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To an untrained eye all ethanol plants look identical. They’re usually surrounded by corn fields and all have storage vessels, grain receiving equipment and boilers that are nearly indistinguishable from one facility to the next. However, all plants are not created equal. Some operate far more efficiently than others.

The EPA presented East Kansas Agri-Energy (EKAE), located in Garnett, KS, and POET’s Ashton, IA facility with the Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award for achieving excellence in energy efficiency in a ceremony at the 2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Nashville.

POET Biorefining–Ashton and EKAE use turbines to produce heat and power, which, according to their data, reduces emissions by more than 15% in both facilities and reduces operating costs, as well.

East Kansas Agri-Energy

East Kansas Agri-Energy is a dry grind ethanol plant whose Dresser-Rand-built steam turbine generates roughly a third of its electricity needs. The system uses nearly 23% less fuel than typical on-site thermal generation and purchased electricity.

EKAE uses all of the energy its turbine produces in-house, but installing a turbine can present other opportunities for financial gain. “I would encourage any operation that has the capital available to invest in a turbine,” says Doug Sommer, plant manager. “You can use some of it in-house and sell the rest to the power grid.”

EKAE’s location near the local wastewater treatment facility allowed it to take advantage of another money-saving opportunity. The treatment plant pumps the recycled water into the ethanol plant where it’s used for cooling. This process saves them approximately $30,000 a month in water expenses and allows them to produce a gallon of ethanol with only 1 1/2 gallons of water, about half the amount it normally requires.