Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

Co-Products. There are two main co-products created in the production of
ethanol: distillers grain and carbon dioxide. Distillers grains are a highly
nutritious livestock feed. Dakota Gold brand dried distillers grains meets a
higher level of nutritional content and physical consistency than is possible
with any other biorefining process.
Carbon dioxide is also a natural result of fermentation. A select few of the
plants collect compress and market it for use in other industries. The carbon
dioxide it produces is ultimately reabsorbed by future corn crops, which need
CO2 to grow.
Detailed Process Descriptions: 220
BFRAC has been described as a biorefining revolution for the ethanol
industry. It separates the corn into three fractions including fiber, germ and
endosperm. The endosperm is then fermented to create ethanol while the
remaining fractions are converted into new value-added co-products,
including POET's trademarked Dakota Gold HP (a high protein distillers grain
feed product), the trademarked Dakota Bran cake, corn germ meal and corn
oil. In addition to these high value co-products, the process also results in
increased plant throughput and decreased energy consumption.
Main Products:
Value-added co-products, including Dakota Gold HP(TM), Dakota Bran(TM)
Cake, and Dakota Gold Corn Germ Dehydrated(TM) that is being further
processed to create defatted corn germ meal and edible corn oil.
Social Considerations 221
The National Corn Growers Association has estimated that that approximately
15 billion gallons of ethanol can be produced from corn without giving up the
existing domestic and export markets. Additionally, they point out that
ethanol's co-product, a high-protein animal feed called distillers grains, will
displace more than one billion bushels of corn for feed per year starting in
2008.
Investments and Operating Cost 222
The project is being built by Broin Companies, a dry mill ethanol producer,
which has applied for matching grant funds through the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) to assist with the $200 million expansion.
Because cellulosic ethanol requires not one but three processing facilities--an
ethanol distillery, a pretreatment facility and a power generation plant, a
commercial-scale enterprise is expected to cost from $350 to $400 million, or
roughly six times the cost of a corn (dry mill) ethanol plant of the same scale.
Economic Instruments for Overcoming Barriers 223
220 http://www.poetenergy.com/learn/bfrac.asp
221 http://www.poetenergy.com/learn/foodandfuel.asp
222 http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=46636
223 http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/intellectual-property-patent/1045974-1.html
401