengoa Bioenergy, Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels, DuPont and others have the potential to be collectively producing upwards of 75 to 100 MMgy by the end of 2014. But will the industry actually produce 14 MMgy this year, as the EPA’s proposed RFS volumes would require? I’d like to think so. But like the rest of challenges in front of us, it would be a formidable task.
FOR INDUSTRY NEWS: WWW.ETHANOLPRODUCER.COM OR FOLLOW US:
6 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
TWITTER.COM/ETHANOLMAGAZINE
AdIndex
EDITORIAL PRESIDENT & EDITOR IN CHIEF Tom Bryan tbryan@bbiinternational.com
VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT & EXECUTIVE EDITOR Tim Portz tportz@bbiinternational.com
CONTRIBUTIONS EDITOR Susanne Retka Schill sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com
FEATURES EDITOR
46 2013 International Biomass Conference & Expo
55 Hydro-Klean LLC
56 2013 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo
11 ICM Inc.
Holly Jessen hjessen@bbiinternational.com
19 2014 National Ethanol Conference
NEWS EDITOR Erin Voegele evoegele@bbiinternational.com
COPY EDITOR Jan Tellmann jtellmann@bbiinternational.com
ART ART DIRECTOR
8 & 9 Inbicon
38 2014 Fuel Ethanol Industry Directory
50 INTL FCStone Inc.
43 Aggreko
15 Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
45 BBI Consulting Services
27 Methes Energies
Jaci Satterlund jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com
PUBLISHING CHAIRMAN Mike Bryan mbryan@bbiinternational.com
CEO
5 BetaTec Hop Products
33 Nalco, an Ecolab Company
Joe Bryan jbryan@bbiinternational.com
SALES
26 Buckman
17 Phibro Ethanol Performance Group
32 Cashco, Inc.
39 Poet - DSM Advanced Biofuels
35 Cloud/Sellers Cleaning Systems
36 Premium Plant Services, Inc.
13 DuPont Industrial Biosciences
51 RPMG, Inc.
37 DuPont Pioneer
47 Syngenta: Enogen
28 Fagen Inc.
49 Tower Performance Inc.
21 Freez-it-Cleen
42 Victory Energy Operations, LLC
23 Gamajet Cleaning Systems, Inc.
34 Vogelbusch USA Inc.
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING Matthew Spoor mspoor@bbiinternational.com
EXECUTIVE ACCOUNT MANAGER Howard Brockhouse hbrockhouse@bbiinternational.com
ACCOUNT MANAGERS Marty Steen msteen@bbiinternational.com Bob Brown bbrown@bbiinternational.com Andrea Anderson aanderson@bbiinternational.com
CIRCULATION MANAGER Jessica Beaudry jbeaudry@bbiinternational.com
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Marla DeFoe mdefoe@bbiinternational.com
SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER John Nelson jnelson@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 Bert Farrish Lifeline Foods LLC Eric Mosebey Lincolnland Agri-Energy LLC Steve Roe Little Sioux Corn Processors LP
2 Growth Energy
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 sretkaschill@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
44 Himark bioGas
22 Wabash Power Equipment Co.
29 WINBCO
COPYRIGHT Š 2013 by BBI International TM
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 7
To grow your Power P ow your old business, lower ethanol e tha plant with w ith carbon New Ethanol your with production. p rod The New Ethanol.
Your best business case for future growth is the low-carbon choice for cellulosic ethanol: the Inbicon )PVTHZZ 9LÄULY` The feedstock of the future is still corn—plus corn stalks. Roughly the same acreage (200,000) will supply the corn to feed your 110 MMgy grain-ethanol plant plus the corn stalks to feed `V\Y 4; KH` 0UIPJVU )PVTHZZ 9LÄULY` :HTL SHUK ZHTL OHY]LZ[·I\[ [^V JYVWZ HUK [^V feedstocks. If you start planning now, you can integrate your present operation with a new Inbicon Biomass ReÄULY` I` [OL [PTL [OL < : LJVUVT` OP[Z H OPNOLY NLHY HUK KLTHUK MVY SV^ JHYIVU M\LS PZ MHY V\[Z[YPWWPUN Z\WWS` 7YVK\JPUN ;OL 5L^ ,[OHUVS SL[Z `V\ L_WHUK ZHSLZ [V TLL[ [OL 9-: But what’s most important is how you do it. With Inbicon technology, you’ll also produce clean lignin HUK V[OLY PUK\Z[YPHS Z\NHYZ <ZPUN UV MVZZPS M\LSZ `V\ JHU [\YU [OL SPNUPU PU[V HSS [OL Z[LHT HUK LSLJ[YPJity you need to process the biomass. And you can also generate enough extra energy to offset your grain
plant’s utility costs by 50-100%. The C5 sugar stream can create more celluSVZPJ L[OHUVS VY NYLLU WV^LY PTWYV]L ++. VY ZLY]L HZ H MLLKZ[VJR MVY OPNOLY ]HS\L IPV JOLTPJHSZ @V\»SS IVVZ[ `V\Y LMÄJPLUJPLZ ZOYPUR ./. LTPZZPVUZ JHW[\YL 905Z JVSSLJ[ 97: WYLTP\TZ I` ZLSSPUN NYLLU LSLJ[YPJP[` [V [OL NYPK ZSHZO VWLYH[PUN JVZ[Z HUK PTWYV]L IV[O ÄUHUJPHS HUK LU]PYVUTLU[HS V\[JVTLZ 9LZ\S[! H Z\Z[HPUHISL WYVÄ[HISL I\ZPULZZ (UK H JHYIVU ZJVYL SV^ LUV\NO [V beat California regs. -VY HU V]LY]PL^ NV [V ^^^ PUIPJVU JVT ;V WSHU Z\Z[HPUHISL I\ZPULZZ growth, contact Thomas Corle at 717-626-0557 or info@leifmark.com.
,QELFRQ %LRPDVV 5HÀQHU\ 0DNLQJ HWKDQRO ZRUN IRU WKH ZRUOG 0UIPJVU 2YHM[]¤YRZ]LQ :R¤YI¤R -YLKLYPJPH ;LS
;OL 5L^ ,[OHUVS HUK 0UIPJVU )PVTHZZ 9LÄULY` HYL [YHKLTHYRZ VM 0UIPJVU ( : HUK +65. ,ULYN` ( :
3LPMTHYR PZ HU PUKLWLUKLU[ 0UIPJVU WHY[ULY H\[OVYPaLK [V THYRL[ 0UIPJVU )PVTHZZ 9LÄULY` [LJOUVSVN` PU 5VY[O (TLYPJH
^^^ PUIPJVU JVT
THE WAY I SEE IT
Global Warming: We'd Better Get A Move On! By Mike Bryan
As we have seen, drought has a very negative impact on the public image of biofuels. This negative public image is based on the perceived impact of biofuels use of crops as a feedstock. It is replete with fear mongering by those opposed to biofuels, or those who have simply read something somewhere that biofuels negatively impact food prices and world hunger. Ironically, the effort to reduce global warming through the reduction of CO2 is one of the clear advantages of biofuels. Ethanol has been demonstrated through multiple studies to reduce the emissions of CO2 by at least 20 percent compared to gasoline. The dichotomy is that while ethanol is one of the first things targeted when the effects of global warming in the form of increased heat and drought are present, it remains an important component in helping reduce global warming. I’m no climatologist, but I firmly believe that those who deny that we are going through a period of significant global warming have their heads in the sand. The earth is getting warmer, there is no longer any doubt about that. You can possibly question how much of the global warming is cyclical and how much has been caused by humans, but it’s pretty difficult to question the fact that it is occurring. Interestingly, 97 percent of climatologists agree that human activity is having a predominant impact on the rate of global warming, not just by polluting, but by reducing the number of carbon sinks in the world. 10 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
So what can we do? First, we can cease stomping on one of the things that has been demonstrated time and time again to have a positive effect in reducing global warming—ethanol. Second, we can support efforts to increase the use of other clean fuels, such as wind, solar, geothermal and natural gas. Third, we can encourage government to reduce carbon emissions through a carbon tax or carbon offsets of some sort. Setting all politics aside, it is an important step that must be taken to demonstrate to the world that we are serious about a healthier planet. Finally, I suppose the alternative is to do nothing and wait and see if the naysayers are right and this whole thing is just cyclical and anything we do to combat global warming will be a moot point. While the short-term economics of that strategy may be appealing to some, the longterm consequences may be irreversibly devastating. For me, I like my money on the science, and the science says we had better get a move on! That’s the way I see it.
Author: Mike Bryan Chairman, BBI International mbryan@bbiinternational.com
EVENTS CALENDAR International Biomass Conference & Expo April 8 -10, 2013 Minneapolis Convention Center Minneapolis, Minnesota Building on Innovation 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 10 -13, 2013 America’s Center St. Louis, Missouri Where Producers Meet Now in its 29th 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. Visit our website to reserve premium booth space now. 866-746-8385 | www.fuelethanolworkshop.com
Algae Biomass Summit September 30 - October 3, 2013 Hilton Orlando Orlando, Florida This dynamic event unites professionals from all sectors of the world’s algae utilization industry including, but not limited to, financing, algal ecology, genetic systems, carbon partitioning, engineering and analysis, biofuels, animal feeds, fertilizers, bioplastics, supplements and foods. Organized by the Algae Biomass Organization and coproduced by BBI International, this event brings current and future producers of biobased products and energy together with algae crop growers, municipal leaders, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, project developers, investors and policy makers. The event is the world’s premier educational and networking junction for the algae industry. 866-746-8385 | www.algaebiomasssummit.org
National Ethanol Conference February 17-19, 2014 JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Orlando, Florida Since 1996, the Renewable Fuel Association’s National Ethanol Conference has been recognized as the preeminent conference for delivering accurate, timely information on marketing, legislative and regulatory issues facing the ethanol industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and contacts made at this conference than any other ethanol conference. 866-497-1232 | www..nationalethanolconference.com
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 11
VIEW FROM THE HILL
Stop Them, If You’ve Heard This One Before By Bob Dinneen
Call it a blessing or a curse. But one of the realities of having worked for the Renewable Fuels Association for 26 years is that I’ve heard every argument against ethanol there is in Big Oil's bag of malarkey. Whether it's ethanol’s supposed impact on Mexican tamales or energy balance, I’ve heard it all before. One that I believed had been left to the scrapheap of history, however, is the incomprehensible notion that we don’t need biofuels because the U.S. will be energy independent. That idea should have been buried in 1971, when M. King Hubbert’s 1956 prediction of America’s peak oil production proved true, and the U.S. reliance on imported oil began a climb that went unabated until the renewable fuel standard (RFS) was passed. U.S. ethanol production proved to be the remedy to our imported oil addiction, driving America’s dependence down from 60 percent in 2005 to 41 percent last year. Incredibly, even that tired canard has been revived in Big Oil's desperate effort to repeal the RFS. That’s right. The record oil prices we have seen over the past several years have encouraged new investment in nonconventional oil from shale and tar sands. As a result, domestic oil
12 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
production has seen an uptick. Never missing an opportunity, oil stakeholders are now predicting North American energy independence and have insisted that the RFS is now an anachronism, passed at a time when Congress thought we were never going to be able to produce enough oil domestically to meet our transportation needs. We don’t need the RFS anymore, the misplaced narrative goes. “New day, new circumstances,” the American Petroleum Institute’s Jack Gerard has said. Big Oil’s narrative follows a timehonored tradition, one that an old codger like me remembers. In 1980, we were told there is “as much oil under the north slope of Alaska as there is in all of Saudi Arabia.” Well, maybe not. Alaska field production peaked in 1988 and today is less than a quarter of its peak production. Indeed, Alaskan production is falling so fast some wonder if there will be enough to keep the pipeline flowing economically. In 1999, BP trumpeted the Thunder Horse discovery in the Gulf of Mexico. It was supposed to be the biggest discovery ever in the Gulf with an estimated billion barrels of recoverable oil. Well, no. Thunder Horse never even saddled up. It never came close to the 250,000 barrels per day it was designed to produce, losing 63 percent of its production in a single year. In 2007, oil analysts trumpeted the Elm Coulee field in the Bakken formation of Montana as the largest onshore discovery in the Lower 48 in half a century. Missed it by that much! After about five years of drilling, it was pretty much tapped out and
the rigs dismantled and moved to new more promising sites. This is the fact. Domestic production from conventional sources continues to fall. Increased production from nonconventional resources will make up some of the shortfall in the near term, but there will be no reduction in price. (Indeed if there were, investments in nonconventional oil recovery technologies would be uneconomic.) And there will be no long-term benefit. As the Elm Coulee experience demonstrated, these resources are fickle and finite. These are not long-term solutions to this country’s energy or economic issues. Consider this, technically recoverable tight oil from Bakken shale is 3-4 billion barrels according to the U.S DOE or 20 billion barrels if you believe the oil companies. Annual U.S. refiner input of crude oil is about 5.5 billion barrels. Thus, whoever you believe, the Bakken only promises six months to three and a half years’ worth of U.S. crude oil consumption. That doesn’t sound like energy independence to me. Unfortunately, the media and the Congress don’t always remember their history. They seem to have forgotten the lessons of the past. Those of us who do remember must remind them—constantly. We cannot frack our way to energy independence. The need for domestic renewable fuels remains as important as ever. Don’t mess with the RFS! Author: Bob Dinneen President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association 202-289-3835
NEED TO INCREASE YIELD? REDUCE SPENDING ON EMULSION BREAKING ADDITIVES? REDUCE UREA USE?
