EasternIowaFarmer_Fall2023

THE ENERGY ISSUE
is a story that really needs to be told. Over the
last couple of years in particular, I saw that there
is so much emotion around this issue, and there’s
misinformation around it.”
He believes Smart Carbon Solutions can help.
“We want to be a respected, trusted source for
information on carbon capture storage and use,”
he said.
Liquid propane and anhydrous ammonia have
been transported via underground pipes for
years. The United States has been transporting
liquid CO2 since the 1970s, Heinrich said. About
5,000 miles of carbon capture pipes run through
the country, none currently in Iowa.
“The second thing we want to talk about is the
future,” he said. “The pipeline is only a part of
this puzzle. The big picture is looking at not only
carbon capture and storage but at use. And I put
a capital “U” on use.”
Companies are doing research and development
on such things as adding carbon to concrete
or insulation. California-based Infinium recently
announced a project that would combine green
hydrogen and CO2 to produce a low-carbon fuel
that can be used in combustion engines.
Such developments feed into the vision that
Heinrich and others have that someday CO2
won’t be a byproduct but a co-product of the
ethanol process.
Today, many farmers feed their livestock protein-rich
DDG, or dried distillers grains, which
come from ethanol production, noted Heinrich,
whose family feeds it to the cows on their farm.
“The industry really had a time getting DDG
moved when it first started. Well, now we have
trouble getting it. We pay pretty good money for
it. They had to figure out a use, and now it’s hard
to get. It’s a co-product, and they make money
on it. I see that coming for the carbon market,”
he said.
“We’re in a society now, whether you agree
with everything or not, that people want to see
lower carbon and a lower carbon footprint.
This is one way we can do it responsibly, do it
effectively, and in the meantime help our rural
economies,” he said.
He’s excited to be in on the ground level with
a group that is working toward that goal.
“We’re at a crossroads in rural Iowa with this.
The landscape is going to look different, one
way or another,” he said. “This is the time to
chart our direction and take control of it.” n
“I’ve spent my life
trying to promote
rural communities,
and I have a
passion for that
because I live it.”
— JOE HEINRICH
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eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 73