Cargill JV to install FQPT technology

SJC Bioenergia, a joint venture between Cargill and Group USJ, has purchased technology from Fluid Quip Process Technologies (FQPT) to integrate corn ethanol production at its sugarcane ethanol facility located in Quirinopolis, Brazil.

SJC Bioenergia will utilise FQPT's SGT milling, BOS front-end corn oil, Fiber Separation, and MSC Protein Recovery systems. The combined patented and patent-pending systems produce a corn-based starch slurry stream which gives high yields of ethanol and co-products while allowing the sugarcane mill to utilise existing fermentation, distillation and evaporation.

All of the technologies are in full scale operation at various corn ethanol plants in the US. The SJC system will be the first co-location (cane and corn) to remove corn fibre before fermentation, making the switch over from cane to corn seamless throughout the crop year.

'This is a very exciting development for sugarcane ethanol industry,' says John Kwik, president of FQPT. 'Currently these facilities only operate during the cane growing season. The FQPT system allows a facility to blend a corn starch feedstock into the plant while running sugar cane, thus allowing the plant operating capacity to be maximised year-round with the added benefit of the co-product revenue streams which are significant.'

The full system is currently under construction and scheduled for start-up in December this year.