FERMGEN® 2.5X Still the best protease, now more concentrated and effective. Contact your DuPont representative to learn more. 1-800-847-5311
www.biosciences.dupont.com
Copyright© 2012 DuPont. All rights reserved. Dupont™, Genencor®, and the Leaf Globe are trademarks or registrered trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and company or its affiliates.
DRIVE
Time to Stop Subsidizing Status Quo By Tom Buis
It came as no surprise that the American Petroleum Institute recently called for a repeal of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), the most successful energy policy this nation has enacted in the past 40 years. Big Oil understands that as renewables enter the marketplace, consumers will increasingly choose homegrown, cleaner-burning American energy instead of foreign oil from some of the globe’s most hostile regions. This cuts into their market share and ultimately their profits, so they will stop at nothing to protect their bottom line. As the biofuels industry seeks to finally scale the blend wall, API has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign targeted at repealing the RFS, saying it is broken and that the blend wall is the primary challenge for a workable RFS. When it comes to the blend wall, however, Big Oil companies need only look in the mirror to see who is maintaining the status quo. This is their entire play—if the blend wall can’t be broken, the RFS won’t work. But it is the oil companies that are maintaining the blend wall by erecting every possible barrier to bringing increased blends to the marketplace. While they opine for a free market, they are singlehandedly denying consumers a choice
14 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
and savings at the pump by preventing a lower-cost, high-performance alternative such as E15. Now is the time to take a stand against the continual efforts of oil companies to prevent renewables from entering the marketplace. What is most egregious about this is that our industry and the American taxpayers are subsidizing this campaign by allowing archaic and unnecessary tax incentives. While the ethanol industry has voluntarily given up the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit, nearly a century has passed and the oil industry is still raking in excessive government tax breaks, even though it is among the most profitable sectors operating today. It is time the oil industry stands on its own, just as the ethanol industry does. During a time of financial difficulty, growing national debt and rising deficits, we can no longer afford to hand out taxpayer money to the tune of $40 billion over the next decade—the amount Big Oil is to get over the next decade. President Obama understands that we, as a nation, must move forward in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and make significant strides toward sustainable and renewable sources of homegrown energy. Recently, the president called on the America people to lead in this effort during his second inaugural address, highlighting the importance of cleaner-burning fuels for our environment, as well as the economic benefits of jobs created through domestic energy production. A number of common sense proposals have been put forth to end the senseless subsidies to oil companies. Current taxpayer
handouts that the oil industry receives, as noted by the Office of Management and Budget, include: “1) The enhanced oil recovery credit for eligible costs attributable to a qualified enhanced oil recovery project; 2) The credit for oil and gas produced from marginal wells; 3) The expensing of intangible drilling costs; 4) The deduction for costs paid or incurred for any tertiary injectant used as part of a tertiary recovery method; 5) The exception to passive loss limitations provided to working interests in oil and natural gas properties; 6) The use of percentage depletion with respect to oil and gas wells; and, 7) Two-year amortization of independent producers’ geological and geophysical expenditures, instead, allowing amortization over the same sevenyear period as for integrated oil and gas producers.” At a time when our nation is tightening its belt, managing budget cuts and also looking to transition to sustainable energy sources, nearly century-old tax subsidies for oil companies are unnecessary, especially when these tax breaks are being used to help fund a multimillion-dollar campaign to kill a successful energy policy. Now is the time to move forward in sound government policy. It is not appropriate or even defensible to continue to line the pockets of those who wish to take us backwards in our quest for energy security. Author: Tom Buis CEO, Growth Energy 202-545-4000 tbuis@growthenergy.org
REVIEWED. APPROVED. UNDUPLICATED.
TRANSFERM®
It’s the only GA producing yeast that is approved by AAFCO. It’s been reviewed by the Center for Veterinary Medicine and the EPA. For ethanol fermentation, accept nothing less than TransFerm®. Contact your Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits or Mascoma respresentative or visit www.lallemandbds.com for more information.
1815 SATELLITE BLVD., BLDG. 200, DULUTH, GA 30097 USA 678 474-4590 | Fax 678 474-4595 | www.lallemandbds.com
67 ETNA RD, SUITE 300, LEBANON, NH 03766 USA 603 676-3320 | www.mascoma.com
©2013 LALLEMAND BIOFUELS AND DISTILLED SPIRITS. TRANSFERM IS A TRADEMARK OF LALLEMAND BIOFUELS AND DISTILLED SPIRITS AND MASCOMA CORPORATION.
GRASSROOTS VOICE
Big Oil’s LastDitch Effort By Brian Jennings
Believe it or not, Big Oil companies have started talking about the blend wall. By dragging their feet on E15, the blend wall is largely a problem of their making—and a 30-some year old arbitrary U.S. EPA rule limiting the percentage of ethanol permitted in gas. But now, the oil lobby has suddenly decided to distort the meaning of the blend wall in a last-ditch effort to kill the renewable fuel standard (RFS) in 2013. For years, the American Coalition for Ethanol and others have been cautioning about the E10 blend wall, the need for higher blends of ethanol, more blender pumps, and flex-fuel vehicles—putting consumers, not oil companies, in control, and doing so in a way that avoids any future blend wall problem. When federal law requires 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel to be used by 2022, much of that ethanol, we must overcome the blend wall. Here’s why oil companies are in panic mode today. While ethanol production will remain flat or decline this year, the RFS provides for annual increases in ethanol use, so refiners are expected to draw upon their stockpile of renewable identification number credits (RINs). As RIN stockpiles thin, refiners will need to purchase physical gallons of ethanol to comply with their renewable volume obligations under the RFS for the latter half of 2013 and into
16 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
2014. Moreover, at the same time the RFS ensures annual increases in renewable fuel use, new fuel economy standards are shrinking overall gasoline consumption in the U.S. When the RFS2 was enacted in 2007, we consumed around 150 billion gallons of motor fuel. Today that total is closer to 130 billion gallons. An RFS calling for ethanol use to rise from 13.8 billion gallons in 2013 to 14.5 billion gallons in 2014, while the overall gasoline pool is shrinking, means refiners can no longer refuse to comply with the RFS by dragging their feet to adopt E15. And it’s E15 that’s got the oil lobby talking about the blend wall. The idea of farmers and ethanol producers taking more market share via E15 is giving Big Oil sleepless nights. Enactment of the RFS2 in 2007 disrupted the profitable status quo of oil companies (and many others). What ensued was an onslaught against the RFS and ethanol industry in general. The oil lobby has orchestrated attack campaigns, petitioned to waive the RFS, in 2008 and 2012, both denied, and filed more than half a dozen lawsuits. Bruised but not broken, the ethanol industry remains on its feet, so Big Oil has nothing left to do but distort the meaning of the blend wall as something that is unworkable and forces them to adopt E15. For those of us who view the need to overcome the blend wall and increase E15 use this year a top priority, the leverage we have is the RFS. The oil
lobby views 2013 as its last best hope to repeal it. ACE is supporting the Fuels America RFS campaign, designed to counteract opposition efforts to distort ethanol’s reputation inside the Beltway. This month, we’re also hosting our fifth annual grassroots DC fly-in. It is the grassroots who put a human face on the blend wall and make the most compelling case for keeping the RFS. ACE’s grassroots fly-in doesn’t just tell the ethanol story, it shows the ethanol story. We show Congress how the blend wall affects real people when 60 grassroots ethanol supporters from dozens of states and various walks of life take the time to personally explain why the RFS and E15 are important to them. We prove how ethanol results in food and fuel when those same grassroots lobbyists show members of Congress and their staff samples of No. 2 yellow corn, distillers grain, corn oil and other coproducts from ethanol production like soap (yes, soap). Take it from me, as a former congressional staffer, showing your story is more effective than just telling it. Welcome to the blend wall conversation, Big Oil. When our grassroots is successful in showing Congress why it’s important to keep the RFS to overcome the E10 blend wall, we look forward to your helping us prove the safety, affordability and reliability of E15. Author: Brian Jennings Executive Vice President American Coalition for Ethanol 605-334-3381 bjennings@ethanol.org
Protect your productivity.
You know that bacterial contamination affects yield. A recent study shows that infections can decrease yield up to 27%*. LACTROL® from Phibro Ethanol Performance Group controls troublesome bugs. It keeps your plant running better and longer between CIP treatments. LACTROL is the proven solution to maximize yields and productivity. It keeps input costs down by helping you squeeze more ethanol out of every kernel of corn. No wonder LACTROL is used in more ethanol plants than any other antimicrobial. ® Prevent, protect, and produce. Take microbial control seriously; make sure your plant knows about LACTROL . Contact your Phibro Ethanol Performance Group Sales Specialist at 800-223-0434.
LACTROL
*5-year study by USDA-ARS National Center for Agricultural Research, Peoria, IL © 2010, Phibro Animal Health Corporation. LACTROL is a registered trademark of Phibro Animal Health Corporation and its affiliates.
EUROPE CALLING
Intellectual Honesty By Robert Vierhout
Over €51 billion ($68.6 billion) turnover. Almost €5 billion net profit. These are the core 2012 annual results of Dutch/British food company Unilever, the company that is big in selling small ice creams. Impressive results in times of economic crisis and circumstances that they describe as bringing “intense competition and volatile commodity costs.” The other Big EU Food producer Nestlé has not yet published its annual results, but in the first six months it already showed a net profit of €4 billion. I assume it will be double by the end of 2012. With this level of turnover and profit, I am surprised that these two companies maintain their aggressive views on biofuels. Recently the Nestlé chairman, who also is member of the board of ExxonMobile and chairman of Formula One, said to Reuters that biofuels helped boost food prices. Very likely his company is more to blame for higher food prices than any biofuel producer in the world. In any case, Nestlé’s profit did not suffer from higher commodity prices and Nestlé wasn’t forced to shut down plants because of the drought we had last year. He is quoted saying that “it is really unbelievable that when we have insufficient food in our world that we give
18 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
it to cars.” This shows the man’s lack of intellectual honesty. As usual, he is mixing up commodities and food on purpose. He knows that the corn and wheat for biofuel is all feed quality and doesn’t impinge on the Mexican tortilla or a loaf of bread. But besides this fact, he is ignoring that this year the world is producing a huge mountain of 2.2 billion metric tons of grain (USDA data). That is more than the world population can eat. If people do not have access to food, it is because they cannot afford it. This is where Big Food is intellectually not honest. We see the same lack of intellectual honesty in the first draft report on biofuels and food security produced by a group of so-called experts for the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on World Food Security. The experts were asked to “conduct a sciencebased comparative literature analysis ... of the positive and negative effects of biofuels on food security.” Maybe, in the expert’s brief, the word “positive” was deleted for it has become one long witch-hunt against biofuel policy all over the globe. The report is not the literature review requested and far from scientific. I have been looking for a methodology to justify the literature referenced but couldn’t find any methodology. Nor could I find a section on coproducts and the implication for feed/food supply—an item not to be swept under the carpet, when one
assesses biofuels and food security. A major 550-page-plus FAO study on biofuel coproducts issued last year doesn’t appear anywhere in the references. It is an opinionated, selective report drafted by a group of people of whom some have never ever said one positive word on biofuels in their life. It is shocking that the FAO is allowing this sort of biased report to be drafted. The global biofuels industry needs to take this report seriously, even the fact that it has been drafted. For me, this is a warning sign that we can expect a new wave of attacks on biofuel policy later this year. As usual, several NGOs will use this report to claim that the most important international organization on food affairs wants biofuel policy to stop. They will not care if the report is biased. For them intellectual honesty doesn’t matter either. Stopping biofuel justifies whatever means it will take—even if that involves spinning and telling half-truths, using methods that go against the moral integrity these organizations claim to embrace. Author: Robert Vierhout Secretary-general, ePURE Vierhout@epure.org
YO U R C A L E N D A R !
