Alternative fuels industry shows signs of growth

A new technology to be unveiled today promises, on the surface at least, to help make ethanol plants more profitable as well as counter questions about the morality of converting a food product into an energy product.

ICM Inc. was rolling out its new "dry corn fractionation" process for about 100 of its customers today, in hopes that at least five plants will agree to invest about $200 million each to be able to produce food for human consumption as well as corn-based ethanol.

Using separate facilities at each ethanol plant, the system separates the dry corn kernel into its components -- endosperm, germ and bran -- before it is contaminated in the later ethanol distillation process.

The corn germ can then be processed to extract a tasteless, powdery protein comparable to the albumin in egg whites that can be used to add a foaming texture to foods such as ice cream, whipped cream, pudding and custards. The product has a potential market value of between $2 and $6 a pound, according to an ICM research.

The germ can also be used to make a food-grade corn oil and a single-cell protein comparable to soybean meal that can be used as feed for poultry and swin.

The corn bran can be used as a cellulosic fuel to reduce natural gas energy costs at the plant, according to the company.

After the germ and bran are removed, the rest of the kernel, about 84 percent, is the endosperm or starch that is used to make ethanol.

The whole process doesn't require any more corn than is already used.

It will divert some of the distiller's grain now being used for livestock feed, which amounts to about a quarter of the income for a typical ethanol plant.

Whether the new technology lives up to its promises, only time will tell.

For the sake of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, we hope the ethanol industry rises to the challenge of adapting to new conditions.

But ethanol isn't the only alternative fuel having an impact in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.

A groundbreaking ceremony was set for 2 p.m. today in Arapahoe, where Republican Valley BioFuels LLC is building a plant capable of producing 5 million gallons per year of biodiesel from oilseed.

From ethanol to biodiesel to crude oil, our region seems destined to have an important role to play in energy production for years to come.