Ethanol Blog
Todd Neeley DTN Staff Reporter

Thursday 12/17/09

New Plant Owner Plans to Make Ethanol with Garbage

The new owner of a former Xethanol Biofuels LLC ethanol plant near Blairstown, Iowa said he has plans to produce ethanol at the plant using garbage from a landfill south of town, according to the Vinton Eagle in Vinton, Iowa.

The Blairstown plant has difficulty in staying open throughout the years.

First farmer-owned cooperative, Sunrise Energy Cooperative opened the plant in 1999. It closed, then reopened after APL Biopurification bought 70 percent of the business.

The plant had closed again in 2004 and Xethanol purchased the plant and reopened it in 2005. But the company closed the plant and filed bankruptcy in 2009.

(Vinton Eagle, Dec. 16, 2009)
(http://www.vintoneagle.com/…)

DTN: With recent struggles in the corn-based ethanol industry and a move toward a possible low-carbon fuel standard that could make corn ethanol a higher carbon fuel, more companies are looking at retrofitting corn ethanol plants with cellulosic ethanol technology. On Wednesday I reported that AE Biofuels reached an agreement with Cilion Inc. to reopen an idled corn ethanol plant in Keyes, Calif. and retrofit the plant with AE's cellulosic ethanol technology (http://bit.ly/…). (Todd Neeley)

Posted at 10:41AM CST 12/17/09 by Todd Neeley
Comments (2)
I find the use of garbage to produce ethanol an interesting phenomena. I've asked developers, producers and local citiizens for years why is it not feasible for ethanol plants to burn garbage for their heat source instead of using natural gas. Every community has a steady stream of garbage. Here in SE Mn. Rochester has 3 burners capable of burning 400 ton per day that burn garbage and produce steam to heat and cool downtown buildings. I realize permitting and emissions are a concern but look at the potential revenue stream through community involvement that could be obtained. Tpyfferoen Pine Island, mn
Posted by TOM PYFFEROEN at 6:38AM CST 12/18/09
With all the experience and tech advances with ethonal production, it may not be long before a plant can make ethanol with what ever is most available at that time. (I.E. Corn, Garbage, wood pulp, etc.....)
Posted by Craig Heisserer at 1:27PM CST 12/18/09
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