FEBRUARY 17-19, 2014
JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes | Orlando, Florida | NationalEthanolConference.com
BUSINESS MATTERS
How a Regulator Might View Clean In Place By Todd Palmer and Anna Wildeman The clean in place (CIP) process is something every ethanol producer knows well— when it is scheduled, how long it will take, how much wash water generated, etc. There is one additional issue producers must pay attention to: what air emissions are generated by the CIP process and how, if at all, are those emissions authorized by existing regulations or permits? The U.S. EPA is increasingly paying attention to these issues and so should you. In 2012, EPA issued Clean Air Act Section 114 Information Requests to several ethanol producers asking for documentation and air emissions data concerning typical CIP activities. Section 114 of the Clean Air Act provides EPA broad authority to request information from any person who owns or operates an emission source, who manufactures emission control or process equipment, or any other person the agency believes can assist in achieving its regulatory or enforcement objectives. In issuing a Section 114 Information Request, EPA may be trying to develop a regulatory scheme for an industry, develop an enforcement action against a particular company for violations of the Clean Air Act, or simply develop a better
20 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
understanding of how an industry handles some operational or technical issue. In the context of CIP emissions, EPA likely issued the 2012 Section 114 Information Requests to better understand the CIP process, the quantity and nature of emissions that are generated from CIP, and how well producers manage those emissions. It is possible that EPA or a state agency will use this information to develop specific emission limitations or work practice standards for CIP activities. This information could also launch an industry-wide enforcement initiative, however. Historically, air emissions from the CIP process have not been uniformly or explicitly accounted for in air permits. This is likely due, in part, to the difficulty in quantifying these emissions, in particular the practical difficulty of how and when to measure emissions during the CIP process. Producers and regulators may have also considered these emissions to be de minimis and therefore of little regulatory consequence. Be that as it may, ethanol producers should take note of regulators’ recent interest in these emissions and address them as appropriate. For example, producers need to review all applicable air permits prior to undertaking CIP activities to ensure that all permit requirements are being met and that the facility’s permits authorize the planned activities. This includes meeting applicable state regulations and permit obligations, if any, for reporting to regulators the
undertaking of CIP activities, the bypassing of a pollution control device and the emissions generated during the process. If CIP-related emissions are routed to a pollution control device, be sure that your air permit authorizes such a configuration. A permit term requiring that fermentationrelated emissions be routed to a pollution control device “at all times” could be interpreted as precluding a bypass during the CIP process. For these types of permit limitations, it is important to closely review what the permit means by “fermentation” and whether fermentation—as defined by the permit—is actually occurring during the CIP process. If a producer emits CIP emissions to the atmosphere but its air permit doesn’t explicitly address emissions generated during the CIP process, a producer may wish to obtain a written notice from their regulator stating that emissions from the CIP process are authorized and will not result in an administrative enforcement action. A producer should not simply assume that CIP-related emissions qualify for a regulatory exemption for startup, shutdown or malfunction events. Author: Todd Palmer, Attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP 608-283-4432 tepalmer@michaelbest.com Anna Wildeman Attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP 608-283-0109 ajwildeman@michaelbest.com
612-597-9337 | kelly@altmethodsinc.com
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • SELL • RENT• LEASE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10HP TO 250,000#/hr • • O 250,000#/hr Nebraska 750 psig 750 TTF • • 150,000#/hr Nebraska 1025 psig 900OTTF •• 150,000#/hr Nebraska 750 psig 750OTTF •• • 150,000#/hr Nebraska 350 psig • • • 115,000#/hr Nebraska 350 psig • • 80,000#/hr Nebraska 750 psig • O 80,000#/hr Erie City 2000 psig 800 TTF •• • 75,000#/hr Nebraska 350 psig • • 70,000#/hr Nebraska 750 psig 750OTTF • • • 60,000#/hr Nebraska 350 psig • • 40,000#/hr Nebraska 350 psig • • 20,000#/hr Erie City 200 psig • • 10-1000HP Firetube 15-600 psig • • • ALL PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE • • COMBINATIONS SUPERHEATED • • AND SATURATED • • • • RENTAL FLEET OF MOBILE • • TRAILER-MOUNTED BOILERS • • 75,000#/hr. Nebraska 350 psig • • 75,000#/hr. Optimus 750 psig 750°TTF • • 60,000#/hr. Nebraska 350 psig • • • 50,000#/hr. Nebraska 500 psig • • 40,000#/hr. Nebraska 350 psig • • 30,000#/hr. Nebraska 350 psig • • 75-300HP Firetube 15-600 psig • • • ALL BOILERS ARE COMBINATION GAS/OIL • • • ENGINEERING • START-UP • • FULL LINE OF BOILER AUXILIARY • • SUPPORT EQUIPMENT. • Electric Generators:• 50KW-30,000KW • • • • • WEB SITE: www.wabashpower.com • 847-541-5600 • FAX: 847-541-1279 •• E-mail: info@wabashpower.com • • • • POWER • EQUIPMENT CO. • • 444 Carpenter Avenue, Wheeling, IL 60090 • •
BOILERS
24 / 7 EMERGENCY SERVICE
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
CALL: 800-704-2002
wabash
22 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
BUSINESS BRIEFS
People, Partnerships & Deals
Novozymes has appointed Peder Holk Nielsen as its new president and CEO, effective April 1. Nielsen will replace current president and CEO, Steen Riisgaard, who is stepping down after 12 years leading the company. Nielsen has served seven years as executive vice president and head of Novozyme’s enzyme business. He has also held management positions in Novozymes and Novo Indstri/ Novo Nordisk in business development, research and development, quality management, and sales and marketing. According to Novozymes, its executive management will organize into a functional structure with all current executive vice presidents, joined by Andrew Fordyce, who currently serves as vice president of sales and customer solutions.
perTune’s products will be sold as stand-alone solutions that can be used in any automation system environment, and as part of Metso’s performance business solutions, targeted to optimize plant performance.
A group of Iowa businesses and organizations have announced the formation of the Iowa RFS Coalition. Members of the coalition are committed to protecting and preserving the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) through cooperative efforts of advocacy, outreach and education. Current membership includes DuPont, the Iowa Biodiesel Board, the Iowa Biotechnology Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association, the Iowa ReThe Scoular Co. has sold a portion of newable Fuels Association, the Iowa Soybean its interest in Pratt Energy LLC, a 55 MMgy Association, Monsanto and Syngenta. facility in Kansas, to Pratt Biofuel Investors LLC, which has related ownership to Calgren The 100 MMgy Patriot Renewable Renewable Fuels. Scoular remains part owner of the ethanol plant, and will continue to oper- Fuels LLC ethanol plant in Annawan, Ill., is ate the grain facility as well as procure all feed- no longer for sale. The plant’s owner, Patriot stock and provide distillers grains marketing Holdings LLC, took the facility off the marservices for the facility. Scoular acquired the ket earlier this year. In mid-2012, the company Pratt ethanol plant and adjoining 1.8 million retained Ascendant Partners Inc. to explore bushel shuttle facility in 2011 from Gateway strategic options and in October announced it Plant LLC. Since that time, Scoular has operat- was exploring a potential sale. While marketed the grain facility while seeking an operating ing efforts did result in a number of offers, partner for the ethanol plant. PBI will take the those offers did not meet shareholder expeclead in renovating the facility, with completion tations. Patriot intends to continue to operate expected in the spring of this year. As of the the plant independently for the foreseeable close of the transaction, Lyle Schlyer, presi- future. dent of Calgren Renewable Fuels, has also been named president of Pratt Energy. He California and Nebraska became home will provide general management and producto new E85 fuel pumps in January. A grant tion expertise at both plants. awarded by the Nebraska Corn Board supported the installation of two flex-fuel pumps Metso has acquired software company at the Stop N Go in Hartington, Neb.. In CaliExperTune Inc. The company’s products fornia, Pearson Fuels was awarded a $1.35 are widely used as software tools to analyze million grant from the California Energy and monitor the performance of industrial Commission to add E85 dispensing equipprocesses. They are also used to identify main- ment at 19 existing fuel stations throughout tenance and improvement opportunities. Ex- the state.
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 701-7468385, or email it to evoegele@bbiinternational.com. Please include your name and telephone number in all correspondence.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has been selected as chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition for 2013. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association congratulated Branstad and noted that his leadership has been instrumental in helping Iowa lead the nation in renewable fuel production and policy. Branstad served as the original chair of the organization, which was then called the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition. Eco-Energy Inc. has announced marketing agreements with two ethanol plants. The company has entered into an exclusive marketing agreement with Lincolnway Energy LLC, a 50 MMgy facility in Nevada, Iowa. Eco-Energy has also formed a marketing agreement with Winnebago, Minn.-based Corn Plus Ethanol, a 49 MMgy plant. EcoEnergy is an integrated supply chain company that is focused on marketing, trading, transportation and distribution of biofuels. Cellulosic sugar producer Sweetwater Energy Inc. is partnering with Wisconsinbased Ace Ethanol to produce cellulosic ethanol at its plant for up to 16 years. The contract has a potential value of more than $100 million and requires a minimal capital outlay by Ace Ethanol. As part of the agreement, Sweetwater will place one of its cellulosic facilities adjacent to Ace Ethanol and deliver enough refined monomeric sugar to produce up to 3.6 million gallons of ethanol per year during the initial phase of the partnership. Sweetwater has formed a similar deal with Colorado-based Front Range Energy. Pacific Ethanol Inc. has contracted to install Edeniq Inc.’s Cellunator technology at its 60 MMgy plant in Stockton, Calif. In the initial phase, the Cellunator will be used on corn grind to increase efficiencies in yield. In the future, the Edeniq agreement will allow for the integration of propriety enzymes for
cellulosic ethanol production. The company has also closed on a transaction to improve its debt portion and increase its ownership interest in the four plants it operates. Under the agreements, the company purchased $21.5 million of secured term debt of the Pacific Ethanol plants and extended the maturity date of the purchased term debt from June 2013 to June 2016. LifeLine Foods Inc. has received the Safe Quality Food program certification, providing a boost as it moves forward following a financial restructuring. In the restructuring, LifeLine raised $25 million through the sale of preferred stock, and established a $20 million revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Capital Finance NA. In addition, $26.5 million in Chapter 100 Bonds were issued with the support of the St. Joseph Economic Development Partnership. Freez-it Cleen has announced its proprietary dry ice cleaning process is now protected by a U.S. patent. The technology uses dry ice pellets to clean exchange surfaces on a wide variety of equipment found in biofuel production facilities, including thermal oxidizers, boiler tube coils, stack coil economizers and other fin and tube bundles. The National Corn Growers Association has announced winners of the 2012 National Corn Yield Contest. The contest is in its 48th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program. With 8,262 entries, the 2012 NCGA National Corn Yield Contest neared the participation record of 8,425 set in 2011. The 18 winners in six production categories had verified yields averaging more than 316.32 bushels per acre. The projected national average was 122.3 bushels per acre for the year. Yields from the first, second and third place farmers overall production categories topped out at 384.36.
COMMODITIES Natural Gas Report
USA: A great place to be an energy consumer Jan. 28—Natural gas and crude oil prices in the U.S. are considerably below comparative costs elsewhere. As shown in the accompanying table, natural gas prices are three times higher in Great Britain (and Europe) and five times higher in Japan (and Asia) than in the U.S. American consumers are saving roughly $200 billion per year compared to Europe and over $350 billion per year compared to Asia. We are also experiencing considerable savings in liquid fuels.
BY CASEY WHELAN
The second table compares U.S. and European crude oil prices, showing U.S. crude trading at roughly $17 per barrel below Brent, the benchmark for world crude oil prices. If the two billion barrels of domestic crude produced last year was priced at international levels, our domestic crude oil cost would have been $34 billion higher. Bottom line: Lower fuel cost in the U.S., compared to elsewhere in the world, is helping generate a manufacturing resurgence that all hope will continue.
Corn Report
Carryout-to-use ratio lowest since 1995
BY JASON SAGEBIEL
Jan. 28 —Year-end selling and liquidation brought corn to values sub-$7 per bushel. The January USDA report lowered corn carryout to 602 million bushels, a 5.3 percent carryout-to-use ratio. The USDA increased planted acreage to 97.2 million acres and producers harvest 89.9 percent of that acreage. Yield increased to 123.4 bushels per acre allowing for total corn production of 10.78 billion bushels. This is the lowest national yield since 1995-’96 when the carryout was 426 million bushels with a sub-5 percent carryout-to-use ratio. Demand projections increased as feed demand jumped 300 million bushels to 4.450 billion. Total feed demand for coarse grains increased by 9.1 million metric tons. Corn exports decreased by 200 million bushels and corn for ethanol production remained at 4.5 billion bushels. The Southern Hemisphere production outlook is positive. Corn production in Argentina was estimated at 28 million metric tons (mmt) compared to 21.0 mmt a year ago. Brazil corn production is The accompanying chart illustrates the current corn carryout projected at 71 mmt versus 73 mmt a year ago. Soybean production is and the corresponding carryout-to-use ratio. The market will need to estimated to increase by 29.9 mmt from a year ago. Despite the higher continue to find ways to ration corn to bring corn to a more comfortprojection, weather has not been ideal in Argentina’s corn producing regions. The weather will be monitored closely in the latter growing able ratio. stages. 24 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
REPORT
Regional Ethanol Prices
($/gallon)
Front Month Futures (AC) $2.378 REGION
SPOT
RACK
West Coast
2.580
$2.650
Midwest
2.380
2.675
East Coast
2.465
2.890 SOURCE: DTN
Regional Gasoline Prices
DDGS Report
DDGS value relative to corn remains at historic high BY SEAN BRODERICK Jan. 28—As February began, prices for DDGS picked up. The plants that have slowed or shut down still have customers that want to use DDGS, and they are being forced to pull from plants that are further away—particularly for those that are using wet or modified distillers. This is having a cascade effect, particularly in the Chicago container market, since cars that were once being shipped in from as far away as western Iowa no longer are. We have seen the prices of DDGS relative to corn remain historically high, which is likely to continue for at least the next quarter. Corn volatility can drastically affect this, but distillers percentages of corn in the 90s—once a short term deviance—is now common. Overseas buy-
ers have had a tough time adjusting, but worldwide, DDGS is still a value, especially in containers. Water levels on the Mississippi are still a concern, particularly with the dry winter in the upper Midwest. Bulk business has been pretty quiet this winter out of the Gulf and West Coast. The ability to ship a container to China out of Chicago for about $45 per metric ton keeps containers more competitive than bulk in Pacific Rim markets. The DDGS market will take the lead from corn prices in what looks to be a pretty volatile spring, especially in the eastern U.S., where corn supply is more challenging.
($/gallon)
Front Month Futures Price (RBOB) $2.875 REGION
SPOT
RACK
West Coast
3.148
2.972
Midwest
2.720
2.897
East Coast
2.861
3.216 SOURCE: DTN
DDGS Prices ($/ton) LOCATION
MAR 2013
FEB 2013
Minnesota
260
245
MAR 2012 183
Chicago
282
270
204
Buffalo, N.Y.
275
252
205
Central Calif.
325
308
245
Central Fla.
309
292
216 SOURCE: CHS Inc.
Corn Futures Prices DATE
(Mar. Futures, $/bushel)
HIGH
LOW
CLOSE
JAN 25, 2013
7.27 1/2
7.17 1/2
7.20 3/4
DEC 26, 2012
7.06 1/4
6.92 1/4
6.93 1/4
JAN 26, 2012
6.45 3/4
6.33 1/4
6.34 1/2 SOURCE: FCStone
Cash Sorghum Prices ($/bushel) LOCATION
Ethanol Report
Ethanol prices firming on gasoline demand BY RICK KMENT Jan. 28—The strength of the ethanol market price continued to morph through the end of January, as the combination of tight corn supply levels, steady ethanol production and increased demand for gasoline are the main factors traders are dealing with heading into what could be a volatile spring market. Ethanol futures prices have rallied nearly 20 cents per gallon since the beginning of the year, as extremely large inventory levels were carried into 2013. This level is starting to erode as traders focus on the ability to move additional ethanol through the nation’s fuel system.
Early January posted strong gains in the corn market, where the focus has been on tight corn supplies through the rest of the spring and into the summer, and the continued parched Corn Belt through the end of last year. So far, this winter has created widespread concerns of continued drought conditions, casting doubt on the ability to raise a substantial corn crop in the coming year. Ethanol demand is looking up, with increased clearance of inventory and continued growth expected through the spring, keeping buyers aggressive.
JAN 25, 2013
DEC 28, 2012
JAN 20, 2012
Superior, Neb.
6.98
6.64
5.70
Beatrice, Neb.
6.80
6.54
5.77
Sublette, Kan.
7.00
6.73
5.84
Salina, Kan.
7.06
6.74
5.81
Triangle, Texas
7.10
6.97
6.01
Gulf, Texas
7.48
6.98
6.51
SOURCE: Sorghum Synergies
Natural Gas Prices
($/MMBtu)
LOCATION
JAN 25, 2013
JAN 1, 2013
NYMEX
3.44
3.35
3.08
NNG Ventura
3.76
3.39
2.99
CA Citygate
3.82
3.56
3.19
JAN 1, 2012
SOURCE: U.S. Energy Services Inc.
U.S. Ethanol Production NOV 2012
(1,000 barrels)
PER DAY
MONTH
END STOCKS
840
25,189
20,174
OCT 2012
818
25,352
18,762
NOV 2011
946
28,383
18,308
SOURCE: U.S. Energy Information Administration
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 25
DISTILLED
Ethanol News & Trends
Strong ethanol rebound expected in 2014 In early 2013, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its first Short-Term Energy Outlook to include forecasts for 2014. According to the EIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s analysis, ethanol production will rebound to pre-drought levels during the second half of 2013, and continue to grow in 2014. The expected average production rate for 2013 is 870,000 barrels per day, SOURCE: U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION which equates to an annual production level In the outlook, the EIA noted that it of approximately 13.3 billion gallons. While expects previously idled ethanol production production is expected to be maintained at capacity to come back online in 2014 to help current levels through the first half of the meet the expanding renewable fuel standard year, the EIA said that production should volume mandates. Overall, production is exstart to rebound following this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harvest, pected to average 915,000 barrels per day, or 4 assuming the drought does not continue. billion gallons per year, in 2014.
Enerkem prepares for startup The first employees hired to work at Enerkem Alberta Biofuels LPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant have begun technical training at Enerkem Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demonstration facility. Interviews for the next round of hiring are also underway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With plant commissioning expected to begin this summer, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting to see the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first employees join the Enerkem team and start their technical training,â&#x20AC;? said Vincent Chornet, president and CEO of Enerkem. The facility's gasifier is already in place, and the prefabricated process modules were scheduled for delivery by mid-February. The company has also announced closing on $37 million in additional financing from Waste Management of Canada Corp. and EB Investments, bringing the total investments from the two entities to $52 million.
Scaling back costs. How a U.S. ethanol plant cut acid usage and evaporator cleaning frequency by switching to BulabÂŽ 8301 scale control from Buckman. The challenge. A Midwestern ethanol plant relied heavily on sulfuric acid to lower pH. Unfortunately, acid availability was tight, driving costs up signiďŹ cantly.
The solution. Buckman applied FDA-allowed BulabÂŽ 8301 just ahead of the ďŹ rst evaporator resulting in outstanding scale control and process pH control.
The savings. s 3AVED ON PLANT SULFURIC ACID USAGE RESULTING IN NET SAVINGS OF TO YEAR s 4EN #)0 S PER YEAR WERE ELIMINATED SAVING LABOR DOWNTIME AND CHEMICAL COSTS FOR ACID WASH s (YDROBLASTING FREQUENCY AND TIME WAS REDUCED s /VERALL HEAT TRANSFER PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN IMPROVED WHICH PROVIDES ADDITIONAL mEXIBILITY TO optimize water balance and backset usage. s ! REDUCTION IN $$' SULFUR CONTENT WAS OBSERVED
Find out more. 4O LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR "ULABÂŽ SCALE CONTROL PROGRAM FOR EVAPORATORS OR HEAT EXCHANGERS contact your local Buckman representative. Let us give you a story worth telling.
Š2012 Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.
DISTILLED
DOE award supports enzyme development The U.S. DOE has made an award of up to $2.5 million to help Novozymes identify new and efficient enzymes to produce advanced biofuels and chemicals from corn stover. The company is partnering with MBI International on the project. The two companies will spend two years screening natural enzymes to determine the best performing varieties. The selected enzymes will be tested on pretreated agricultural waste for conversion to sugar. The project will utilize MBI’s Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) pretreatment technology, which was invented by Michigan State University professor Bruce Dale. According to MBI, the technology is compatible with high solids enzyme and fermentation processing, produces minimal waste streams and operates under relatively mild conditions. In addition to helping Novozymes further its research, the award will also offer a means for external evaluation of the enzymes, as the DOE requires a government lab to validate performance targets.
Iowa ethanol production held steady in 2012
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced that the state’s ethanol plants produced a combined 3.7 billion gallons last year, matching the 2011 production level. Iowa’s production equaled roughly 28 percent of U.S. ethanol production last year. According to the IRFA, 2012 marks the first since 2002 that Iowa’s production did not increase year over year.
“2012 will be remembered for the great drought,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Due to Iowa’s incredible farmers, the state weathered the drought better than most. Iowa was fortunate not to have an ethanol plant shut down in 2012.” While most plants reduced production due to the drought, Shaw noted that within Iowa those reductions were offset by another plant operating for a full year.
DISTILLED
DDGS earn official classification, exports increase to Japan
Western Plains installs AD system
The U.S Grains Council has officially announced the classification of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as a nonhazardous cargo under the International Maritime Organization. The achievement was a culmination of a process initiated by the USGC in 2010, in coordination with DDGS producers, shippers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. "The Council successfully organized the effort to classify DDGS as a nonhazardous material. That classification ensured lower freight costs to me, in turn increasing returns to ethanol plants," said Steve Markham of Council member CHS Inc. According to the USCG, the recommendation of the relevant IMO subcommittee and acceptance of that recommendation were obtained in 2010 and 2011. Turning a proposal into a mandatory classification, however, is a multi-year process, said Erick Erickson, USGC director of global strategies. The IMO accepted the proposal to classify DDGS as non-hazardous in November 2010, after which the Coast Guard is-
Western Plains Energy LLC has begun operations of anaerobic digesters at its 50 MMgy plant in Oakley, Minn. The digesters are expected to reach full operational capacity in March, at which time the anaerobic digestion system will be capable of producing enough methane to completely refire the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thermal oxidizer and boiler. Installation of the system is expected to help the plant produce advanced ethanol from sorghum in the future. To qualify its fuel as an advanced biofuel under the renewable fuel standard, Western Plains Energy must power the plant with methane from its digester system, as well as utilize other advanced technologies. While the U.S. EPA calls for a combined-heat-and-power system to be among those technologies, Western Plains Energy employs other advanced technologies and has petitioned the agency for a separate pathway.
DDGS exports to Japan 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (Jan.-Oct.)
101,053 83,724 100,688 77,086 77,751
115,446 165,187 142,852 258,786 306,609
SOURCE: U.S. GRAINS COUNCIL
sued a letter to the USGC affirming that it would consider DDGS as nonhazardous. That letter is no longer needed, as the categorization of DDGS as nonhazardous is now final. The USGC has also reported that DDGS exports to Japan have increased substantially. During the January-October 2012 reporting period, DDGS exports to Japan reached an alltime high. According to the U.S. Grains Council, Japan imported more than 384,000 metric tons of DDGS. Exports for the entire year were expected to reach 450,000 metric tons.
DISTILLED
Analysis provides RIN outlook Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development recently published a policy brief on the outlook for ethanol and conventional biofuel renewable identification numbers (RINs) through 2014. The brief, written by economics professor Bruce Babcock, addresses whether banked RINs will be used in 2013 to offset high production costs, or if banked RINs are likely to be held until 2014, when they could help offset low ethanol prices. Babcock stressed that when the cost to an obligated party to use a banked RIN is less than the lost value for buying ethanol, it will use a RIN meet its obligation. This can cause ethanol use to decline and the price of RINs to increase. According to Babcock, a significant
portion of these banked RINs are expected to be used this year, due in part to the E10 blend wall and high ethanol production costs. However, the actual use of banked RINs will be highly dependent on this year’s corn yields, the use of sugarcane ethanol to meet RFS advanced biofuel targets, and the biodiesel mandate.
Ethanol plant to supply CO2, waste heat to greenhouse A 195 MMly ethanol plant in Chatham, Ontario, will supply waste heat and carbon dioxide to an adjacent greenhouse under development by Truly Green. Greenfield Ethanol-Chatham plant is updating its technology to condense stack heat through a series of exchanger systems, allowing the ethanol plant to supply hot water to the greenhouse. The water will be returned to the ethanol plant through an expanding cooling water loop. The project received a $3.2 million grant from Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The funding is being used to offset the cost of engineering and specialized equipment. Construction of the greenhouse will be completed in four phases. Once complete, it will cover a total of 90 acres sitting on 120 acres of land.
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 29
CLEANING
PUSHING IT THROUGH The CIP dilute tank and high- and low-pressure pumps at Glacial Lakes Energy LLC. . PHOTO: ICM INC.
30 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
CLEANING
CIP Matters Neglecting an ethanol plant’s cleanin-place system can drive down yield, ratchet up maintenance costs and even bring production to a grinding halt. BY HOLLY JESSEN
Because their products are made for human consumption, the brewery and pharmaceutical industries have utilized sophisticated cleanin-place systems with all the bells and whistles. The ethanol industry, on the other hand, isn’t subject to the same stringent regulations and therefore hasn’t traditionally paid as much attention to this vital but easily overlooked part of the process. “Ethanol is getting there,” says Troy Humphries, engineering director and owner of Tank Cleaning Technologies Inc., which offers Scanjet equipment and services. “In the last three years (the industry has) really learned a lot about CIP that they didn’t know when they first started to do this seven to 10 years ago. And that’s making a big difference.” Looking back on the ethanol boom, the industry’s main focus was getting plants built as fast as possible. “It was a matter of get it online, get it producing ethanol as fast as you can—we’ll worry about efficiency later,” he says. Frankly, mistakes were made, including in the area of cleaning, Humphries says. For example, he estimates that 70 percent or more of plants built didn’t install cleaning filtration systems. “Most everybody is installing that now, or going to cleaning units that can handle the high solids level. That
wasn’t considered very much when the plants were being built.” Jeff Robert, president of Rendezvous Consulting Inc., agreed. “CIP was typically considered as an auxiliary system,” he says. “It was a system people recognize needed to be installed but it was not as well-defined as it probably should have been.” Like Humphries, he’s seen the industry investing in retrofits and upgrades of its CIP systems in the past three or four years. In batch plants, the majority of dry grind ethanol plants in production, CIP kicks in after each batch, meaning a single fermentation tank would be cleaned approximately 120 times a year. The goal is twofold—prevent fouling and bacterial contamination. For most ethanol facilities, cleaning starts with a rinse, followed by pushing a hot water and about a 5 percent sodium-hydroxide solution through the system. If the sodium hydroxide solution falls too far below 5 percent, the facility runs the risk of poor cleaning, which could lead to bacterial infections and lost yield, says Hans Alwin, business development director for Biofuels Automation. If it goes above 5 percent, it causes foaming, also reducing the effectiveness of the cleaning solution. It also costs some plants money in the form of antifoam solutions injected into the blend
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 31
CLEANING
CIP for Advanced Biofuels If clean-in-place systems are important at grain-ethanol plants, they are even more vital at advanced biofuel facilities. For maximum efficiency and to avoid system crashes, the equipment has to be “uber super clean,” says John Hyde, chairman and founder of Hyde Engineering and Consulting. Among other things, the Colorado-based company works with the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biocommodity industries to design CIP and sterilization-in-place systems, including at specific cellulosic ethanol production facilities. Hyde believes it is critical for CIP to be integrated into the design from day one. Doing so can come with significant capital cost savings and improve the chances of success dramatically. Unfortunately, however—similar to when the first generation ethanol industry was emerging—the advanced biofuels industry doesn’t completely comprehend the necessity of effective cleaning. “In our experience, especially with biocommodity plants, and within that especially ethanol plants, CIP is often considered as afterthought,” Hyde says. For example, he’s seen plants with sections of pipe left out of the cleaning circuit design or with vessels or pipes that don’t drain. Drainage is a key feature needed for effective residue removal, and without it the process is vulnerable to contamination.
Cleaning is particularly important for facilities utilizing a genetically engineered organism for fermentation. These organisms aren’t typically as hardy or as fast-growing as nongenetically engineered, native species, he says. If a native species contaminates the process, it will outcompete the genetically engineered organism. At smaller scale, fermentation equipment can be steam sterilized to get rid of all possible competing microorganisms. “In productionscale equipment, that’s virtually never done,” Hyde says. “It’s just not economically feasible to design vessels that big that can hold the pressure that the steam would require.” Instead, commercial-scale advanced biofuels facilities typically install a scaled-up version of a CIP system, such as what’s utilized by the pharmaceutical industry. Again, similar to the CIP process in use by the corn-ethanol industry, this likely involves the use of heated water and sodium hydroxide mixture to remove postproduction residue, a potential trap for bacteria and other microbes, he says. The solution is sent through pipes at high velocity and cleans tanks by spraying and generating turbulence. Some companies also add a sanitizing rinse of other solutions, such as hypochlorite or iodine-based products, for surface decontamination. Provided the facility does a reasonable job of cleaning, any remaining bacteria will be killed by high pH and temperatures, Hyde says.
Think Environmental Protection. Think Cashco Vapor Control. The full line of Vapor Control System from Valve Concepts has established the industry standard for engineered quality and in-field adaptability. The engineered modular design enables us to reduce capital outlay costs from 33% to 66% depending on the model.
Our vents are engineered to be fully modular in design so they can be converted in design and function in the field. Any one of our vents can be changed to a pipe away, spring loaded, or even a pilot operated vent without having to buy a whole new unit. Now that’s innovation that VCI customers profit from.
www.cashco com Innovative Solutions
Model 3100/4100
Model 3400/4400
Model 5200
Cashco, Inc. P.O. Box 6, Ellsworth, KS 67439-0006 Ph. (785) 472-4461, Fax: (785) 472-3539
32 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
CLEANING
tank. Both too much and too little sodium hydroxide can cause problems, but the biggest risk is bacterial infection. “Foaming is a nuisance,” Alwin says, “poor disinfections are financially hazardous.” The fact that CIP solution can be reused is both a blessing and a challenge for ethanol plants. The dairy industry, for example, spends big money on CIP and water treatment because it is required to use new CIP solution at each cleaning, Alwin says. The ethanol industry, however, recirculates its CIP solution and it becomes more spent and less effective over time. Pete Fernholz, research fellow in Ecolab’s global CIP food and beverage division, describes it this way. As ethanol plant fermenters go through the CIP cycle, CO2 in the tank neutralizes sodium hydroxide, or the caustic soda solution, into sodium carbonate—a far inferior chemistry for cleaning. “You end up with a very long clean or a very poor clean,” he says.
cost to produce a gallon of ethanol and at these times and margins that’s not the correct thing to do,” he says. “You’ve got to put a little blood and sweat into finding the root cause of why you are running higher lactic acids or acidic acids. It’s not something that you find in a day.” ICM emphasizes the importance of reducing infection levels by examining an ethanol plant’s piping, reducing dead legs and other areas where bacteria can grow. Sam
Vander Griend, process development manager for ICM, pointed to an old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.” An ethanol plant CIP system is much more effective if it isn’t constantly battling existing bacteria. Fouling falls into two categories, protein and mineral, Vander Griend says. Mineral fouling varies from plant to plant, depending on water quality, which means it’s important that each plant is using the correct cleaning or
Count on this...
Fighting Infection, Fouling The potentially negative impact on yield is a big reason ethanol plants need to pay attention to their CIP systems and practices, says Jason Van’t Hul, industry technical consultant for the grain, oil seed and biofuel group of Nalco, an Ecolab company. He references something said by Mike Ingledew, past scientific director of The Alcohol School, in a story printed in the January issue of EPM. Ingledew calculated a year ago that 1 to 4 percent yield losses for low infection levels in U.S. ethanol plants could total ethanol yield loss of 147 MMgy to 588 MMgy. In that context, Van’t Hul considers cleaning and sanitizing an area of 100 percent opportunity for ethanol plants. “I think costwise, people really haven’t looked at it enough to truly understand what the opportunity is to switch some costs away from antibiotics to cleaning and at that end of the day, how that would impact yield and performance through the plant,” he says. Beyond just collecting data, ethanol plants need to analyze it to find and correct problems, says John Friedig, manager of plant optimization services for ICM Inc. Instead, some plants have a tendency to just buy more antibiotics. “But that adds to the
The Nalco Yeast Activity Monitor It’s a revolutionary new way to more precisely monitor and optimize your process and increase your fermentation efficiency. Q
Say goodbye to labor-intensive, error-prone methods of counting viable yeast cells.
Q
Fast, automated and precise measurements of yeast metabolic activity.
Q
Find out what’s really happening in your fermentation or propagation process, and test your liquid and active dry yeast for initial quality. It’s easy. It’s fast. And there’s no guesswork involved.
Call Phil Bureman at (913) 708-4969 www.nalco.com/YAM © 2012 Ecolab USA Inc. Ecolab is a trademark of Ecolab USA Inc. Nalco and the logo are trademarks of Nalco Company
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 33
CLEANING
Taking CIP Blending To the Next Level Back in 2004, Biofuels Automation started searching for a solution for automated blending of sodium hydroxide for ethanol plant cleanin-place systems. “We saw so many costly manual errors with this procedure,” says Hans Alwin, the company’s business development director, who worked on the project personally. The result of that search, which the Plymouth, Minn.-based company has marketed to ethanol plants since about 2008, is the Causticity Control Skid, or Causti-Clean. The skid, which comes in two sizes, sits near the CIP blend tank and—using a conductivity-based measurement—gauges the percentage of sodium hydroxide in the CIP mixture. As the mixture is used and becomes spent, a valve automatically opens, adding the correct amount of sodium hydroxide, meaning a perfect dilution every time for more effective sanitation. Plants that blend CIP solution manually have to send a laboratory technician out to test the sodium hydroxide percentage, a cumbersome process that the Causti-Clean skid completes in less time and more accuracy. Although this may not seem like a problem, plants that have installed the automated system say it’s a big plus. “You don’t realize how much of a hassle it is, until you don’t have to do it anymore,” he says. Instead of taking and testing multiple samples a day, the Causti-Clean requires only a simple calibration every two weeks. Another valuable feature of the skid is CIP solution filtration, which was originally added to maintain solution cleanliness for an accurate measurement. Although not every ethanol plant has problems with beer stones, Alwin has witnessed some extreme situations. Beer stones are abrasive, potentially causing damage to pumps, pipes and CIP spray
balls. He talked to one plant manager who said he spends $25,000 yearly on spray ball maintenance parts and labor due to beer stones. Other plants have to send in their strongest maintenance employee to shovel solids out of the CIP tank. “There’s some plants, depending on water chemistry, that have three front-end loaders full of beer stone solids to remove every six weeks,” he says. For those plants, installing the Causti-Clean can mean significant savings in time and money spent on maintenance. Still, market penetration of the product has been slow. The company has installed it in about 15 ethanol plants, with the most recent order right before Christmas, he says. Although Alwin still believes the system would still have benefits for most ethanol plants, the automated system may not be as attractive to facilities that don’t struggle with a combination of bacterial infections and beer stones in the CIP solution. The No. 1 factor in whether the Causti-Clean sells well, however, is the price of sodium hydroxide, which fluctuates between 5 and 22 cents a pound. Automation of sodium hydroxide blending eliminates overapplication, a common mistake in manual mode. “We’re pretty confident in universally stating that we reduce the sodium hydroxide chemical use by 25 percent,” he says, adding that's a conservative estimate. With a 100 MMgy ethanol plant bringing in a truckload of sodium hydroxide about twice a week, the savings can be significant. And, although the company doesn’t have any specific data on this, it’s believed that the Causti-Clean aids in better ethanol yield. “Everybody seems to agree that repeatable, effective disinfections help maintain high yields,” he says.
Why reinvent the wheel, when a perfectly good design already exists? Vogelbusch USA has commercially commercially--tested ethanol know know--how that can be easily integrated with next generation biofuels technology Come to Vogelbusch for state state--of of--the the--art fermentation fermentation,, distillation distillation,, dehydration dehydration,, evaporation evaporation,, and byproduct recovery technology that can limit overall project risk and get your process to market quickly
We make biotechnology work For real solutions, go to a proven supplier of ethanol technology Vogelbusch USA, Inc. • www.vbusa.com • (713) 461-7374 34 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
CLEANING
raw water treatment method for the type of fouling it is experiencing. Fouling prevents efficient heat exchange, causing an ethanol plant to consume more energy to complete the same amount of work. With today’s low cost of natural gas and electrical power, that might not be a huge concern. “The cost impact of having a nonoptimally clean system is probably fairly minimal in the scheme of things,” Robert says, “but as soon there’s a shift again in utility costs, that whole dynamic can change very rapidly.” In other words, if natural gas prices go up, he predicts it will separate the wellmanaged and maintained ethanol plants from those with lax cleaning procedures and extreme fouling problems. Proper CIP practices, chemistry and equipment can also help reduce maintenance costs and save wear and tear on equipment. Consider an ethanol plant’s evaporator tubes, Fernholz says. A company with a good CIP system won’t have to spend as much on cleaning and maintenance to unplug its evaporator tubes if it has been cleaning properly throughout the year. “It’s just like your oven. If you clean your oven often you don’t have to go in there with Easy Off and a chisel,” he says, adding that it’s less expensive to maintain. Then there’s the cost of repair to consider. “If it goes on too long you can end up with deformed steel and cracked tube plates and major capital repairs required.” Solving fouling issues can be a fairly complicated proposition, requiring a look at the original equipment design specifications and the expertise of engineers, Robert says. The idea is to check out the technology provider’s specifications for items such as pressure drops and flow velocity profiles to determine if current operation falls within the original design parameters. That’s difficult to do “in the heat of the battle” of daily operations, he says, but if the problem is ignored too long it can create long-term problems. Touching on the same topic, Fernholz points to CIP supply pump flow rates. Is the pump undersized or is it big enough to handle the flow rate needed for proper cleaning? “If there is one thing I see consistently, it’s undersized CIP supply pumps,” he says. SOURCE: ICM
Solids, or beer stones, in the CIP wash water is another issue that impacts some ethanol plants more than others, depending on their water quality situation. Solids can damage equipment, such as CIP spray nozzles, and can build up in the fermentation tanks. Ideally, an ethanol plant should filter solids to between 200 and 300 microns, Humphries says, but not all plants have filtration systems in place. A self-flushing filtration system from Tank Cleaning Technologies costs be-
tween $20,000 and $30,000. “That’s not very much money when you consider that dumping that probably costs 70 to 80,000 dollars, a year,” he says, “and that’s not counting the costs of chemistries.” Humphries has seen ethanol plants with as much as 30 percent solids in their CIP wash water—worse than an offshore drilling rig, known to be the industry with the worst problem with solids. The company worked with a Canadian ethanol plant, Noramera
Tankman™
Sellers 360
Jumbo™
ROTATING WASH HEADS FOR ALL PROCESS VESSELS Efficient, Powerful, Dependable cleaning heads for tanks and fermenters up to 70 feet in diameter.
t Unmatched versatility
t Low-maintenance operation
t Long-term reliability
t Industry specified
Cloud/Sellers, 4120-A Horizon Lane, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 USA Phone: 805-549-8093 Fax: 805-549-0131 E-mail: mkemp@cloudinc.com Web: www.cloudinc.com MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 35
CLEANING
Bioenergy Corp., Weyburn, Saskatchewan, which had a fairly efficient CIP system but no filtration. The company had a severe solids problem that caused frequent clogging of the cleaning head, requiring it to take fermentation tanks out of service every 30 to 45 days. “They were looking for a short-term solution, which became long-term solution for them,” he says. The company equipped Noramera with a cleaning head that could handle high solids, which has made a dramatic difference. “They’ve been out there for five years, without one stoppage,” he says. Optimizing an ethanol plant’s CIP system can also reduce water use and chemical costs, although this isn’t an area ethanol plants have really delved into as other industries have, Humphries says. He points to Coca Cola’s efforts at reducing water usage at a bottling facility that is about the same size as an ethanol plant. “Just one plant in California, through CIP optimization, saved water usage into the thousands of tons of water
a year and put the bottom line over $3 million is an opportunity to bring ethanol expertise and chemical expertise together. “They can dollars,” he said. “So it’s pretty big.” help accelerate the learning curve,” he says. The ethanol industry hasn’t traditionally CIP Solutions Robert sees a need for industry collabo- considered more performance-based chemration on CIP best practices documentation, istries beyond the current use of sodium tailored specifically for ethanol plants. He be- hydroxide, Van’t Hul says. However, with lieves there’s room for improvement in the the marriage of Ecolab and Nalco, the two CIP chemistry and procedures ethanol plants companies are well-positioned to assist in utilize. To illustrate, he points to the changes this area. In fact, the company is now planin the yeast and enzymes first used in etha- ning field trials in an ethanol plant to test nol plants. Back in the mid-90s, the ethanol new chemistry and nonantibiotic methods industry utilized products developed for the of yield-loss management, Fernholz says. beverage alcohol industry. Over time, indus- One potential benefit is reducing the time try-specific yeast and enzymes were devel- needed for a CIP cycle, which would allow an oped and an ethanol plant today would never ethanol plant to push more product through think of going back to the old products. “I the plant or increase fermentation time for believe the same thing would hold true, if we higher yield, Van’t Hul adds. The other side of the CIP chemistry got working much more diligently in the areas of CIP and cleaning the systems,” he says, coin is system automation. Compared to adding that it would enhance long-term prof- other industries, the ethanol industry is less itability. Partnering with chemical cleaning automated, Alwin says, with more processes, companies to identify better CIP chemistry including CIP, completed manually by plant employees, even though they could potentially be automated. “George knows how to do it,” he says. “George can open that manual valve on the concentrate and watch his wristwatch and count out how many gallons of sodium hydroxide he needs to put in there.” The problem is what he calls the human error factor. What if the employee passes out in the middle or is paged and walks away to take a call—something Alwin has actually watched happen, resulting in $10,000 in wasted chemical. Friedig agrees that automation can make things faster, safer and more consistent. If CIP procedures are labor-intensive it can get tempting, over time, for operators to cut corners. “Human nature is to take the path of least resistance,” he says. On the other hand, although automation is important, there’s count on us to keep your p l ant cle an. still value in doing a physical or audible check to make sure systems are operating correctGet back to full operating efficiency with cleaning experts who understand your needs. ly. That means periodically listening for the audible sound of the spray ball operating, physically removing spray balls and checking to make sure CIP pump discharge pressure is maintained. “That should be done on a routine basis, if plants are keeping up on preven(888) 549 -1869 tative maintenance,” he says. w w w.premiump l antser vice s .com
hydroblasting | industrial vacuuming | surface chemical cleaning sandblasting | tube bundle and heat exchanger cleaning
36 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
Author: Holly Jessen Features Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4946 hjessen@bbiinternational.com
ETHANOL PRODUCER IS THE
Advertise Today!
#1 SOURCE
OF INFORMATION FOR AND ABOUT ETHANOL PRODUCERS AND INDUSTRY PROS. With subscribers in more than 43 countries, Ethanol Producer Magazine is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest and longest-running ethanol magazine. The only magazine in the world exclusively focused on ethanol.
5,000+ monthly circulation Distributed to all attendees of the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo and National Ethanol Conference
Each issue is distributed to every ethanol plant in North America
Advertisement design is free of charge
Need more information on advertising opportunities? service@bbiinternational.com (866) 746-8385 www.ethanolproducer.com MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 37 twitter.com/EthanolMagazine
Ethanol Producer Magazine’s
Fuel Ethanol Industry Directory 2013
Get Listed Today, It's Free!
Hurry, deadline for print insertion: April 1, 2013
Print & Online Distributed by Ethanol Producer Magazine, the 2013 Fuel Ethanol Industry Directory is the most comprehensive list of industry suppliers, producers, researchers and government agencies available in the world. The directory is an invaluable resource to help find the contact information you are looking for and help others find you. The Fuel Ethanol Industry Directory is circulated throughout the fuel ethanol industry. Including the following: - All Ethanol Producer Magazine subscribers - All International Fuel Ethanol Workshop attendees (placed in all attendee conference bags) - All North American ethanol production facilities (three to each plant) - Attendees of all other major ethanol conferences
Combined you’ll reach more than 8,000 ethanol industry specific professionals. You don’t have anything to lose, register today.
Visit: directory.ethanolproducer.com It’s published annually
Sent to all Ethanol Producer Magazine subscribers and major related conferences
One FREE listing per business, both print & online
Add logo and utilize display advertising for a low rate Join the most comprehensive list of ethanol industry pros in the world Questions? CONTACT US: 866-746-8385 service@bbiinternational.com directory.ethanolproducer.com
38 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 39
CENTRIFUGES
SOURCE: ALFA LAVAL
40 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
CENTRIFUGES
TUNING UP THE DECANTER CENTRIFUGE Proper centrifuge maintenance minimizes unplanned downtime, while well-balanced adjustments impact dryers, evaporators and backset. BY SUSANNE RETKA SCHILL
There’s an apt analogy for centrifuge maintenance in ethanol plants to how different people view their cars. Some follow the rec-
ommended maintenance routine and get the oil changed at the appointed time, regularly swap out windshield wipers and replace tires as they near the end of the expected lifespan. Others push the oil changes out to the maximum, only change the wipers when they begin to come apart and wait to change tires until the steel cords are beginning to show. Chris Fell, market unit manager in separation products at Alfa Laval Inc., says he participated in a study over a decade ago that compared these two approaches to maintenance at an ethanol plant. For three years, the cost of preventative maintenance on one set of centrifuges was compared to a second set for which repairs were done as needed. “The cost for the preventative maintenance averaged 28 percent less than running on a reactive maintenance schedule,” he says.
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 41
CENTRIFUGES
THINK
BOILER RENTALS! 220,000 to 150,000 lb./hr. O Operating pressures from 100 to 750 PSI
THINK
Detachable skid-mounted boiler sk
PHOTO: ALFA LAVAL
State-of-the-art S lo low-NOx burner
VICTORY ENERGY! Plan with the best and be prepared for anything.
Victory Energy supplies cost-effective mobile boiler rental units for virtually any utility, institutional and industrial steam application.
Optional mobile water treatment systems include deaerators, Zater softeners, boiler feedZater pumps and a chemical treatment system.
2ur Àeet of trailer-mounted boilers and Zater treatment systems range in size from 20,000 lb./hr. to 150,000 lb./hr. and operating pressure from 100- 50 psi. 7hese units are con¿gured to be dispatched directly to a job site, quickly and safely.
ABRASIVE WEAR The presence of a lot of sand and grit in the process can wear the leading edges of a scroll conveyer faster and is a major contributor to the variable servicing requirements at different ethanol plants.
A challenge for the ethanol industry is that some maintenance schedules follow set intervals while others are site specific. Fell recommends that ethanol producers benchmark wear characteristics over the first few years of operation and use this data to plan future inspection and maintenance schedules. “Some people will plan that for every 18 months where others can go 40 months,” he says. “Knowing that in advance is critical, and not making the assumption that you leave something go for three years and you’ll be OK.”
The wear characteristics are determined by how much abrasive sand and grit is in the process, Fell says. “It’s a combination of factors. In the ethanol industry, sand content varies depending on where the corn is harvested. Another factor is process water and how it is filtered. A third factor, particularly in older plants, is the reuse of floor washings from a sump back into the process.” Plants that experience high-wear characteristics, he adds, should consider using one or more forms of erosion protection
Large inventory of parts. PHOTO: ALFA LAVAL
1.877.783.26655 10701 E. 126th St. N., Collinsville, OK 74021
ZZZ.victoryenergy.com FOLLOW A LEADER
42 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
SEPARATION WORKHORSE Fine-tuning the performance of the centrifuge is important for efficient dryer operations, minimal evaporator fouling and low-solids backset.
CENTRIFUGES
‘Performing planned, predictive maintenance and regular process tuning is an important factor in optimizing the complete process.’
— Dell Hummel, Alfa Laval
specifically developed to extend maintenance intervals and protect the equipment. One such technique is a tile system rather than the less-durable hard surfacing on the edges of the of scroll conveyer. “The tiles are expensive as a component,” Fell says. “But in the ethanol industry, we find very little wear on tile assemblies.” Planning for the big maintenance projects is built around recommended routine tasks, such as greasing the bearings during a brief shutdown every two weeks and replacing the gear box oil every six months. Dell Hummel, Alfa Laval sales manager for separation equipment in the U.S. ethanol, starch and sugar markets, points out that a plant that operates 24/7 runs roughly 8,000 hours in a year. Referring to the car analogy, he says, “Every once in a while you have to perform tune-ups, that’s where bearing changes—every 8,000 hours for conveyer bearings and every 16,000 hours for main bearings—come in.”
Fine-Tuning Operations Hummel, who serves as a decanter specialist supporting the global ethanol market, explains how fine-tuning centrifuge operation affects the front end of the process, as well as the efficiency of the evaporators and dryers. The function of the decanter centrifuge is to dewater whole stillage, which is the water, spent grains and yeast remaining after ethanol is distilled. The centrifuge separates the suspended solids from the thin stillage (also called centrate) that contains primarily dissolved solids. To use another analogy, the suspended solids are like sand that settles to the bottom of a bucket of water, whereas dissolved solids in the thin stillage are like sugar granules in water. The suspended solids are conveyed out of the conical section of the centrifuge bowl and become the wet cake that heads to the dryers. The thin stillage is decanted off the other end of the centrifuge bowl. Generally, about a third of the thin stillage becomes backset and is sent to the front end of the process to become part of the makeup water for the next batch of mash. The rest of the thin stillage is concentrated in the evaporators and applied to the wet cake, becoming the solubles in distillers dried grains with solubles. The challenge for centrifuge operations is to find the right balance between getting the optimal amount of water out of the wet cake to reduce the load on the dryers while maximizing the clarity of the thin stillage to minimize fouling in the evaporators. It is best to keep the level of suspended solids remaining in the thin stillage at about 1 to 2 percent, Hummel says. Too many
Cooling solutions that
WON’T BURN YOUR BUDGET
24/7/365 SERVICE Cooling Towers Chillers Pumps and Tanks Emergency Power
Aggreko offers dependable, economical solutions to meet your ethanol production and pilot plant needs. From fermenter cooling improvements to restoring underperformance in vacuum condensers or demonstration plants, Aggreko has the project management and engineering expertise to support your operations 24/7/365.
866.215.7966 aggreko.com/northamerica
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 43
CENTRIFUGES
fine solids tend to build up in the process and, in the portion used as backset, those fine solids that are not fermentable take up valuable space in the fermenter and reduce yields. Two main variables impact separation efficiency. “The higher the flow rate, the lower the separation efficiency,” Hummel says. The other main adjustment is the differential speed between the bowl and the conveyer. The bowl uses centrifugal force to remove the suspended solids while the conveyer, running either slower or faster than the bowl, creates a scrolling action that moves the solids out of the bowl. “If you move the solids out quickly they come out wetter,” Hummel explains. “Because you move them out quicker, there’s not as much solids build-up in the bowl, so you end up
with a cleaner thin stillage.” Conversely, a lower differential speed moves solids out more slowly giving them more retention time in the bowl and the solids come out drier, but there is more potential for carryover to the thin stillage. In some centrifuge designs, another adjustment can be made to the dams that control the depth of the liquid left in the centrifuge pond as the liquids decant off. “If you have a traditional decanter, the deeper you make the pond, the cleaner you’ll make the thin stillage but the wetter the cake,” Hummel says. Alfa Laval’s centrifuge design eliminates that adjustment, he adds. “The machine we use for the ethanol industry has a baffled feed zone, which allows us to run with a deep pond to make clean thin stillage, but it blocks the pond from getting to
the conical portion of the machine, so we can still make a dry cake.” Venting is another critical issue that can be overlooked, Hummel continues. “This is a hot process—the feed material is going in 20 or 30 degrees below boiling for water. You get vapors and steam inside the machine and you can get vapor and steam coming back from the dryer through the conveyer system or from the thin stillage tanks coming back up to the decanters.” If not vented, the housing around the bowl fills with steam and makes the bearings run hot, or if pressure begins to build, can even force steam into the bearings. “Once you do that, you reduce the bearing life and could potentially have bearing failures,” he explains. “It is a critical thing.” Utilizing a slight vacuum will help vent the steam off the machines but it is important to ensure the vacuum be equal on both ends of the machine so there is no interference with the movement of the material. This helps avoid a buildup of solids in the centrifuge housing. Many factors play into the decisions behind how to operate the centrifuges. Some plants, of course, are located near cattle lots that prefer wet cake, thus they don’t have to worry about optimizing the dryers. Most plant operators, though, are well aware that dryers are the biggest energy users in the plant. Yet, while the temptation is to keep the cake as dry as possible, the resulting thin stillage is the bigger issue, Hummel warns. “It’s more of a disruption to let the thin stillage get too dirty. If the evaporator fouls, a shutdown is required in order to clean and that’s not an easy job. If too many unfermentable solids are returned to the fermenter, ethanol production is reduced. Performing planned, predictive maintenance and regular process tuning is an important factor in optimizing the complete process.” Author: Susanne Retka Schill Contributions Editor, Ethanol Producer Magazine 701-738-4922 sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com
44 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
BOTTOM LINE RESULTS
Saving me and money is key. Because we’ve completed more than 335 bioenergy projects around the world, the team here at BBI Consul ng Services is able to streamline any bioenergy and engineering project. In return, you’ll save me and money, elimina ng underfunded and undermanned projects. We’ll help you keep your project on the best track for success.
Consulting Services
www.bbiinterna onal.com 866-746-8385 | service@bbiinterna onal.com
Consul ng Services offered: • Feasibility studies • Development of business & financial strategies • Evalua on and selec on of renewable energy technologies • Business plans • Market analysis
• Resource assessments • Due diligence • Review of government grant proposals (RFPs) • Grant proposal review and submission • Conceptual design for bioenergy projects
NETWORK & LEARN REGISTER TODAY www.biomassconference.com
VIEW ONLINE
at www.biomassconference.com
1. AGENDA 2. PANEL SESSIONS
at International Biomass Conference & Expo
Producers Technology/Services/ Equipment Government
Track 1: Pellets & Densified Biomass Track 2: Biomass Power & Thermal Track 3: Biogas & Landfill Gas Track 4: Advanced Biofuels & Biobased Chemicals
3. POSTER PRESENTERS 4. TOURS
Promote Your Company and Start Doing More Business Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor
Consultant Academia
Forestry Power Industry
Waste Aggregator Agriculture/Farming Finance/Lending Waste Generator Legal Investor Media Utility Petroleum Industry
Contact us today. service@bbiinternational.com 866-746-8385
"Global biomass and waste power generation could grow from 62 to 270 gigawatts through the year 2030, with investments totaling between $21 billion to $35 billion." - International Renewable Energy Agency
"The quality of business relationships built here are second to none." - Stephen S. Reidell, Eagle Innovations
866-746-8385 | service@bbiinternational.com |
APRIL 8-10, 2013 Minneapolis, MN
www.biomassconference.com
#IBCE13 Follow Us: twitter.com/biomassmagazine
What if corn already knew its destiny?
Enogen® corn trait technology is bio-engineered to improve ethanol plant efficiency and generate more ethanol per bushel of corn. It does this by drastically lowering both slurry and liquefaction viscosity, increasing the ability to load more solids. This provides the opportunity to maximize ethanol throughput and yield while reducing production costs by up to 10%1. Join the next revolution in ethanol production, call 877-4ENOGEN. www.enogen.net
© 2013 Syngenta. Enogen®, the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon, and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. MW 11CR2084-P1-R 1/13 1
Based on 2007–2012 Syngenta Trials.
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 47
PROCESS
PHOTO: BBI INTERNATIONAL, SUSANNE RETKA SCHILL
CONTRIBUTION
Six Sigma Provides Analytical Tool for Ethanol Producers Fermentation optimization project results in improved ethanol yield. BY JAMES FRUGĂ&#x2030; AND RAUL GAMBOA
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 | MARCH 2013
With corn costs comprising over 87 percent of the cost of ethanol production, a small improvement in corn-to-ethanol yield can have a large impact on plant profitability. Three reasons suggest why improvements don't always happen. First, ethanol producers in the past have mainly focused on throughput and have historically invested in projects that expand production. With the current oversupply and margin squeeze, producers are now being forced to focus on reducing production costs. Second, producers have difficulty accurately measuring yield without a lot of variability, and thus are not getting true measurements upon which to base improvement efforts. Third, many producers depend on a sup-
PROCESS
plierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technical support personnel to recommend optimum conditions for the use of products such as alpha amylase, gluco amylase, yeast, urea and ammonia. Producers often believe that by optimizing conditions for the use of these products, it will automatically result in maximum yield. These three factors have resulted in less-than-maximum yield improvement. With current economic conditions changing production philosophy from production volume to low-cost production, the last two factors can be addressed by the use of Six Sigma process improvement tools. The Six Sigma methodology was developed in the electronics industry in the 1990s at G.E., Westinghouse and Motorola. With the outstanding results achieved in this industry, Six Sigma was adopted by the petrochemical industry and others. Companies like Dow, DuPont, 3M, Celanese and other major chemical companies saved millions of dollars in applying the statistical and other
Six Sigma tools to operating plants. Both the authors learned the methodology and experienced the savings while working in the petrochemical industry. The Six Sigma method uses a road map for solving difficult problems such as yield optimization in the face of multiple variables, including the types of enzymes for both gluco and alpha, type of yeast, pH, temperatures of mix tank, temperatures of fermenters, solid concentration in the mash, urea addition rates, amount of backset, pH of backset, etc. Trying to optimize each of these variables for maximum yield is an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task without the use of advanced statistical tools.
Define, Measure, Analyze Defining is the first step in the Six Sigma methodology. Defining is important because it assures agreement on what the problem is, what the process boundaries are, how to measure the results and who will be
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 49
PROCESS
working on the project. Without that agreement, projects often suffer scope creep and are soon â&#x20AC;&#x153;trying to save the world.â&#x20AC;? The measure step is where the team handles the problem of garbage in, garbage out. Without data, it is hard, if not impossible, to make good decisions. First, the team determines how well they can measure the output, also known as the Big Y. In the case of fermentation, yield involves measuring how much corn or milo was used in the fermen-
ter batch, the ethanol in the final sample of fermentation, and how many gallons are in the fermenter. It sounds simple in principle but it can be difficult in practice. Many plants use high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure the amount of ethanol in the final or drop sample. The question arises, though, on how much variability from batch to batch is due to the variation of the process and how much is due to the measuring system (i.e. the HPLC). By analyzing samples
WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ALL ABOUT ETHANOL Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve provided advice, execution services and information for our ethanol and biofuel customers since day one.
At INTL FCStone, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all ethanol, all the time: t Clearing and Execution Services t Online Margin Look-Up t .BSLFU *OTJHIU BOE *OGPSNBUJPO t Risk Management Consulting
With customers in more than 100 countries around the world, and wide-ranging expertise in interest rate and currency risk management, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got you FCStone, LLC covered no matter where you are or what you need. Renewable Fuels Group 2829 Westown Parkway, Ste. 100 West Des Moines, IA 50266 SFOFXBCMFGVFMT!JOUMGDTUPOF DPN 800-422-3087, ext. 3728 XXX JOUMGDTUPOF DPN
To learn more about what we can do Gor you, contact us today. Commodity trading involves risks, and you should fully understand those risks before trading.
Renewable Fuels | Ethanol Group 50 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
in a prescribed way that represents the range normally seen in the process, the percent variation caused by the measuring system, the HPLC analysis, can be determined. For the measurement system to be good enough for process improvement work, the variability caused by the measurement system should be less than 30 percent of the variability of the process. The target is no more than 10 percent. The same technique can be used to reliably determine solid content in the mash measurement system. Once these measurement systems have been proven to be good, they can be used to calculate a batch yield, the Big Y. One proprietary and trademarked method for measuring batch yield, called YieldCalc, has been developed by the authors. The next part of the measure step is to determine the inputs (the little xâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) to measure, plus how well they can be measured. The assumption used is that all measurements are bad until proven otherwise. A process map created by the team identifies all of the inputs to the fermentation process, how they are measured and typical values. Then, a measurement system analysis (MSA) is performed on all of the inputs. In a typical plant there are approximately 85 to 100 inputs that need to be checked out. Many times the MSA serves to verify the measurement is done correctly and stored in the correct place in the data system. This step requires the efforts of operators, maintenance technicians, management and just about everybody involved in running the process. After making sure the data being used is good, the data collection on batches begins. It is important to not experiment with any of the variables at this time, since we are trying to determine the normal operation of the plant using good data. With all of the inputs captured and a batch yield calculated to show how well or poorly we did, the next step can begin. In the analyze step, we use Minitab software to find the important input variables. Minitab is an intuitive statistical software package that has become the de facto standard for Six Sigma analysis. Some people use a package called Jump that also works well.
PROCESS
First, a graphical analysis gives clues to which inputs have the greatest impact on yield and then statistical analysis determines which ones are most significant. In most processes with 85 to 100 inputs, only three or four have a high impact on the variability of the process. These critical few Big Xs will be unique to that particular plant. Even though all ICM and all Delta T plants have similar designs for the same overall ethanol capacity, there are differences that make each one unique.
improvement would result in over $7.5 million savings at a corn cost of $7 per bushel. The payback period for these projects typically ranges in the one- to three-month time frame, depending on the existing instrumentation and measurement systems. The reduction in standard deviation of yield measurement allows plants to more accurately monitor the impact of new enzymes, yeast or new operating conditions on the most significant metric, yield. Thus, it helps
with implementing further improvements as new technologies emerge in the ethanol industry. Authors: James FrugĂŠ FrugĂŠ Consulting. 214-477-5141 jfruge@mac.com Raul Gamboa Chemical Engineer, Consultant 214-697-0280 Raulutex1980@aol.com
Improve, Control In the improve step, once the critical Big X inputs are known, we need to confirm their importance and identify any interactions by running a series of trials called a design of experiments (DOE). In a DOE, one runs the plant, varying the important inputs in a specific way, from a high value to a low value. Analysis of this data will confirm the importance of each variable and show how to best optimize the plant for maximum yield. Next, we set the important inputs at their optimum values and run the plant. The control step is designed to make sure the improvements last. In order to improve the plant operations, one must change what one was doing before. Change is hard, however, and there is a tendency to go back to the old ways. The control plan is just a written plan for how we will be sure the important variables will be kept at their best values over the long term, and how to detect when things have drifted off before it is too late.
Results Six Sigma was applied by the authors at a 50 MMgy ethanol plant where the yield was not what it needed to be and varied significantly from month to month. The plant operators also had a difficult time determining what impact, if any, a new enzyme or changed process condition had on yield due to the variability in the measurement. Results of the project are shown in the two bell curves of the accompanying graph showing yield and standard deviation before and after. Yield was improved by 6 percent while the standard deviation was reduced by 52 percent. For a 50 MMgy plant, this yield
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 51
EPM MARKETPLACE Ag Products & Services
Cleaning
Equipment
Dryer Systems
Adhesive coating resists exposure to ethanol EPOXY EP41S-1HT
Easy to apply ∙ Cures at room temperature Convenient packaging www.masterbond.com
∙
+1.201.343.8983
Mole Master Services Corporation 740-374-6726 www.molemaster.com
Premium Plant Services, Inc. 888-549-1869 www.premiumplantservices.com
Evaporators Premium Plant Services, Inc. 888-549-1869 www.premiumplantservices.com
Fans Premium Plant Services, Inc. 888-549-1869 www.premiumplantservices.com
Heat Exchanger
Hybrid Corn DuPont Pioneer 515-535-6411
www.pioneer.com/biofuels
Hydro-Blasting
Associations/Organizations Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association info@mnbiofuels.org www.mnbiofuels.org
Chemicals Additives Buckman 800-937-5548
www.buckman.com
U.S. Water Services 866-663-7633 www.uswaterservices.com
Railcar Spill Response
CIP Buckman 800-937-5548
Hydro-Klean, Inc. 515-283-0500
www.buckman.com
Tank Cleaning Equipment
Denaturant Viachem, LLC 631-752-8700
Scanjet, Inc. 281-480-4041 Freez-It-Cleen 612-597-9337 www.cte-global.com
www.freezitcleen.com
www.scanjetinc.com
Tank Cleaning Services Premium Plant Services, Inc. 888-549-1869 www.premiumplantservices.com
Water Treatment Buckman 800-937-5548
Gamajet Cleaning Systems Inc. 877-GAMAJET www.gamajet.com
www.viacheminc.com
Enzymes CTE Global, Inc. 847-564-5770
www.hydro-klean.com
www.buckman.com
Construction
Yeast
Fabrication
Fermentis-Division of SI Lesaffre 800-558-7279 www.fermentis.com
Agra Industries Inc. 715-536-9584
Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits 800-583-6484 www.lallemandbds.com
Grain Storage Hoffmann, Inc. 563-263-4733
52 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
www.agraind.com
www.hoffmanninc.com
EPM MARKETPLACE Plant Construction
MEGTEC Systems Inc. 920-339-2787
Agra Industries Inc. 715-536-9584
www.megtec.com
DYNATEK Articulated Loading Systems 888-853-5444 www.dynatekloadingsystems.com
www.agraind.com
Anaerobic Digesters
Fagen, Inc. 320-564-3324
www.fageninc.com
Consulting
Himark bioGAS 780-700-5110
www.himarkbiogas.com
BBI Consulting Services 866-746-8385 www.bbiinternational.com
Vecoplan, LLC 336-861-6070
www.VecoplanLLC.com
Buckman 800-937-5548
www.icminc.com
Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. 763-381-9384 www.meau.com
Environmental Air Resource Specialists, Inc. 970-484-7941 www.air-resource.com
BBI Consulting Services 866-746-8385 www.bbiinternational.com
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
SGS Group 41-0-22-739-91-11
www.sgs.com
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
Rail Safe Training, Inc. 712-212-4145 www.railsafetraining.com
Cellencor, Inc. 515-259-1122
www.cellencor.com
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
Process Design
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
Equipment & Services Agitation Equipment EKATO Corporation 201-825-4684, x217
www.icminc.com
Fractionation-Corn
BBI Consulting Services 866-746-8385 www.bbiinternational.com
Paint & Protective Coatings Elevation Coating, LLC 763-742-2067 www.elevationcoating.com
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.VecoplanLLC.com
Storage-DDGS www.hoffmanninc.com
Tanks Agra Industries, Inc. 715-536-9584
www.agraind.com
Thermal Oxidizers Koch Knight LLC 330-488-1651
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
Size Reduction-Shredders
Hoffmann, Inc. 563-263-4733
Dryers-Rotary Steam Tube
Engineering
www.interraglobal.com
Vecoplan, LLC 336-861-6070
Dryers-Rotary Drum
Safety
Interra Global 847-292-8600
Parts & Services www.buckman.com
Dryers-Other
Quality Assurance
www.icminc.com
Corn Oil Recovery Buckman 800-937-5548
Plant Optimization
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
Cooling Towers Tower Performance, Inc. 800-314-1695 www.coolingtowercomponents.com
Feasibility Studies
Membrane Dehydration Systems
Molecular Sieves
ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588 www.buckman.com
www.icminc.com
Hitachi Zosen U.S.A. Ltd. 212-883-9060 www.hitachizosen.co.jp/english
Control Systems Central Energy Plant
Maintenance Software ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
Cellulosic Pretreatment
Business Plans
Loading Equipment
www.kochknight.com
www.icminc.com
LAI Eth. Bio Tech Div, Langhauser Assoc, Inc. 217-412-1150 www.LanghauserAssociates.com
Heat Exchangers Pick Heaters, Inc. 800-233-9030
www.pickheaters.com
www.ekato.com
Laboratory-Supplies Air Pollution/Odor Control Bionomic Industries 201-529-1094
Midland Scientific Inc. 800-642-5263 www.midlandsci.com
www.bionomicind.com
MARCH 2013 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | 53
EPM MARKETPLACE Truck Receiving/Dumpers
Finance
Airoflex Equipment 563-264-8066 www.airoflexequipment.com
Appraisals
Used Equipment
BORCHART STEEL INC
Transportation Rail
The Specialist in Biofuels Plant Appraisals • Valuation for financing • Establishing an asking price • Partial interest valuation Few certified appraisers in the United States specialize in ethanol plant and related biofuels properties. The firm of Natwick Associates offers more than 50 years of worldwide experience.
Call us for a free, no-obligation consulation today.
1-800-279-4757 Natwick Associates Appraisal Services 1205 4th Ave. S., Fargo, ND 58103 www.natwickappraisal.com natwick@integra.net
Grant Writing Sustainable Energy Strategies, Inc. 703-543-6838 www.sesi-online.com
Valves Cashco, Inc. 785-472-4461
www.cashco.com
Wastewater Treatment Services ICM, Inc. 877-456-8588
www.icminc.com
Wastewater Treatment Buckman 800-937-5548
www.buckman.com
Lender Representatives BBI Consulting Services 866-746-8385 www.bbiinternational.com
Legal Services Attorneys BrownWinick Law Firm 515-242-2414 johnson@brownwinick.com
Yield Enhancement Himark bioGAS 780-700-5110
Media www.himarkbiogas.com
Publications Platts 1-800-PLATTS-8
54 | Ethanol Producer Magazine | MARCH 2013
www.platts.com/biofuels
RAIL C & J
ROAD
Exporting DDGS Through the Port of Mobile?
Send your DDGS to us in bulk in your railcars and we will make the transfer to container for export via the Port of Mobile.
Contact: Reggie Howell 662-902-1838 • Email cjrr565@aol.com C&J Railroad Company 662-902-1838 www.mississippideltarailroad.com
LEADERSHIP, AT YOUR SERVICE!
R
NOW WITH THREE LOCATIONS!
Dependable Service 24/7
Hydroblasting Services
Dryer Cleaning
Filter Media/Sieve Bead Removal
Emergency Response
Tank Cleaning & Inspection
Dry Ice and Sponge Blasting
Wet/Dry Industrial Vacuum Services
Waste Collection, Transport & Disposal
Des Moines Duluth Sioux Falls
Phone (515) 283-0500 www.hydro-klean.com
Reserve Your Exhibit Space Today! June 10-13, 2013
America’s Center | St. Louis, MO www.fuelethanolworkshop.com
Save $200
on Registration with Early Bird Rates
“IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO NETWORK WITH VENDORS AND FELLOW PLANTS.” - BILL PAIGE, BADGER STATE ETHANOL
Producers representing 87% of all U.S. installed capacity attended last year. 866-746-8385 | service@bbiinternational.com